There was so much noise on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue Bridge I didn’t notice Reggie was asleep. I felt bad. I should have remembered when I was homeless. Sleep came when I felt safe, or when I was so exhausted I collapsed. Rarely did sleep happen at night. Rarely did I rest away from people where I would be alone and vulnerable.
The night before Reggie slept on a friends couch. More and more people including families are ‘couch surfing’ as an alternative to literally being on the streets. Just like the growing number in weekly rate hotels our government does not count this as being ‘homeless’. Reggie is lucky his friend is only charging $5 a night. As the economy gets worse I’m hearing more stories of people taking advantage of even their own relatives.
