Some of our respondents felt life on the street had been a useful experience, though they would be happy to see it come to an end. l P (52, m, homeless for two years): “It’s been an interesting experience, but I now know that I will have to do everything in my power to ensure I don’t end up on the street ever again.” l M (55, m, homeless for 17 years): “I tell myself it was a good experience. I’ve hit rock bottom, so I know what it’s like. But right now I’d like to head upwards.”
SUMMARY Most of our respondents felt that life on the street brought nothing positive, but that if pressed they would cite freedom as a plus. They have no duties, they can do what they want and are not responsible for anything, not even themselves, a situation not many adults expect in life. One is justified in arguing that these people have not been successful in the transition into adulthood. They exist in a state of hiatus that they are incapable of breaking out of. Though many appreciate this freedom, others question it and are aware that they are simply surviving on the margins of a society that rejects them. They believe that life on the street has only one benefit, namely that they acquire experience and confirm their ability to survive under arduous conditions.
4. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HOMELESS PEOPLE Everyone needs to belong somewhere and to someone in order to feel secure. This clearly applies to homeless people, even though relationships in this community differ in many respects from those in mainstream society (Ravenhill, 2014). Homeless people’s experience of social exclusion affects their interpersonal relationships, the character of those relationships, and the way they are established and maintained. These are not traditional friendships or partnerships, but more about commonalities of lifestyle. Homeless people are a marginalised group with reduced social capital, and for the most part interact exclusively with others in their situation. Neal and Brown (2016) confirm that the social networks of people on the street is relatively small. Their research reveals that a third of homeless people have no friends and some of them do not even care. Such people are highly mistrustful of those around them and prefer to live a solitary life. Two thirds have friends, though these relationships are complicated. On the one hand they are linked by the bonds of solidarity. But on the other, they exist within a hierarchy and compliance with street norms is often imposed, sometimes by force. A hierarchy is created in the homeless community that is the inverse of that in mainstream society. The result is that individuals who are stronger and more ruthless often attain an important status they would be unable to under different – 98 –
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