The hardest part of being homeless? Loneliness
Carol LaFleur can tell you, from experience, that one of the most difficult parts of being homeless is the isolation.
“It’s loneliness like you wouldn’t believe,” said LaFleur, 52. “The names people call you are horrid. The way people look at you, it’s like you could die on the street and nobody would care.”
LaFleur is a lifelong Twin Cities resident. She was homeless for four years in the late 70s and early 80s, addicted to drugs and alcohol. She used to live with other homeless people in an abandoned Minneapolis home without doors.
“We took care of each other,” she said. “They taught me to keep my food in plastic baggies so the roaches wouldn’t get it.”
LaFleur also spent years struggling with anorexia (pictured, left). At one point she weighed only 60 pounds.
These days, she’s devoted her life to giving back, including volunteering for The Salvation Army (pictured, top). Last Thanksgiving, she served meals to homeless people at our Harbor Light Shelter in Minneapolis. In visiting with them, her memories of being homeless and lonesome came rushing back.
“I sat down and talked with 25 people that day,” LaFleur said. “I listened to their stories about who they were and where they came from. I listened to their aspirations – those don’t go away when you’re homeless.”
She continued: “These are people. These are human beings. They just want somebody to recognize that they’re alive. Somebody to believe in them.”
The Salvation Army couldn’t agree more. We believe in the 403,000 people we serve in Minnesota and North Dakota, providing food, shelter, counseling, rehabilitation and so much more.
“If nobody would have believed in me, you’d see me living at a shelter right now, or I’d have a toe tag,” LaFleur said. “We need to stop and care. Not just on Thanksgiving, or on Easter, but every day.”
LaFleur lives by example. She and her husband regularly take in homeless youth at their house in Brooklyn Park.
“Our door is always open,” she said. “Our local police department has been so supportive.”
Additionally, she spent five years helping officials create a youth homeless shelter in Brooklyn Park. The facility opened Jan. 31 as the first such shelter in a Minnesota suburb.
“Carol LaFleur’s inspirational thoughts and actions serve as a great example of why people should get involved with helping The Salvation Army,” said Lt. Col. Robert Thomson, Salvation Army Northern Division commander. “Whether you sign up to volunteer or donate money, your contribution tells people in need that they are noticed, valued and loved.”
LaFleur agrees.
“Take that time,” she said. “Everybody deserves a place to live, food to eat, and a second chance.”