JOHNSON CITY, TN - Talking to people that are different from you can be difficult, but it can also be really rewarding. The first step to building bridges in society is being able to talk to different groups of people, including ones that many people ignore. Homeless people are one group of people that many people pass quickly in the streets, but they aren’t so different once you get to know them. 

For instance, Joe is 69 and sits outside the Dunkin’ Donuts at Shell Gas Station on Twin Oaks Drive in Johnson City, TN. He has lived in the area for around thirty years. Joe said he wishes that people knew he was easy going and easy to get along with. He said, “I don't like to cause trouble.”

 Joe used to abuse drugs, but he stated that he doesn’t anymore. Instead he smokes, a habit he started at age eleven. After he finished the eleventh grade, Joe started working on clam and scallop boats in Virginia. Joe said that if he were rich he would, “...buy a house and car and put the rest in the bank...and try and get rid of these.” He tossed his half smoked-cigarette on the ground. Going to sleep at night is Joe’s favorite part of the day and he misses his ex who he felt he had a good relationship with, “We never argued or fought or anything.”

Joel Gregory, Jr. was walking in downtown Johnson City, TN, and said that he was, “forty-seven and everyone on the street calls me G.” He was very open to talking and spoke quite frankly. He said he was on the streets because he did drugs which caused him to drop out of college. Joel said the reason that people are homeless is because, “Either society can’t put up with their little problems or they breathe better out here. Or they just get used to it no matter how cold it gets...to get to the truth it’s normally a drug habit.” 

Joel doesn’t really mind streetlife anymore; he said that in some ways it’s very nice because you get to be out in the open and there aren’t really rules. Joel said that food isn’t hard to come by as long as you’re in the right place at the right time because people with a drug habit aren’t thinking about food when they’re high, “It’s dangerous out here...when drugs take over, it’s a new mentality for people.” 

Back at the Dunkin’ Donuts, sitting about twenty yards away from Joe, was Chad who is forty-two years old. He said he’s normally a very private person, but he answered some questions anyway. Chad used to work in sales and customer service and has lived in the Johnson City, TN, area for about two months now and previously lived in Nashville, TN. His dream is to get to Florida by the end of next year. 

He said that his favorite part of the day was just sitting at the Dunkin and he enjoys listening to all kinds of music on his phone while he sits there. “What defines me is that I just look at everyday as another character building day. Just make the most out of whatever comes up. Every day can change you.” 

One day changed everything for a now homeless man named Robert. He is fifty-five years old and said he raised his daughters and later his grandson, Joshua, primarily by himself. He said that last year he lost custody of Joshua after raising him for eight years. “Once I lost custody of him I just g[a]ve up...I miss my grandson.”

Robert thought that society could improve the way we treat homeless people by not being so quick to judge, “I’m no different than anybody else...If you seen me then [before being homeless] and you seen me now, I’m still the same.”

 He wished people would stop and talk with him more, “Just say hello.” Some people say hello and smile while passing and others will put their masks on to pass Robert and then take them off when they’ve passed him. 

Robert makes most of his money by selling things that come out of dumpsters. The amount of nice things that people throw away is really surprising. At the time of this conversation, he was selling shirts for three dollars and pants for six dollars. Robert said, “You won’t believe what I find [in the trash]...I’m just trying to survive - make a dollar or two. People should look at your situation before they judge you.”

All of these men had varying views on their situations but they all share something in common: they’re human beings. Next time you see someone in a similar situation to these four men, give them a smile and say hello. It could really make their day.