Contestant 1: Keith Humphrey
Channel: Homeless Challenge
Date: 14/03/2023

72 hours on the streets of Redding, California. 3/10/2023 - 3/13/2023. No wallet. No cash or negotiables. No food or water. No help from family or friends.


After living on the streets for three days, I came to realize how someone could become accustomed to such a situation. Most people would struggle to avoid ever being in a place where they might be without adequate food, clothing, or shelter; but providing for the needs of the body alone does not secure the warmth to which a mortal soul longs to return. These things are only external. What people really need is to be loved and accepted, and to find satisfaction in their own calling in life. Many people living on the streets find a sense of identity and purpose in caring for others around them. They look out for the needs of the handicapped, the addicted, and the mentally ill. They mingle and greet one another like meeting old friends at a party. Of course some of the people at the party are toasted, but that is just part of the mix. The salve for the pains of life is not merely something with which to self-medicate, but a sense of belonging. The real fear is not to be hungry, wet and cold, but to be alone and unloved; and this is something from which even the rich cannot escape.

The problems of the unsheltered, like many problems in this life, are not easily resolved by pushing them away. Sometimes resisting something and fighting against it only makes it stronger. An adversarial posture merely exacerbates the worst elements. In society as in life, we must face our problems and find a way to resolve them through assimilation. Taking someone from the watery depths of poverty and hastily elevating them to the surface can be dangerous. They need to rise up one level at a time, and swim around for a while, to gradually acclimate themselves to a higher station.

An initial level of contact should be established through coming together at a safe space (preferably somewhere other than the public library.) People need safe spaces where they can go inside, use the restroom, take a shower, wash their clothes. Maybe they need some coffee and a snack, to charge their phone, or even nap on a sofa. They are not ready to be rehabilitated right upon arrival at a day shelter, but they can at least meet with others who care, and learn about programs that might be available.

At another level, they might move in temporarily to a dormitory or a micro-shelter. At this point, they might not be employable and capable of working a full work-week, but they can begin to assume temporary part-time responsibilities, or engage in some kind of educational workforce training. If they have issues with drugs or alcohol, they can find support from others in programs tailored for that purpose.

Eventually they could move into a shared rental arrangement, where they live together in a house with others who they identify with (maybe one house is for veterans, another for animal lovers, another for musicians.) Their roommates can hold them accountable, and help them to find their sense of belonging to a group. At the last they could hopefully reunite with estranged family members, or even start a new family of their own.

Everyone needs a family and a sense of community. In a world full of broken families and fractured communities, there are needs that cannot be met by material things. Rather than finding companionship in a situation which might encourage self-destructive behaviors, we need to provide better alternatives with bridges to groups which encourage constructive and life-affirming practices. In order to redeem an estranged mankind, God himself became man. Let us also somehow bridge the gap with love and understanding.