The Homeless in Vegas

I debated discussing the homeless in Vegas, because it is an unpleasant topic, and we don’t like to think about unpleasant things when we turn our thoughts towards Vegas. Vegas is for having fun and forgetting our troubles.When confronted with nasty realities, we don’t like it. But the fact of the matter is that Vegas seems to have a huge homeless issue. As much as we would like to pretend it doesn’t exist, it slaps you in the face whenever you take a walk.

As with other big cities, Vegas has actual poor people and people pretending to be poor people. It is a challenge to try and tell the difference. I have been targeted a number of times by people who delivered long, involved stories of why they need my money and who hasn’t chuckled at the “Why lie, I need beer.” signs?

My usual reaction to these encounters is to get away as fast as humanly possible. But then I always wonder about them afterward. What if that person was truly in trouble and not just stringing me a line? How can I be so callous as to feel no connection with them? They are human beings, just like me, trying to get by. Where is my compassion? If I was in their circumstances, how long before I would do something illegal or unsavory out of desperation? How long before any of us would?

It is too easy to assume that they became homeless or poor through some fault of their own. We turn up our noses and come to the conclusion that some failing of theirs must have caused their current living conditions. But what do we really know? We have no knowledge of what paths their lives have taken. Many are mentally ill and could be in a shelter if they wanted to be, but either dislike the loss of freedom or are incapable of asking for help. Homelessness is a complicated problem, but it is a problem that needs to be addressed.

One encounter with a street person sticks in my mind more than any other. This particular man was tall and thin, elderly and essentially wearing rags. His eyes looked haunted.  He was standing near the intersection where you cross to go from the back of Binion’s over to the California club. He approached me. I was alone and nervous. I braced myself for usual “I just need enough for a bus ticket home” story, but he didn’t do that. He simply said, “Spare change?”. Something about this exchange was different than the hundreds of others I have had with the poor. Something about his face stopped my usual negative reply. I don’t know how to say this without sounding cliche, but he hurt my heart. What had happened in his life that reduced him to these circumstances? And why am I so fortunate that I have everything I need? Vegas is the only place on earth where I walk around with lots of ones stuffed in my pockets for “tip money”. I pulled out a handful of ones and handed them to him, and he blessed me. I walked away, but I never forgot him.

Life is pretty unfair at times. The sheer numbers of homeless tell me that something is radically wrong with society. Everyone should have a home. Everyone should have the opportunity for gainful employment. Assistance programs should be provided for those who need help attaining these things. We need to stop stepping over them like they don’t exist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opSuAyyDJlM

[Cover image: Michael Movestro | photo: jimmyhoofa]

Blonde4ever

Bonnie, aka Blonde4ever, is the admin of one of our favorite Vegas forums: LasVegas4ever. She covers a large spectrum of topics from her personal experiences in Las Vegas.