Homelessness at Home

Students collecting non-perishable food items for Halloween for Hunger.

With Halloween just around the corner, I can’t help but start to think about all the great events that come along with this festive holiday: candy, costumes, candy, haunted houses and, er…candy. But as we get closer to the date and the days start to get shorter and colder, I also can’t help but think about all of those people in our own communities who won’t have a place to sleep that night.

When I first moved to Toronto and began noticing the number of homeless people living on the streets, I was shocked. At the same time, I was unsure how to react—mostly I was just uncomfortable. Like many people, when I saw a homeless person I would walk a little faster and avoid making eye contact, fearing what would happen if I ever stopped to talk.

One afternoon, however, as I was walking home and feeling extremely grateful for the beautiful weather, I decided it was time to do something a little different—something that would push my personal boundaries. I told myself I would stop and talk to the next person I saw sitting or lying on the street.

That’s how I met Pat.

She was sitting on the steps of a bank, fiddling through small scraps in her bag. Her hair was slightly dishevelled, her clothes slightly torn. 

I told myself, “This is it! I’m going to stop and talk to this woman!”

This was something I wanted to do. I wanted to be the kind of person who didn’t just close their eyes to the problems all around them. Nervousness set in and my heart began to beat faster. I walked closer and closer and the next thing I knew I had walked right past her! My nerves had gotten the better of my legs.

Finally I stopped about 20 feet away, took a deep breath and began walking toward her again. All of a sudden, she looked up and said, “Hi.”

I sat down beside her and told her my name. She replied that hers was Pat, and from there I began to learn her story. She told me that she spent some time living in Vancouver and, although she couldn’t remember how long ago she moved to Toronto, she knew one thing for sure: she wished she didn’t live on the streets. She explained that she was in an accident that destroyed the nerves in her arm, and then looked at me with the most soulful eyes and said, “You don’t know what it’s like being me.”

And the truth was: I didn’t. Hearing Pat talk about her past made me realize that, even at some of the most difficult times, life has been pretty good to me. I’d never had to cover myself with newspapers and cardboard in order to stay warm on a cold night. I’d never felt like the world walked past me, refusing to notice I was alive.

I haven’t seen Pat since that meeting, but I keep the memory of her and her story with me wherever I go.

Sometimes when we hear about issues of hunger and poverty throughout the globe, we don’t realize that these issues exist in our own communities as well. This fall, I challenge you to open your eyes to the issues that face your local community. Join the young people around North America who are taking part in Free The Children’s Halloween for Hunger campaign, and see what a difference you can make. Bring some love to your local food bank and take notice of the lives we usually just pass by. 

Matt Tod
Leadership Coordinator

Helpful Hints from Helpful Links  

Learn more about child poverty globally and locally
Read about an incredible woman who refused to sit idly by

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.