Two Left Shoes

Abstract

In retrospect, it’s not surprising that I experienced homelessness during one winter as a college student. The winter of 1983 in Seattle was typical: cold, cloudy, and wet. Peanut butter was my primary food. I had a small camping stove for coffee but lacked any other means of heat. Gasworks Park was my main source of drinking water. But my story is not unusual; it is regrettably far too common. After all, on any single night in the U.S., about 1 in 500 individuals, representing a diverse cross-section of the population, find themselves without housing (1). Among college students, estimates indicate that about 5% to 10% will experience homelessness at some point during their academic journey (2,3). Although many temporary couch surf with friends, a significant proportion, like myself, end up sleeping outdoors or urban camping (4). Globally, hundreds of millions of people have inadequate shelter every night. The hard reality is that individuals of all ages and backgrounds, including children, students, adults, and seniors, have either already confronted or will confront housing insecurity and homelessness.