This Is Why You Always See Homeless People At The Same Places

There’s a reason homeless people frequent places like Walmart, McDonald’s, or you see them walking the streets all night.

It's because they have nowhere else to go. It really is that simple. (And difficult.)

When you’re homeless, there’s nowhere in the public world that is truly safe for you to be in. Loitering laws, time limits, judgmental glances —

Your very presence is a criminal act. How dare you be here. Are you a paying customer?

And even when you do pay for a little item, such as a pack of gum, so you can justify washing up in the bathroom, the glares of judgment are long and hard…from owners, workers, and patrons.

There’s nowhere you can rest and simply exist. To just be. Where do you go?

Most homeless people devise routines for this reason. 2 hours at the mall. 4 hours at the library. Can’t stay in that parking lot longer than 3 hours. Can’t stay at the McDonald’s longer than 2. Walk back to the other side of town to get a .25 drink. Walk to the other side of town. I’ll sleep at rest area 456 tonight, then 512 tomorrow night.

Have you ever noticed how many people sleep behind dumpsters?

Maybe it’s because nobody cares about garbage, and they’re less likely to care that someone is sleeping there.

(Think about that for a moment. Humans not caring about other humans sleeping near trash…because in truth, they think that human is trash.)

When you’re homeless, your entire day revolves around finding places you’re allowed to get your daily needs met. Bathrooms. Food. Water. Rest.

Every single act is work. Every single act is a hunt. You may think being homeless is easy. It’s actually the hardest job you could ever have.

True rest still eludes me, even 7 months later.

You move from place to place in a blur, constantly looking over your shoulder wondering if this is going to be the moment you get in trouble. Oh, you didn’t steal anything or break anything, but simply you being there is a crime in and of itself.

Your existence is illegal, and you will be punished accordingly.

Whether it’s a ticket or full-on arrest for sleeping in your car in the parking lot, or being shooed away by police because you’ve been sitting outside the Burger King too long, or the dreaded window tap from a rest area security guard…

You are sent a very clear message:

You don’t belong here.

We don’t want you.

Go away.

To this day, I still feel a sense of fear and anxiety whenever we go out for long periods of time. Especially if it’s at night.

Last night we had a family emergency and I had to meet my mom at a McDonald’s near the house. It was about 10pm. I felt this tremendous sense of anxiousness rise up in me. Kept looking over my shoulder. Are there police? Crap, the manager just made eye contact with me.

We were paying customers. Not doing anything shady. Just meeting up like people do all the time. But I couldn’t help but feel like me simply being there was not okay. Like I was doing something wrong.

This is the cost of homelessness. Well, one cost. The sense of being unwanted and less than human doesn't go away. The nightmares come and go but they don't go away. Looking over your shoulder doesn't go away.

My existence is not a crime.

No one’s is.

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I originally posted a slightly different version of this piece on LinkedIn in 2023; it was republished on Medium in 2024. Now with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) reversing their decision on Grants Pass v. Johnson (thereby making homelessness illegal), this perspective bears sharing again.

When I wrote this, being homeless meant that your existence was a metaphorical crime that could become a literal crime. But now, the U.S. government said it really is a crime to be without a home/shelter. States can arrest, detain, and in some cases even commit homeless people to psychiatric institutions without their consent. Just because they don't have anywhere to live.

When I wrote this, I had been housed for 7 months. Now I've been housed almost 2 years. The news of SCOTUS' decision was still extremely painful for me -- because I know what homeless people are experiencing and I know how negatively this decision will impact them. My heart aches. So once again, I just want to say: Our existence is not a crime. All humans have the right to exist.

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Got any questions about homelessness? Feel free to ask in the comments and I'll write about it.