“I’m part of PTH because they believe in the same thing I believe in. I find a lot of commonality between myself and the members, and it gives me a sense of support, like I’m not alone in the struggle. We understand the importance of rolling up our sleeves and fighting – I don’t mean physically, I mean strategically, standing up in the face of adversity and saying I will not be forgotten.
To homeless people who aren’t part of Picture the Homeless, I would say PTH is a great place to start to understand the system and become involved, and make your voices heard. I know people get down at times, but that’s what PTH is about, fighting together to end this oppression. Homelessness hurts, but it doesn’t feel so bad if you fight a good fight.
For people who have never dealt with homelessness, the most important thing to know is that we are proud people too. We have morale, we have lives. We have goals. It’s a crisis, and homelessness is no dehumanizing and lasts such a long time and it seems like there’s no way out. So a lot of times, people stop fighting it. As long as I stay focused, and keep learning, I feel like I’m getting somewhere. People can tell you something a thousand times, or you can read it in the newspaper or in a book, but it’s different when you connect the dots yourself.