This Is How I Remembered that I’m Homeless not Worthless

Image by Dragona Gordic- paid for by author

Homeless people are worthless. We are a pestilence that threaten disease to the good people of the world. Excuse me if I’m being dramatic, but tonight this is how a police officer in my community made me feel.

I had been the one with the bright idea to move my sister, our three kids, and myself into our van a month ago. We were desperate, and we could never save money for a permanent place living in hotels. I had been terrified to make the move, but I was sure it was our best chance.

I spoke openly about our situation online. My supportive friends and family on social media sent encouraging messages to me everyday. Our choice to dive into homelessness- (true honest-to- goodness no home homelessness!) had been lauded as a brave and necessary choice.

It wasn’t easy. It was hot and uncomfortable and sometimes scary. However, it was our best chance. We found beautiful moments in our van life. We communed with nature. We discovered places we didn’t know existed. We connected as a family in ways we’d never done before. In all honesty, I was feeling surprisingly positive about the whole thing.

One of the reasons we made this choice was to be closer to my mom. She’d recently had several surgeries and required help. We weren’t allowed to stay at our mom’s place or she’d be…