Lessons From a Homeless Couple

Right before some of our staff started to leave this summer, we went out for a great dinner in Chinatown to celebrate our time together as a group before our summer closed down. We all understood that it was one of our last times together, and halfway through our dinner we wound up playing 'Remember when...'

In remember when, we reminisced on our best memories of our 3 months in DC. Halfway through this dinner, we all ended up laughing as we recalled the absurd events (stolen vans?) that we had survived this past summer. It was a great way for me to recall memories I had forgotten. Because it was so helpful, I have found myself playing it frequently since I've gotten home. Let me share an example of an event this summer I just 'remembered when...'

One of the last sites I got to serve at was S.O.M.E (so others might eat). I loved S.O.M.E and have blogged about it before because it was so influential in shaping my perspective on homelessness. The last lesson that S.O.M.E taught me came from a homeless couple who I met while they were eating breakfast together.

As we were cleaning, I couldn't help but notice this specific couple. They both had grey hair and I couldn't help but notice that they were more concerned with looking at each other than they were with eating the food placed in front of them. There was something about the way that they looked at each other that made me feel like I was invading their privacy, despite their being in a room with 160 other people.

I skated around them (awkwardly, I might add) for about 5 minutes, as I debated whether or not it would be completely inappropriate for me to approach them and spark a conversation, because I was completely drawn to them.

Eventually, I gathered the guts, sat down across the table from them and introduced myself. They were both polite, and answered every question I threw at them (trust me, there were a lot of questions). I wanted to know how long they had been married, when they had met, and how they could still be so clearly in love.

I eventually found out that she was from West Virginia, and he was from North Carolina. She had fled to DC and become homeless as a result of an abusive relationship. He was very vague in explaining to me how he ended up in DC, so I didn't probe too far. They weren't married, but they had known each other for awhile.

The more questions I asked, the less they paid attention to me. They answered my questions, but they only did so as they balanced looking back at the other person and eating their meal. When they spoke, they started to answer my questions and wouldn't finish their response to me until they each had a nod of encouragement from the other person.

As I got up and politely excused myself from the conversation, I walked away more confused than when I had entered. I walked away realizing a key lesson that I am so glad I learned this summer.

Even though they were homeless, they had something I didn't have.

It was so easy to go about my job this summer thinking, "I have so many ways that I can help these people." Categorizing homeless people into 'these' was bad enough. Thinking that we could only have a one way relationship, where I taught them was the icing on the cake. I learned from this couple that even though I could offer them a meal in the morning, they still had something that I didn't have and couldn't offer to them. This couple was so clearly in love, that any child would take a glance at them and accuse them of having cooties. This man and women had found someone who would go through life with them, no matter the circumstances...including being homeless.

Watching the way they looked at each other, I wanted what they had, and I couldn't get it. Realizing this automatically dignified them as people with resources that I didn't have. Being reminded of this lesson was such a great 'remember when' as I go about re-entering into my life at home :)