I don’t think I’ve ever had a trip that has caused such a change in my views as the trip to Capitol Hill.
I was raised in India, and the notion there is, those who are drug addicts, mentally unstable or lazy, are homeless. That notion was carried when I came to New York. The homeless were a product of their traits, lazy, crazy or a combination of both. It was a very ignorant mindset.
My research on the topic for the midterm paper as well as the trip to Capitol Hill showed me the exact opposite.
I had the pleasure of learning about a few stories from those who lived in the permanent housing at Capitol Hill. Every single one of the tenants were there due to a series of unfortunate events. We visited one SRO occupant whose disability coverage fee was so high, his salary was not enough to pay for the disability services as well as his rent. The disability was poor circulation, something that was not his fault. Another tenant was forced into homelessness because his original landlord was unable to pay his rent, forcing him to sell the entire building.
I honestly feel guilty that I had those ignorant predisposed thoughts about the homeless when I had never met any of them, nor heard any of their situations. This goes to show that people just don’t know, and it is our duty, as a citizen and an agent of change, to do something about it.
- Madhav Bhatt
