While there are definitely homeless people who are visibly dirty and who smell distastefully, not all unhoused individuals have those situations. Let’s talk about it.
Housing comes with numerous benefits people without homes have limited or no access to. When people lose their homes, they also lose their access to utilities, appliances and en suite amenities. When this happens, their personal hygiene usually goes south. A place to defecate becomes a problem. How about washing the hands afterwards?
Bathing may done in the dark where there are no closed bathing spaces, and this only happens where or when there’s available water. In rare cases, some hobos use showers of public facilities.
A unique situation with homeless individuals is unemployment. Without a job, one can’t buy sanitary items. Some homeless people beg or get some type of succour, but the money they get are usually not enough for the most basic necessities such as food and medication. Without soap, for example, one can’t wash clothes. And the same clothes can’t be renewed or changed without money. The situation also affects the care of the hair and the beards — whether it’s washing or cutting. And, some homeless people stay homeless for years. So it’s little surprise to see chronically homeless people looking rough and raggedy and not smelling nice.
Further, homelessness tortures the minds of the victims. Hence, they usually experience depression and traumas. Little wonder a good deal of them care less about social standards. Some lose much of their humanity. Ultimately, homeless people go through a significant behavioural change as they budge below human standards.
Read: Challenges of Homeless People
Imagine what care people without accommodation will have about self-care when they sometimes have to rummage through waste bins for useful items, sleep in dirty streets or tents…
On their mental states, some of the reasons why average people clean up is that they have happiness and/or hope. Homeless people, particularly chronic ones, are void of true or deep happiness and hope. The motivation or care isn’t there for keeping clean, even though some dutifully try to.
For the record, not all homeless people are dirty and smelly. Homelessness has different levels. Some homeless people are sheltered and are rendered social services by the government. Other homeless people double up, in other words, live with family; others live in makeshift houses or in their cars. Some of these who have not soaked into the full horror of homelessness still have fairer living situations. Some of them have jobs, are not depressed or depressed badly and consequently have the need and reason to stay clean.
Chronically homeless persons can easily cause the spread of a stereotype that unhoused individuals are always dirty and smelly, which is not entirely true. Homeless people are victims of circumstances and need human help.
