Turning my experience of being homeless into something good

Helping the people that are homeless 

I was homeless once myself (see links below this post) It was in Holland though, and the weather conditions weren't as they are here in Budapest, where I now live. People thought we would never climb up again, and as I am honest, at times we had no hope left ourselves either.. Life on the streets is tough, and people intend to look at you like you are nothing, a nobody without any feelings. 

Even your close ones may abandon you from their lives, eventhough they know what you're made of. That hurts, and will kick your confidence down to the ground, if you have got any left anyways. 

We took control over our lives again by leaving the country, and no I don't want to encourage every homeless person to do that, because we had to deal with many other circumstances too. And I have no clear solution for you to get back on your feet. Every person has a different set of skills, and every person will need a different approach to get the help they need. I promised myself going through the dark period in our lives a few years ago, that when I could I would help others in need. This time is now.

We know how it feels going through the looks people give you, how it feels to be hungry and have no money to eat. But we also learned ways to manage, so most of the days we would be creative and still have something to eat. Not every country/city will give the same opportunities of course, but maybe someone will think, hey I didn't think of that before. 

I will do my best to make our terrible period on the streets an experience that I turn into something positive to help others. What's done is done in our case, and how much the things may still hurt inside, we have a roof over our head now, and this year started well for us. This will be the year I will finally make things happen. Things I couldn't do last years, because we were still trying to climb back on our feet. 

A smile can lighten up someones day and doesn't cost a thing!

As we now live in Budapest, Hungary I see homeless people every single day. And from the first time I walked on the streets here, I had a hard time letting go of those feelings I got. I will never give a nasty look to those people. I will try to make sure I give them a genuine smile, and sometimes you see those faces light up like they haven't seen a person smile for years when you do that. If you never do this, give it a try! This kind of small gestures are free, and sometimes mean a lot to the homeless people.

They often feel abandoned, and alone, and worthless due to how others may treat them. So if someone will pass by giving them a smile, and you greet them, they will really appreciate this. It's even better when you have a little kid with you who is smiling at them, but hey kids can work magic.. 

I often asked myself, what can I do to help them? I wasn't in the position yet to help, because we still had to find a place to live, and were hopping houses here the last couple of months. But it kept crossing my mind, what will I do to help, what do they need? Many homeless people in Budapest are alcoholics, you can see it right away, but can you blame them? I understand in those circumstances you want to blank your mind, and try to let the day pass by, to wake up another day, with the same struggles.. 

What do they need? 

It is cold here, and people get some money from others that pass by, and for a few hundred forint they can buy one sip bottles with alcoholic drinks. They prefer this because it will keep them a bit warm and fuzzy. I can't even blame them, but I don't want to support them by giving them alcohol or money. I would like to help in providing them with their needs. Like when you see someone that needs a pair of shoes, walk into a second hand shop (Budapest has got so many! ) and buying those for them. Or a coat, or sweater, scarf, whatever you can think of.

Rome hasn't been build in one day, let's start with the little things in life that can give you even the slightest feeling of joy. I remember I was so happy when I could drink a good cup of coffee during those days. In Holland you can get them for free in the supermarkets (not all of them, but plenty of them) and we started the day walking in one of the supermarkets to get a free cup of coffee. I have been thinking about finding a way to provide this to the homeless here, or the people that may have a home but can't afford the luxury of a cup of coffee because it may be too expensive for them.

I spoke about this with a dear friend of ours tonight, and then it hit me. I got it all planned out, and he immediately offert to design the flyers and stickers I need for this idea. This is how fast ideas can grow, and I am so excited to start thinking about what the name of the project will be (as my Hungarian still sucks and I am the kind of person that normally thinks of the best names for things lol, this will be a challenge!).

Many ideas have gone through my mind last years, and are parked somewhere back in my mind waiting for the right time. But the weather conditions here aren't that patient, so I feel the urgent need to take action right away planning this stuff out. I hope to have it planned out in a few days, because I need a game plan to get things done fast. Actually, I am quite confident it will be a success and I really hope that I can be of help where I can for the homeless people here in Budapest.

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All of my posts are posted when I find the strenght to write about that particular part of my life. Some events are extremely painfull to relive, and write down, therefore it will cost me a lot of energy, and tears to finish the post. Here you can find all of my posts that I posted under the #familyprotection tag with my own personal story. 

I was homeles a few years ago

How to get back your inner strenght 

Turning my experience of being homeless into something good

My posts will not apear in chronological order, so sometimes there may be a period of a few years in between this and the next or previous post. Don't be confused by that, this is to make sure I can cope with it. I found a way of coping with the pain and grieve in the last 1,5 year or so. Before this period I was lost, and could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. 

This is not so hard to understand, if you know what happened to us in a period of only a few years. Many people will not even experience this kind of horror in their whole lives. (Luckily!) 

I plan on getting as much awareness as possible by sharing my story, and hope to help others open their eyes before things get out of hand. So your support is much appreciated! 

Resteeming too, of course. Thank you for your support!

AnoukNox