CHAPTER 1

THE ORDINARY WORLD

My intent for this book was to research homelessness in abrand new way so that by the end, my readers and I wouldhave a real understanding of what the word means—and notjust in a technical sense. This book grasps at the emotional scope and depthof the concept.

I started by reading a couple of books on the history of homelessnessin America, hoping that an understanding of the past would lead to anunderstanding of the present. I learned that homelessness has been aphenomenon in our society since the dawn of Western culture on thiscontinent. It was also present in European society long before we colonizedthe North American continent. But interestingly enough, the homelesspopulation exploded during the Industrial Revolution and has basicallynot subsided since.

Some of the books I read suggested that the birth of large industryfueled the exponential increase in the rates and numbers of homelesspersons in America. Factories employed large numbers of people, and thenbecause of seasonal demands, increased efficiency, or economic conditions,laid them off. These workers then were released in large numbers into thecities that could hardly reabsorb them.

In addition to the powerful flux of supply and demand during thisperiod, there was also a change from rural to urban lifestyles. Farm life wasdisappearing—for it was also becoming industrialized—and city life wasgrowing. If you wanted to work, you needed to move to the city. Some ofthese books on the history of homelessness in America suggested that thischange further fueled homelessness, as many persons were just not suitedfor factory work, but it was the only work to be found.

The introduction of interchangeable parts created a move towardgreater conformity in our society. As all mechanical parts had to conform,it was not unreasonable to assume that those who made them had to dothe same. To many, repetitious tasks done for long hours inside dark,stuffy buildings simply did not suit their nature, and they often couldn'tor wouldn't hold down such jobs.

And of course, wars occurred. More importantly, wars ended. Atthe end of each war in U.S. history, there was a surge in homelessness assoldiers returned and couldn't find work or were unable to work.

These theories made sense to me, but they still didn't give me anunderstanding of what homelessness means today. They instead focusedon the many academic aspects, possible historical causes, facts and figures.While useful, this background research doesn't explain why Joe X or JaneY is on Z Street corner today.

I couldn't just write off the idea of homelessness by blaming it onmodernization. Factory conditions today are far better than during thedawn of the Industrial Revolution, but homeless numbers are not. City lifeis better, too. We've had a century to adjust. And not all homeless peopleare veterans. The causes just could not be that simple.

Still, the research I did had value to inform me that homelessnessaffects many different types of people and has many different causes. Ihad a new appreciation for the diversity of the issues I was about to tackle.But I still felt that I was looking in through the peephole of some frontdoor, trying to get a feel for the house inside. So I kept reading, findingbooks that documented the stories of homeless persons. Their stories werefascinating and sad. I felt great sympathy for the individuals and got lostin detail after shocking detail. After all those stories, I thought I'd have apretty good understanding of homelessness.

But I didn't.

I was still left with a feeling that I didn't know the people behindthese stories. Most important to understanding homelessness is witnessingthe people, knowing their stories personally and coming to learn howthey are related. What connections allow all these different people tofall under the category of homeless? And what does that category evenmean?

Socially, I realized that the people I came in contact with most dayswere all basically the same. This is not to say that they made the sameamount of money, dressed the same, and thought the exact same thoughtsas me. Rather, I mean they all made money, bought their clothes in retailstores, and digested roughly the same media. The choice in my world fortonight's dinner is to eat in or eat out. Pondering those two options leavesno room to consider a third: don't eat at all. Or a fourth: eat, but out of atrash can. Like me before I started to research, you may not notice thesegivens in our similar worldview, because they seem so ordinary. To thisextent, I remained blind to the larger picture.

From this, my plan to understand homelessness emerged. I thought I'dbegin by interviewing homeless persons and those who work with them—notabout their stories, but about who they really are and what they thinkabout homelessness. After all, if anyone knows what homelessness is, thesepeople do. It started as a hunch, a shot in the dark. I wanted an answer tomy question but didn't even fully understand what I was asking.

Unlike other books on the homeless, I did not want to interviewpeople without shelter about the details of their lives. Instead, I wanted tointerview them on their thoughts on life. I wanted to find out what makesthem different from—or the same as—you and me. And since insight isa mater of perspective, I was fairly sure they would have new insights dueto their different perspectives. I hoped to gain a new vantage point—thevantage point I needed to properly interpret the histories and stories ofhomelessness. By the end, I might actually understand the concept ofhomelessness itself.

There is no growth in understanding unless you dare to look into theunknown and outside your usual reality. If ours is the ordinary world,theirs is a special world—not necessarily better or...