Until I heard about the idea of houselessness, I always thought that every 'bum' was homeless. These people who seem to dwell in the streets and wander the city with their shopping carts. I decided to traverse the city alone for I would be more aware of my surroundings. I noticed that there was not a complete absence of these homeless/houseless people, but they did seem rather sparse compared to the previous walks that I took through Reno. I think that the lower number of homeless people was due to the fact that my previous walks were on weekdays and this adventure was on a weekend. Although there were lots more people who were in the riverwalk to hang out and enjoy the scenery, there were still homeless people sitting on the sidewalks.
I looked around at the homeless street life and realized that these people did indeed have a home. They didn't need money to show that they owned some home of great value. They live out of their shopping cart with the few belongings that they own. These people live in Reno, and they consider it their home. I was alone so I avoided conversing with these rather shady figures that society has marked as outcasts. The hobos that reside here in Reno are not homeless, rather they are houseless. All of these people who live in the streets might have some sense of environmental conscience. They live off of the few belongings they have, and they don't burn the fossil fuels that we waste on a daily basis. Either way the houseless people seem like a rather dangerous crowd to hang around. This was definitely not an enjoyable walk and I don't want to do it again anytime soon.
Your post just got me thinking, what if students who live on campus are really the homeless ones since so many don't know all that much about their environment or Reno (unless of course they are from Reno). I agree that the people at the Riverwalk seem right at home.It sometimes feels as if we are intruding when going on our daily business.
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