Blair Griffith's story is absolutely typical of how people spiral down into homelessness. Bread-winning family member gets ill or dies from illness and plunges family into economic disarray, menial jobs that barely keep surviving family members on their feet end for some reason, the family runs out of any meager savings they might have, and one morning they're waking up on the curb or under the viaduct wondering how the hell this happened to them.
That scenario not only should scare the shit out of every American in this country, it ought to also impel us the action that makes housing a basic human right and provides a way to ensure that every single American has a place to call home.
Don't for a second think it can't happen to you because I don't care how rich, famous, connected, liked, loved or respected you are today. Trust me, I've worked with enough folks over the years to be able to tell you, homelessness can happen to anyone, and it can happen to you.
The only difference for Blair is that she was able to keep going in the face of incredible hardship, and she had something she could hold onto that provided her with some hope; her ability to participate successfully in beauty pageants and parlay that into something that she could then begin rebuilding her life with.
Natures been good to Blair, real real good to her and that is most definitely a blessing for her. But not everyone is as fortunate as Blair and finding hope in the face of this kind of adversity is difficult for most people.
It's why, as a service providers for people experiencing homelessness, we need to remember that we're often providing them the hope when they've got none themselves. Good luck Blair, and I hope your experience with homelessness will make you a champion of the cause.
