The Stigma Of Homelessness

Runs past Hahnemann hospital at any time of day often result in two visuals: physicians and homeless people, with an emphasis on the 'and' as I've never seen the two groups interact. One morning as a member of Back On My Feet (a man from Africa with an impressive ability to remember names and faces) and myself ran past three homeless people, two sleeping on the sidewalk and one walking in circles, and towards city hall, I was struck with the thought of what it must be like for formerly or currently homeless members of BOMF to see other homeless people in the street, many of whom appear to be high and distressed. As we ran back toward the starting point, we passed physicians making their way to the hospital. In that moment, the bridging of two worlds seemed apparent and multilayered. Here I was, a medical student, seeing my own future in the young physicians who hurried past; here was a formerly homeless man potentially seeing his former self in the people we passed. Here we both were witnessing the distance between the people who walk to work without noticing those who sleep on the ground while him and I were facing the stigma that so often prevents the groups from interacting.

I hope from my experience that I continue to fight to end the stigma and that when a future young medical student is running with a member of BOMF and they see their future selves in me, not only as a physician, but as a person who interacts with the homeless