Today I did something different than I normally do on a Friday afternoon. Homelessness in downtown Charleston, South Carolina is a growing issue that I literally see every day so today I decided to go out of my comfort zone.

I was on the corner of King and Calhoun where an older homeless man yelled out to me asking for money and instead of avoiding eye contact, like I and probably many others do, I turned back to him and sat down on the bench across from him. We sat in Marion Square for a bit while he told me about his Schizophrenia diagnosis and how hungry he was. I asked him and the fellow dwellers of Marion Square to wait for me as I ran to grab a loaf of bread, cheese, and deli meat so I could ask a few more of them about how their mental illnesses have landed them on the street.

We sat around Marion for about another 45 minutes while we ate, talked about shared experiences, feelings regarding our own stories of mental illnesses, and the overall lack of assistance that’s available for the homeless of Charleston and a present lack of understanding among the whole population that PTSD, Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, and other mental issues are a lot more common in society than we realize.

It’s been nearly a semester and a half, and I just found out the person I pass by each day on my way to class has some life experiences with PTSD that are not only incredibly applicable to my life but to others all over Charleston. Speaking with these people gave me hope because humans thrive in all sorts of conditions and they continue to thrive no matter of all the obstacles that stand in their way. It's true freedom -- them continuing to struggle each day on the street is just another way they're trying to change and change is freedom. They want to be back into society, so let's let them. Feel free to share any individual pictures or this whole post to help raise awareness among people everywhere!

"I'm out here on the streets living with a mental illness which is really crucial because I can't get no help. They keep running me around in a circle ... I gotta get a birth certificate and a social security card to get a job but I can't get that without an ID but they won't give me an ID unless I have a birth certificate and social security card. So how am I ever gonna get back on my feet?"
-Joshua Lawley (left)

“I’m house-less not homeless. I can’t go home, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a home. Granted I can't turn a key in a physical house but I have a home.”
-DJ