Father's Day No Home

That guy that sleeps under the bridge is probably someone’s son, uncle, dad or cousin. Some people end up on the street, sleeping under bridges or bus shelters because of emotional and physical fire at home. Some girls decide to be sex workers because of sexual abuse by stepfathers or relatives and mothers not believing them.

All families have untold painful stories, that make drivers relish evening bumper to bumper traffic. Just sitting in the car, delaying the inevitable, facing the music at home.

We regard people who work late, weekends and holidays as hard working, not knowing that home is hard as a pavement, or silent like a tomb although four people live in it.

Some people take out the dog to avoid confrontation. Others dread being told about the evil of how Canadian women dress, something they knew before choosing to emigrate. Working out at the gym is an escape hatch for many people.

What leads to leaving home is personal and a culmination of many things, but it is the last option. Some people didn’t have a choice. They were nudged out or kicked out.

There are always two sides of the story. Homelessness is the end product of failure to bring them together in some  compromise.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.