I arrive at Church Under the Bridge, park in one of the slanted spaces along the side of the lot. Stepping out of the car, I suck in the mild fall air—bulging in my lungs—and force it out in a narrow stream. Homeless people are milling around, grouping together at the ends of car rows where free clothing is being handed out, or joining a straggly line to a table of produce and brown paper bags.
I squeeze between two cars to a wise concrete aisle, and head to the food handouts. Step behind the red plastic-covered tables, behind the volunteers bagging bananas and crackers and handing them forward. I look around for someone I might ask to help.
I notice a clean-shaven, middle-aged man standing behind the volunteers, watching them and talking with another man wearing disposable gloves. The other man laughs and moves off—I greet the first man, ask him if there’s anything I can do to help.
“You want to help? Yeah, just go ask them.” He points to the volunteers at the table. “They’ll tell you what to do.”
I thank him and move forward.
***
I’m leaning against a concrete pillar off the side of the congregation, watching the band warm up, when he approaches me again.
Alex is extremely friendly, his voice clear and slightly Spanish-tinged. We’re able to talk—I find out he’s actually homeless—I realize that I’ve actually been choosing whom I recognize as homeless based solely on their appearance. Alex looks just like an ‘ordinary’ person—no backpack, very clean, kept. I wonder how many people are actually living without a home and keep themselves clean so no one would suspect it. Meeting Alex forced me to carefully consider, now, the image that pops into my head when someone says ‘homeless’. Is it actually an accurate picture?
Alex is also the first homeless person I’ve met that lives in a car. I know that that’s the situation of many homeless people, especially families. I just hadn’t thought of it, or realized the extent of the security a car can bring compared to living in the open. I mean, for many people it probably sucks more than living in a house.
From this, I also realized that based on the areas I’ve been focusing my attention on—Mission Possible, Church Under the Bridge—might not bring me into contact with the greatest diversity of people experiencing homelessness. For example, minors don’t usually frequent MP or CUB. I’m going to have to do some sleuthing later to see if I can visit some other Austin areas.
Chao,
Isabella, 12/3/16
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