The homeless population has increasingly become a problem over the years. It’s a weird subject to be on the fence about since on side, we need to take away the stigma from homelessness and on the other side, it can be a major problem since those that are homeless mostly are put in dire situations and don’t choose to be homeless.
The last time I was in San Francisco, the homeless problem was obviously apparent since the city has one of the highest homeless populations in the states. There’s block after block from the Mission District to Hayes Valley of homeless people camps lining the streets. Being a single woman, it was even a little uncomfortable walking around during the day alone. I had a guy follow me a couple blocks because asking for change the whole way. I didn’t have any and wish I could have helped but was also looking out for my safety.
For the most part, these people need help and are harmless, though. There are situations that are rather awkward and unavoidable. Like the homeless guy that’s blatantly asking for money just so he can buy himself another beer. Or the weird guy waiting outside of the convenience store to ask you for a cigarette from the pack you just bought. Or the one that’s been eyeing you at the park wanting to start a conversation about existentialism. Those people you should probably avoid on a night out.
These 17 people had really strange encounters with homeless people:
Irvi Torremoro is an Austinite by way of Las Vegas. She's worked in various outlets in food & beverage and is now focused on writing, eating all the things, talking about Beyonce, and petting all the puppies. She runs flavorandbounty.com, a lifestyle blog about people in the service industry.