Sofa surfing – not nearly as cool as it sounds
18 August, 2008
In one of my jobs I meet a lot of homeless drug users. When most people talk about the homeless they probably immediately conjure up an image of a mound of rags sheltering in an alley or an underpass. Perhaps people will think of the local lady pushing a supermarket trolley around with all her worldly goods. They will almost certainly think of the severely mentally ill or the pungent alcoholics.
Today I reckon about half of my clinic were homeless. Not the bearded wino, crusty-coated variety but perfectly normal looking people who don’t smell. One had been released from prison last week and had no home, no bed and nowhere to go. However, if you have a drug problem and use heroin then most people will have a network of friends, acquaintances, potential dealers and fellow drug users.
They will provide a sofa or a floor to sleep on; often in exchange for a share of half a bag of gear. So people go sofa surfing to avoid sleeping on the streets. Not very handy if you are trying hard to get clean. But then sleeping on the street isn’t really an option. Oop north it has been know to rain on occasions.
Sofa surfing isn’t really a term I like. Too flippant by half, suggesting a carefree sun-blessed existence, but it does sum up their situation nicely and the ‘surfers’ themselves use it. I like to think with a heavy amount of irony. Crisis have numerous terms for the problem – mainly the ‘hidden homeless’.
It is pretty tricky to have good health without a half decent home – I just try to limit the damage where I can.
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