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(Episode previously named “Homelessness”)
In this episode, Dani discusses homelessness and empathy.
Check out the full episode notes for links & recommendations!
Dani is honest and refreshing in her takes on the world and society. Listen as she explains how she’s come to understand the world through kindness, both towards ourselves and everything else.
[0:00] Hi everyone! Welcome to Understanding Kindness. My name is Dani, and today I’ll be talking about homelessness; and going hand-in-hand with that: empathy. I want to share some stories and experiences I’ve had. I’m going to talk about a few concepts too, namely rent and landlords. And, of course I’ve got some references for y’all.
[0:24] In today’s episode, I want to highlight the Bitchy Shitshow podcast [podcast no longer available] (we know ‘em, we love ‘em, we talk about ‘em all the time), also the YouTube channel ThoughtSlime, and Homes Guarantee Thursday presented by People’s Action. Now let’s get to it…welcome to this episode of Understanding Kindness.
[045:] (Theme).
[0:51] I was talking with Jorge (who I want to give credit to for the topic of this episode), but I was talking to him the other day in the car. I pulled up to a stoplight and we saw a person asking for money at the intersection. I didn’t have any money or food or anything on me, but I smiled and nodded at the person. They smiled and waved back, and I continued through the intersection a few moments later. Jorge laughed and told me his sister had laughed at him when he did the same thing the other day. She told him “don’t do that, they’ll think you have money”, to which he responded, “wouldn’t you appreciate someone smiling and waving even if they didn’t have money?” To both of our surprises, she said no. This got Jorge and I thinking and talking. I’ve felt that showing someone, who regularly gets ignored by most people every day, would want to be seen and recognized, even if I’m not able to give them money. Jorge felt the same way. It was interesting to look at it from his sister’s perspective though. I suppose I could be getting their hopes up for only a smile, but I can’t shake the feeling that being noticed and treated with dignity and kindness would still make most people feel better, no matter their situation. In the past, the people I’ve interacted with have told me how a smile makes their day, or just talking to someone helps them get through the day. I cannot fully understand how difficult and emotional being without a place to live truly feels, but I can give what I can in each interaction I have with someone and try to empathize with them.
[2:22] I began to interact more with the people experiencing homelessness in my city more because of something Nic from Bitchy Shitshow [podcast no longer available] mentioned in one episode of their old podcast Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack! [podcast no longer available]. She talked about how she asks her comrades experiencing homelessness if they needed anything from the grocery store before doing her own grocery shopping. I began looking for things in my car whenever I passed this certain intersection by my grocery store, or I’d give these people that I’d see sometimes multiple times a week, some of the fruit I’d bought for myself. Sometimes I’d give money, sometimes I’d give an umbrella. Nic said any time they passed someone they would give them everything in their wallet cause it just wasn’t fair that they got the monies and this comrade of theirs hadn’t. They made me chuckle with that one, but it got me thinking. I had a large jar full of change that I’d saved over the years, as most of us do, right? It just sits there, and as I’ve stopped waiting tables for tips, I’ve stopped adding to it much. Why am I just letting this money sit there when there are people freezing and going hungry because they don’t have any money? I started bringing a handful of change with me every time I leave the house. Anyone I see experiencing homelessness or asking for money at intersections, I give them the change in my pocket, or some of the food I’ve got with me, or my umbrella if they need one. I don’t need these things. I can easily run from the grocery store to my car with my hood pulled up if it’s drizzling outside. I’m not standing outside in the rain getting splashed by cars because I was kicked out of my home. I do not need an umbrella more than they need an umbrella. I can more easily get another one if I need to. I don’t actually need six mangoes, even if they were on sale. I’m not more hungry and unsure of where my next meal will come from than this person who is starving next to me. Sometimes I look around my car and find nothing to hand this comrade next to me, but I do not have nothing to give them. I can look them in the eyes and smile, maybe ask how their day’s going, treat them like a person, treat them how I’d want to be treated instead of ignored and looked down upon. Any of us could be in their shoes in an instant, and I think we’re all beginning to see that more and more as we watch our society collapse around us.
[4:41] Where I used to live and where I currently live now, there is a growing homeless population. People have been evicted from their homes during a global pandemic. Think about this for a moment. We understand as human beings that in order to keep our bodies, immune systems, and minds healthy and able to fight off viruses, we need nutritious food, clean water, shelter, and safety. Why on earth, then, would we force people out of their homes, onto the streets, begging for food to keep them alive, and unaware of if they’ll be able to survive the next few days? Why then too, is this done more to specific individuals in this country, aside from the fact that they are being targeted and murdered? (Side note: If you’re not going to believe the facts and the firsthand accounts of BIPOC (that’s Black, Indigenous, People of Color) who have experienced homelessness, there is no point in arguing with you, and you have no point arguing with me beside wasting your breath. You do not believe truth and I cannot converse with someone who lacks empathy for another. Kindly come back when you can listen and learn and help us try to solve this problem. I’ll be here.)
