Angol házi: Imagine that you are a homeless and unemployed. Write a short text saying how you find food, where you sleep, and how you feel. Valaki segítene?

Úgy nem tanulsz meg angolul, ha mi írjuk meg a házid. Itt a hétvége, idő mint a tenger. Amit nem tudsz lefordítani, hagyd ki, vagy fogalmazd át.

Már bocsi.

I HAVE NEVER IMAGINED I'D BE HOMELESS ONE DAY!

What is it really like being homeless? I’ll tell you. It’s cold, it’s scary and it’s lonely.

A typical day starts with me rolling out of my make shift bed in the back of my car. I count my blessings that I have a car because without it I would be sleeping on the cold hard ground. If I’m lucky I might be able to find a toilet in a building which has 24 hour access and lock myself in to sleep on the floor like I know a few friends of mine do.

I am shy and afraid of people so I don’t know what services are available to me . I avoid the homeless joints. Too many druggies and drinkers there.

I don’t know how others do it, get the dole with no fixed address.

As the sun comes up and the city awakens so do I. The light and noise wakes me from my slumber. I park within walking distance of toilets most times. I have a porta potty in the car, but I try to keep that for emergencies. I try to avoid getting bad smells in the car.

Some days I go to a swimming pool and go for a swim and a shower.

I joke that my glove box is my bathroom. I keep a face washer, wet wipes, deodorant, shavers, hair brush and other cleaning stuff in there.

I’ll clean up and put some cloths on. If you saw me in the street, odds are on that you would not think I was homeless from my cloths, but my shoes give it away.

Early in the morning I will drive or walk into town for something to eat. I can get a free breakfast most days. But not always. Some days I don’t feel like mixing with the crowds. Some days are hard to handle. So I’ll eat breakfast in the car.

After breakfast I try go to the library. It’s warm there. I can look for work on the Internet. Funny how even someone with a university qualification can’t get work.

As a child, yelling and screaming were common place in my family. They were smart, only hit me where it would not show.

People scare me, and I have problems relating to them.

During the day I’ll probably meet with some other people I know. Some homeless, some not. Sometimes some people will give me some money to drive them places. We’ll usually go over to some place to get lunch if we can. I can’t store food for long in the car even though I have an esky. In summer it is much harder to keep food for long. There’s nothing like the smell of off milk too. I often volunteer at soup kitchen, so I get a free meal or two.

So I sit around or I might go for a walk. Go for a swim in the river. Go to the Youth Hostel to catch up with people I know who live there. I tried begging, but I hate it, and you know you’ve hit rock bottom when you have to beg. I hang out in shopping malls some times. They’re warm and some have free Internet. I try to catch up with some of the other homeless people I know. Just talk. Share a meal. Go search the op shops for cheap clothes and blankets. The op shops never seem to have any good blankets. I’d love some good woollen ones. It is so cold here.

Might watch a little TV. There are lots of places you can watch TV for free. Electrical stores, libraries, shelters, refuges, are some of them. I wish there were good free correspondence courses online that lead to proper jobs. Mostly I sit in the car or wander around trying to keep warm. Summer is great, I can get out of the car and relax in the park. Winter is a killer, homeless people die in winter, even in cars. Mostly I read and try to keep warm. That’s the problem with being unemployed, lots of time on your hands, so little money to do things with.

As the day draws to a close, I'll go to the back of supermarkets, where they've thrown out their not so fresh produce. Most days I can get dinner, I have a small stove and can cook small meals.

Night means finding a new place to sleep. It has to be quiet. It’s useful if it is near by a toilet. Better if there is a barbecue near by too. So I settle down, wind the windows down a slight bit. Try to go to sleep when every sound sounds like someone trying to break into my car. I’ve been woken by young men squirting water, beer into the car windows. Had them shaking my car and even jumping on it. Why don’t people leave me in peace? All I can do is jump in the front and drive away.

Now, before people ask. I don’t drink. I don’t take drugs. I don’t smoke (I can’t afford to). I get no benefits. I regularly look for work. I don’t look dirty or unkempt apart from my shoes. I don’t hassle people. I keep to myself most of the time. I help others out when I can. I have a university degree

What as a homeless person do I want?

Yeah, I want a job. I want a place of my own to call home. I want some one special to care for me. I want love. I want all of those things. Will I get them? I’ll believe it when I see it. Just like I’ll believe all those promises by government to do better for homeless people. Just like I’ll believe it when I see this: "No more homeless turned away" policy. For us homeless, it’s all the same crap, same stuff, coming out of different mouths. All talk, no action.