Combatting Homelessness
‘Combatting homelessness starts when understanding it’s not their problem but our problem.’
The Story…
In 2015, I resigned from my job in New York City. Without a fallback option, I took a risk and moved to Los Angeles to start a new life. For more on that journey, check out my blog: How to Success With a Career in Hospitality. I was fortunate with friendships I made and had a place to stay for the first few months after coming to Los Angeles.
One night, when I was walking back to the apartment, I lost my keys. I do not know what happened; I am usually so methodical with my belongings, especially the important ones (keys, passport, birth certificate, wallet, technology). I was distracted with my head in the clouds thinking of all the things I think are important and spend too much time analyzing. How did I do on the interview, will I find a job soon, where should I travel next, and how my upcoming week is looking…too many things that are not shaping the person I want to be.
I think that is the reason I needed to lose my keys. I overreacted. My head was ten steps past the trivial act of losing my keys. I was thinking about having to replace the apartment key. Not knowing where my spare car key was. About how long it was going to take to get AAA or a locksmith to make a house call and if they would even be able to service the car being in a parking garage. The money this will cost that I should not be spending and all the plans I was going to have to cancel because of something preventable, if I had only paid attention.
I looked everywhere for these keys, I checked my pockets, bags, and the front desk at my apartment building. I retraced my steps and checked around my car. I got myself so worked up I was utterly exhausted and just went to bed, resigning to the fact I would need to deal with the repercussions in the morning.
A few minutes after closing my eyes my friend knocked on the door; out of sorts, I hear her say they had my keys at the front desk. I threw my clothes back on and ran downstairs to claim them. The security guard told me a homeless man found them on the street and brought them to the building. At this moment, I was too tired to press further so I thanked the guard and went back upstairs.
The next day when I saw the security guard who had received my keys, I inquired about the full details of how they wound up back at the apartment. He said a homeless man came to the building saying he had a set of keys that had the type of key fob the building utilizes. The gentleman had found the keys on the street around the area of the grocery store down the road; which was on the route from my car to the building. Someone in the store had advised the man the key fob on the chain may be associated with the building I am staying in, so he walked over and spoke with the security guard.
I went to bed that evening flustered; assured this was a lost cause and I would be shelling out a lot of time and money to fix my mistake. I was now on a mission to find this man to thank him. I have experienced doing the right thing and not being recognized for that. This man should be seen and recognized for brightening my day and making my life easier; he could have kept the keys or thrown them out, he could have tried to find the car and take it but instead went above and beyond to try to find me.
The security guard mentioned that the gentleman was a shorter African American man. When I walked within a one-block radius of the apartment and actually paid attention, it made me sad to realize there were at least six people matching this description. After a bit of walking the neighborhood without any luck, I decided to get back at it the next morning. Not only did I want to give this man a bit of money, but I also wanted to buy him breakfast and hear his story.
I eventually walked towards the corner the security guard advised me the gentleman would be on and there was the shorter, African American man he described. I walked up to him, looked him in the eye, and said hello. He asked how I was doing, I said great and asked his name. Security had told me the man who stopped by was named ‘Ohio’. This gentleman said his name was Marvin and any day he is above ground is a good day; in that instant, I was glad I had met him. Initially, because of the name discrepancy, I was unsure if I found the right man, but was intrigued by speaking with him because of his positive energy.
We spoke about projecting positive thoughts out into the world and Marvin mentioned that the reason he believes people cannot do things is that they vocalize that they cannot. After a few minutes of interaction, I asked him if he knew of a man referenced as Ohio, to my good fortune he said that was him. As a natural-born New Jersian, I was apprehensive if he was saying what I wanted to hear or if it were true. When he asked why I was looking for him I said that he had done me a favor and almost simultaneously he exclaimed, ‘the car keys!’ He detailed where he found the keys, the steps he took to locate me and then meeting with my security guard who he reference by name. I knew I had found my person!
I told him I wanted to pay him back for his kindness and wanted to hear his story but beforehand I asked if I could buy him breakfast. He declined my offer saying that he had already eaten; I tried insisting on at least a coffee or food for later, which he continued to refuse. At no point did he try to bamboozle me or get any more out of me than I was trying to give. I asked him his story, how he got here. He told me a few poor choices when he was younger got him in jail, but he was not going to complain or tell me a sob story — he made the choices and that was that.
Marvin was very well-spoken, he touched on the fact that he should have gone to college but is an avid reader to tries to make up for that. The thirty-minute conversation proved that. His positivity was contagious, I mentioned to him that I myself did go to college but am having difficulties finding work. He told me if I project positive thoughts that they will come to me. At one point in our conversation, he said he had a heart condition. When I told him I was sorry for that, his reply was, ‘Don’t be. A synonym for sorry is pitiful and you are not a pitiful person.’
We spoke for another few moments and he introduced me to another gentleman he knew in the area who had a pretty decent voice and shared a passion for the Buckeyes with Marvin. When we parted ways I thanked him again, reiterating how he brightened my day. He turned it back to me and thanked me for finding him and taking the time to talk. I said I looked forward to seeing him again and that I would like an update the next time we cross paths and that if he were to see me from afar, not to hesitate in stopping me.
With all that is going on in this world today, especially in the United States. It was refreshing to hear Marvin’s positivity. This was a wonderful lesson to not judge people.
How to aid in the fight against homelessness
- Donate time — volunteering is one of the best and most rewarding ways to give back.
- Donate money — so many organizations are short-staffed, short on supplies, and short on funding.
- Donate resources — many non-profits could benefit from supplies they go through quickly like food, clothes, blankets, and medical supplies (check with your local organization for needs).
- Reach out to local organizations — the staff can offer suggestions and tell you what efforts are needed.
- Reach out to your local government on initiatives in place to combat homelessness.
Los Angeles-based homeless organizations I have worked with:
For more information on different volunteer opportunities, check out one of my latest posts: Finding Volunteer Opportunities Near Me.