[5:57] Speaking of, let’s talk a bit about Homes Guarantee Thursdays. I don’t remember exactly how I came to find out about these calls, but I’ve attended a couple and there’s a lot of useful information for tenants, as well as individuals who share their stories. So a little about Homes Guarantee, this grassroots organization “calls for the construction of 12 million units of social housing, deep investment in public housing, finding an end to homelessness, reparations for centuries of racist housing policies, and the expansion of tenant protections to create a housing system that truly puts people over profits”. They realize that those closest to the problems are going to be the best to find real solutions. “The vision for a national Homes Guarantee comes straight from people who are impacted by the nation’s housing crisis, and builds from a long tradition of tenant organizing.” Anyone can join the calls and hear firsthand how people are organizing to ensure that everyone has housing, and hear firsthand accounts of how our current system puts profits over people.
[7:06] This week, the call surrounded the new CDC Federal Eviction Moratorium, which is a national ban on all evictions for non-payment of rent through the end of 2020, starting 4 September. Tenants must file for rental assistance, which puts more burden on someone that is obviously already going through a lot. To be clear, this moratorium ends at the end of 2020, afterwards everything for tenants is unknown. Those that have already been evicted are not protected. So individuals who were kicked out of their homes after 31 August and before 4 September are still homeless. Landlords who want to evict their tenants for ANY other reason ( be that a noise complaint, or any complaint from anyone for that matter), besides non-payment, can still do so. Landlords are also able to charge fees and interest for non-payment of rent, which really just defeats the purpose of the moratorium. If people don’t have the money now, why would they have it AND SOME, at the end of the year? Many of us can’t work! There’s a pandemic going on! No one wants to risk their health and possibly their life to get a minimum wage job, just to live. Being able to live should be a guarantee, especially in a country where freedom is talked about so much. How free are we really if we must continue to work during a pandemic? Anyway, the best kicker of them all is if a landlord chooses to ignore the moratorium, tenants have no protection. Sure they can take them to court, but they’ve already been forced from their home. Also, who’s gonna pay for that lawyer? This moratorium is laughable in my opinion. Yes, it’s going to help people right now, but it does nothing to keep them safe from these violences in the future. This moratorium is a short-term fix, a bandage for a large gaping wound. There are real solutions that can resolve these issues now, and Homes Guarantee is working with tenants to find them. If you currently need assistance to combat legal challenges in your area, please reach out to those at Homes Guarantee and they can give you support. There’ll be a link in the episode notes.
[9:24] Now, yes this is a particular problem now with the pandemic, but people have been getting evicted from their homes ever since there have been landlords and tenants, and it’s not going to stop unless there are no such types of contracts. ThoughtSlime on YouTube actually recently did a great video on the concept of landlords as a response to a response video from their first video on landlords. But nonetheless, I would highly recommend that anyway. Now, now, listen here, I am not saying all landlords are bad people. I’m saying that if we’re going to have a government, it should probably make sure its people have homes to live in and a guarantee that they can have a happy, healthy, and full life. Isn’t that what a government should be doing? This issue is not the problem of the individual landlord; again, we cannot blame ourselves for being born and bred into this culture and needing to find a way to survive. This is an issue with the overall concept of rent being paid to someone with power over you and being able to take away your home and safety. Why do we live in a society that allows this? There are hundreds, if not thousands of empty buildings and empty units all over the place, yet there are individuals who are starving and freezing to death on the streets. Let me tell you, they’re not doing that cause they wanna. Just as you would not want to be forced from your home, just as you would do everything to avoid this happening to you, these people did not want to be forced from their homes, these people probably did everything they could’ve thought of to avoid becoming homeless. Why do we allow someone to take another person’s home and safety away? Why do we give people such power over others?
[11:19] If we’re able to see another way to be, another way to live, that is better for everyone, not just the few collecting the profits at the top, why don’t we strive for that? You do not deserve a home more than anyone else. You should be outraged that forcing someone from their home is a thing that actually happens. You may be safe for now, but unless things change now, I guarantee you will not be safe forever. You are no different than that comrade standing next to you at the intersection. Treat them that way, and help fight for them. You have the time to pay attention to these things, get off social media. You have the power to affect real change, so learn how. I want to end with something that Angel R. said at the end of the Homes Guarantee call this last Thursday, they said “Whether you pay rent, a mortgage, or property taxes, you are paying a landlord to live in your home”.
To learn more about these topics, straight from the places where I was able to, watch ThoughtSlime’s video on landlords, and check out the next Homes Guarantee Thursdays call. Links to all of these will be in the episode notes.
[12:36] If you enjoyed this episode, help support the podcast! All this content is free and I’d love to make it my job one day, so if you’re financially able join our patreon or send a one-time or recurring donation through paypal! You can also share an episode with family or friends, and give UK a kind rating and review!
Check out UnderstandingKindness.com for all episodes, transcripts, and blog posts. And why not take a listen to my other podcast, Better When Awkward, co-hosted by my childhood best friend Jasmine!
Get in touch with me by emailing UnderstandingKindness@protonmail.com, or through social media. You can find all links in the episode notes.
For now, be kind, be compassionate, be understanding, and question everything. I’ll be here. Thank you for listening to this episode of Understanding Kindness. [End transcript]