One prominent attitude I’ve noticed toward the homeless: Many expect them to give up every last indulgence and every last shred of fun. We should spend all of our time looking for work (never mind if we already DO work, or ARE looking for work), or perhaps standing on a freeway offramp begging for change, or sitting in a government aid office hoping against hope for assistance. We should spend ALL of our time doing this. After all, if we take any light-hearted time to ourselves at all, we must not REALLY want to re-house ourselves.
I should either be working, searching for work, or otherwise appropriately ragged, depressed, and undignified, befitting of my station, is that it? I should give up absolutely everything to prove just how much I deserve a home, and just how sorry I am for whatever I have done that “made” me homeless in the first place.
While I agree that it certainly behooves a homeless individual to spend their time and resources wisely, and set goals and priorities for themselves (mine are to continue working, get a mortgage, and no longer qualify as “homeless”), there is an inherent human need for recreation, for relaxation, for fun. Everyone needs their unwinding time, and that goes doubly for a homeless person, because there is little more stressful than this life. I think this is true whether a homeless individual is spending their own earnings or a check that they receive from the government, because after all, once you give someone anything, particularly money, it is theirs to do with as they please. If they spend it unwisely, well, that’s their problem – it means they may be out of funds later on when they need it for something important, but those are the consequences that they will have to bear; they are adults whether homeless or housed. Poor financial decisions are not limited to the homeless, just as wise financial decisions are not limited to the housed. Priorities are individual, and I do not necessarily believe that the occasional bit of fun should be at the bottom of the heap for anybody, much less that a homeless person should be judged should they occasionally choose it.
This weekend, I dragged my boyfriend to a local two-day Renaissance Faire. Admission was cheap, and the proceeds benefitted equine rescue, the local humane society, and a nonprofit theatre troupe, all some of my favorite causes. While it wasn’t nearly as impressive or packed as the official SoCal Renaissance Faire, I got to gnaw on a freakishly large turkey leg, watch some cool dudes joust on some lovely Percherons (rescued, of course), and enjoy watching Matt stifle his laughter at the overexaggerated British accents, while his (real) English accent clearly didn’t register with nearly anybody, and certainly didn’t seem to impress them.
The next day, we hopped into the car and drove to San Diego to meet with one of our Homeless Tales contributors, Kerry. She is an excellent writer and usually very upbeat, but the past week or so homelessness has been getting to her and she’s been in a bit of a funk. It was great for us to meet her, and let her show us some of the beauty in San Diego, as we picnicked near the water and she fed us delicious organic salad she’d clearly gone to pains to prepare for us. I believe that taking some social time was a bit of a boost for all of us.
A weekend like this one was a much-needed change from my 8:30-5:30 M-F work week. It wasn’t expensive, and yet I’m willing to bet there will be at least some out there who will say “you had no right to spend ANY of your money on fun… hell, you have no right even to HAVE fun. You’re homeless and your sole focus should be housing yourself”.
Such small indulgences, however, are what often keep me from going off the deep end. My boyfriend and I live in a 30′x6′ space together in what is currently a very hot, arid environment. While we love each other and try to make the best of what we have, clearly there are times it is remarkably frustrating to feel so confined, so on top of each other for so long. We have found that when this happens, something as small as taking a trip together to Starbucks, sitting together in an open, air-conditioned environment in overstuffed chairs and just being able to breathe outside of our cramped setup, is enough to refresh us. A simple bit of recreation clears our heads and refocuses us, allows us to remember why we’re doing what we’re doing, and then we can move on and put attention on our goals and priorities once again.
I can’t believe anyone would begrudge this kind of release to anyone, homeless or not.
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Here are 10 of my cheap/free ideas for recreation if you are homeless:
1) Public libraries. They’re free, you can stay as long as you like (until closing), and reading is awesome! I’m a huge reader, it’s so easy to lose yourself in a good book and while away the hours. You may even be able to check out books for free (just bring them back on time, undamaged, to prevent fees). Plus, most libraries now have computers for free public internet access, so you can catch up on current events, play some games online, join discussion groups… the opportunities on the Internet are endless.
2) Free concerts/theatre/performances – Check out ads in your local paper or Craigslist. Many nonprofit organizations, coffee houses, and schools host free or super-cheap plays, concerts, and benefits. Some college theatre troupes and bands turn out professional-quality performances at a fraction of the cost. Or perhaps you stumble on an advertisement for something you find completely bizarre or offbeat, like random beatnik poetry or modern dance. Who cares? It’s a chance to expand your horizons, and it’s something to do. Plus, even if the performances are completely awful, that can still be incredibly humorous.
3) Local fairs – Most cities host regular farmers markets, swap meets, conventions, and street fairs. Or perhaps you are close to a County Fair location (entry to these is sometimes free, but more often there is a small fee).
4) Parks – Find your local city or state park. Hike, jog, or just sit on the grass and stare at the geese on the lake. Or bring a library book and read it there. A little zen and some pretty surroundings can go a long way.
5) Free movie screenings – Often, at my local theatres, there are people standing outside handing out free pre-screening tickets. There are also several websites where you can find/request these free tickets, such as filmmetro.com. If you use a website, you may get to choose which movie you get to screen, whereas if you accept tickets from someone outside a theatre, you may be stuck with what they give you. I have taken advantage of this twice (once I even brought about 30 friends and we made a party of it). As a member of a test audience, you get to watch the movie in the theatre before it comes out, and then you fill out a 5-minute survey saying what you liked and didn’t like. Hey, it’s two hours of free air conditioning, and a movie on the big screen. What more do you want?
6) TV show tapings – If you are located near a metro area like L.A. or NYC, where studios tape TV shows and/or talk shows, you can get free tickets to tapings as a studio audience member. Websites like tvtix.com and tvtickets.com are only two of the jillion sites out there where you can order these.
7) Disneyland – If you’re located in the SoCal area, or in Florida, you should know that Disneyland lets you in free on your birthday. You do need an I.D. card for this one, however, so if you don’t have one, you’re out of luck, sorry. You can register for the Disneyland Birthday Club here. It costs nothing and takes about 5 minutes. I’m not sure if they’ll let you in free if you just show up at a ticket window with your I.D. card on your birthday, without registering, so better safe than sorry.
8) Museums – Many museums have super affordable admission and are a nice way to spend a day. You may even be able to find promotions for discounted tickets if you look around online. Many museums offer free admission at least one day of the week, and you can take advantage of this.
9) Art galleries – Art gallery openings tend to be free and even include appetizers and hors d’oeuvres.
10) Literary readings and signings – Both new and well-established authors will go on tour and do readings and signings of their books. Check with your local bookstores for schedules, and then show up and enjoy!
I’m sure there are many, many more free and uber-cheap entertainment/recreation ideas out there. I would love to hear some more ideas, so please feel free to comment with your favorites!
~Bri
