Who You Are When No one's Watching

During my trip to the states, I met Robert.

He was kind enough to let me see his incredible home; and we talked about how he got there. I wish everyone could meet Robert and hear his story the way he told it.  It's a story about strength and how having a home lets you find your purpose.

Robert said: "In life most people want you to hurry up and cross the street so they can turn" but it seems no matter where he was in his own life Robert maintained a focus on who he was "when no one was watching". He busked in Manhattan, he held open forum discussions about human rights under bridges, he took care of other people.

His strong morals and values, his vision, his politics and his music are the reasons he survived ten years on the street. a few years ago he found himself sat on the curb back in his home state. He said he was tired in his "mind, body and soul."

This was when Robert met Community Rebuilders; he said he knew they were genuine "You can tell the difference when someone cares". He was housed in his own tenancy within a matter of days.

During his time on the streets he found no shortage of people to offer him soup or a camp bed for one night, "But you can't address the sniff without addressing the cold". What he needed from services was a home. And the belief that he deserved a home.

He said that living on the street afforded him"no quiet place, no quiet moment where I could get into my purpose" Now he has that; we talked about life and politics, his experience of growing up in Michigan, vinyl, disco and his current home, neighbourhood and community.  He is thinking of moving in the summer to pursue his music career, when I asked where he was thinking of living next he said he didn't know yet, "I just know it'll have to be near the water."

Meeting Robert compounded everything that I had thought and felt during my trip to Grand Rapids. To focus on people's deficits is beyond a disservice, it is traumatic and damaging. Despite ten years of homelessness, hardship and adversity Robert has never lost sight of who he is, let's create a system that remembers that too.

Photos of Robert and his home taken by me with Robert's kind permission
A blog by Robert : https://communityrebuilders.org/blog/845/