World Homeless Day

“World Homeless Day” seems like a weird title, but I truly believe that there is a huge need for such an event. Unseen Tours’ core mission is to start conversations about homelessness issues. We believe that the “ripple-effect” from these conversations can change perceptions and bring answers to the questions and challenges raised.

People often ask me on my tour if homelessness is getting worse. In other words, are more people becoming homeless? It’s hard to tell in numbers, though I have always felt that the number of homeless people is perpetually high. The homeless life-style is, by its nature, transient, though over the past 15 years I’ve both been witness to seeing the same people day-in-day-out, and seeing new arrivals that I will undoubtedly see time and time again for the next few years. 

From my perspective, the number of people suffering from homelessness that I experience on a daily basis has not fluctuated too much over the years. It has stayed consistently high.

The main reason I’m writing this is because I came across a video of a journalist interviewing a lady experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. She put across many points that I not only agree with but, I also try to put across on my tour. I think it is of utmost importance to remember that each homeless person you see has a very personal story of how they came to be in such a situation. And also, that each person experiencing homelessness is just like you and me, an individual.

Please take a moment to watch the video and form your own opinion on the points I’ve made.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you on my Brick Lane tour soon.

Cheers! Pete