Self-Improvement

14 Brutally Honest Confessions From People Who Were Homeless

Published on May 8, 2018

The scourge of homelessness might be something you expect to be solved in the developed countries. But it turns out that the United States still struggles with this problem, especially in this economy.

A January 2015 statistic found that roughly over 560,000 people were homeless in America. Fifty percent of that population are considered ‘chronically homeless’ which means that these people will die on the streets. It gets more depressing (we’re not going to be pulling any punches today). Eight percent of homeless people are veterans. (only in America folks)

These people desperately need our help. We aren’t going to mess around with some ‘joy of giving’ montage here. Every act of kindness, even leftovers from overcooking for your Thanksgiving Dinner to sparing a blanket can literally save lives.

What you’re about to read now might be difficult for you to read. But trust me that you need to read it. These are just 15 voices of people who’ve been through the severely tough times. It’s only when we can truly feel the suffering of our fellow men, can we claim to be authentic men ourselves.

Read After: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

We truly hope that compassion and understanding is what you focus on when you read these confessions. Save the judgment!

1. ‘I’m a teacher. I was homeless for 3 months after I broke up with my boyfriend. I never told anyone. I slept in my car and showered at work. I didn’t take one day off and no one ever knew.’

2. ‘When I was homeless a year ago I purposefully hurt myself so I could have a bed to lie in at the hospital.’

3. ‘I was homeless for six months. For food, I would walk around the fancy grocery stores and take as many samples as I could. I slept in alleys, but ate like a king.’

4. ‘When I was homeless and there was a blizzard, I went to apartments and rang a random doorbell and just stayed in the local laundry room until it was over.’

5. ‘I became a manager at work and I just made a bank deposit for my job. The bank is across the street from where I used to sleep in the parking lot of a church when I was homeless last year.’

6. ‘This feels like a huge accomplishment, I can finally pay my bills and rent with one paycheck. I used to be homeless; this is a big deal for me. I feel safe for the first time in a really long time.’

7. ‘When I was homeless I over-ate every chance I could because I didn’t know when I’d eat again. Now I’m addicted to over-eating.’

8. ‘In starting to wonder if being homeless was better than the stress of finding a job and the continued stress of bills. I almost want to go back.’

9. ‘Two years ago, I was homeless. Now, I own a desktop, laptop, tablet, and iPhone. I don’t feel blessed, I feel guilty and materialistic.’

10. ‘I sleep on the sofa because it’s a security blanket. It’s from when I was homeless and sofa hopping.’

11. ‘Back when I was homeless I would shoplift from the mall and sell the stolen clothes. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it kept me alive.’

12. ‘I used to be homeless. Whenever it is cold out at night, I can’t help but automatically think of where in the city will be best to keep warm while I sleep.’

13. ‘I absolutely hate it when people waste food. It just reminds me of when I was homeless and could barely keep myself afloat.’

14. ‘People get upset that I stress so much over money. I only stress over it because I was homeless for 2 years and I don’t want to go back. I was once homeless and now that I’m much better off, I feel guilty buying new clothes.’