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Imagine this:
You're walking down the streets in downtown San Diego with a bunch of people, clutching sleeping bags, on your way to a suitable sidewalk to sleep on. It's night. And it's winter.
Some guy approaches the group, telling you his partner's seven months pregnant, and asking if some people could come sleep nearby them. They live in a parking lot.
So some of your group ends up sleeping near them, and hearing about their lives. The expectant mother's hoping to go to a free clinic when the time comes for her to give birth; free healthcare will be a huge blessing, because you're in a country where the user pays, so if you aren't already forking out for health insurance, it's probably gonna cost you. That's tough when you've got fines to pay for sleeping in public, an offense in the city until just recently.
So now it's legit, but it's still a tough place to be. Nevertheless, this couple are very friendly, and helpful to the newbies, pointing out where not to sleep, and giving other helpful advice.
Your group finds a suitable area of sidewalk, holds hands and prays, then you settle in to your sleeping bag to sleep. No mattress. No pillow. Your lumpy backpack will have to do for something to support your head.
Concrete is hard. And it sucks the heat out of you.
You wake up a couple times in the night, maybe when someone drives by and stops to give one of your group members a hot meal.
The street lights are shining in your face, too bright, and it's still cold. You're grateful you brought an extra pair of socks with you, but they're still numb when you wake up, and you wish you'd brought a balaclava too, to keep your face warm from the night chill.
In the morning you're thankful for a hot coffee and to be able to wash your face in a soup kitchen toilet. And for the fact that tonight you'll be back in the comfort of your apartment, with your soft, warm bed and a shower waiting for you anytime, and your laptop, where you sit and type about the taste of homelessness you had.
And that's all it was, a tiny little taste, because you know you've got a home to return to. But for 7,000 people in San Diego, it's not that simple.
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