What are your views on Homelessness?

What are your views on Homelessness? Are they all addicts, will they ever amount to anything in their life?

Do you think that the numerous stereotypes associated with the word "Homeless" hold a lot of people back from taking the small steps towards independent life? 

BeckyBlanton / Sub Eng

The year I was homeless

Participants and relate processes 

Backy Blanton: 

• I went from being a talented writer and journalist to being a homeless woman, living in a van, took my breath away 
• I felt out of control my life 
• My talent, my integrity, my values, everything about me remained the same. 
• I hadn’t changed my I.Q. 
• Was I a writer or was I a homeless woman? 
• I failed to realize three critical things: One: that society equates living in a permanent structure, even a snack, with having value as a person. Two: I failed to realize how quickly the negative perception of other people can impact our reality, if we let it. Three: I failed to realize that homelessness is an attitude, not a lifestyle. 

Homeless: 

• I learned how to do was to become invisible 
• Other homeless people didn’t see me as a homeless 
• You have a job, you have a hope. The real homeless don’t have hope 

Society: 

• Society continues to stigmatize and criminalize living in your vehicle or on the streets. So the homeless, primarily remain invisible. 

Considerations

Becky Blanton is a writer. She was a journalist for more than 22 years, working as a reporter, photojournalist and editor. 

In 2006 Becky was living in a Walmart parking lot in a stripped out, 1975 Chevy van with her Rottweiler and a house cat. In 2009 she was speaking at TED Global at Oxford University in England, courtesy of best selling author and former vice presidential speech writer, Dan Pink. 

Her father died from a cancerous brain tumor in February 2006. Becky was the editor of a small town newspaper in Colorado at the time. She quit her job, bought an old van and decided to hit the road and freelance her way around the country. 

So she did, for a little over a year. 

Speaking at TED has been a wonderful way to help many people with her story. 

At the end of the speech she says: “I’m here to tell you that, based on my experience, people are not where they live, where they sleep, or what their life situation is at any given time” 

This is not a political speech: this is a real story. 

Bechy shared her story and she wanted to emphasize that homeless are not alcoholics, mentally ill, incapable of holding a job and ambitionless. 

Many folks believe that the majority of homeless are drunkards, drug addicts, psychologically disturbed, or just too lazy to work. 

She says: “Those are the typical stereotypes”. 

She didn’t expect was how society’s perception of her would change so quickly. 

Though her talent, IQ, values and personality hadn’t changed, people’s attitudes towards her had. In this touching keynote, Becky Blanton shows that there are thousands of working people who live out of vans and cars and encourages her audience to see that just because someone is homeless, doesn’t mean that their lives don’t have value. 

Berton Sara