It’s one of the fundamental things everyone needs in life; a roof over your head. At the very least you need a safe place to be able to sleep even if you don’t attach any material importance to it. If you have ever not had this then you understand that living in a huge villa won’t necessarily make you happier.
In our rich country we don’t see as many homeless as in poorer countries. Last year my daughter and I were in Kolkata, in India. We landed in the middle of the night and were brought by taxi to our hotel. Just outside of airport fences I saw people sleeping everywhere on the street. People with small children. People missing an arm or a leg. People who had all their worldly goods in a bag that they used as a pillow. From our hotel room we looked out over the street where someone was sleeping on every parked car roof. This was new for me even with my brief experience living on the streets.It made an enormous impression on me. Especially the scope and how such great poverty and misery seemed to blend in with everyday life.
By comparison, in our city very few people sleep on the street, although they are there. I want to learn more, to find them. I will post what I learn about the homeless situation in Amsterdam here on a regular basis.
