It’s no surprise that London like many other major cities has a growing number of homeless people. As the issue of homelessness grows so do the opinions. Casual remarks such as, ‘Don’t give them money, they are going to spend it on drugs anyway,’ or ‘Why would I spend my hard-earned money on someone who refuses to work?’ are just some of the harsh comments people make. As much as I hate to admit it, homelessness in London nowadays is seen as more of a nuisance rather than an outcry for help.
Not long ago on my way to catch the train I passed by a homeless woman. I simply glanced at her and I was ready to walk past when I suddenly heard her whisper a few words. “Please, I am so hungry. Please.” In a couple of seconds I turned around and saw a devastatingly sad lady in her mid-thirties. Her blonde hair was covering most of her face so it was hard to tell her age. But her blue eyes held a haunted look that was hard to walk past.
As she looked away from me she turned her attention to a well-suited up gentleman on his iPhone. She mentioned the exact same words she had said to me and he simply looked at her as if she was not even there and he kept on walking. I was struck with the way her shoulders dropped slightly as she watched him walk away, as if in defeat.
Nobody is helping, was the first thought that passed through my mind. The next thought was what could I do? In a moment of spontaneity I went into the closest Tesco’s and quickly grabbed a chicken sandwich, coke and crisps. As I walked back to the homeless woman I literally forced my goods of goodwill on her and a moment of genuine surprise stole her face. I heard her mumble a quick thank you and I simply smiled at her and ran to get my train. I couldn’t help feeling like I had missed something, as I made it just in time to beat the closing doors of the train.
A few days passed and to be honest I didn’t think about it much after that. But as I was catching up with one of my close girlfriends over lunch she started telling me a really familiar story. About her crazy day with a homeless man she had randomly bought food for. She explained she was about to walk away but something made her stay and in her own words she said, “So I just asked him how his day had been and I couldn’t believe it but he started crying and then he started telling me about his life…”
In that moment I was reminded of my homeless woman. I realised I had given her food out of guilt and really I was no better than the gentleman that had ignored her. Perhaps next time if I get another opportunity to see her I will not only share my money but also my time and friendship. Regardless of your view on homelessness, making someone feel valued by giving them your time is something that we can all do for free.
