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JK 12/15/2008 3:15:00 AM
For those critical of this article I think you are focusing on the wrong things. I don't believe Mr. Snyders wrote the article claiming he was an expert on what it was like to homeless, but simply providing some insight on his experiences not living with basic things that most of us take for granted for 7 days. For those saying it was "only" 7 days, how long did you want him do it for? A year? How long do you think you could have done it? For those saying they were homeless at one time and this sounds made up, are you serious? Do you think that every homeless person has the exact same experiences? I appreciate the effort and balls involved to show a genuine prospective.
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Ken 12/13/2008 9:09:00 PM
The author acknowledged his limitations and the article's early in his report, so consider the material presented with that in mind. Although I scoffed at yet another "look at me being homeless" article, I found it insightful and provocative. This is a sensitive topic, esp considering the responses here and our national taboo at actually addressing homelessness. As I wrote to Mr. Snyder, I still wonder, in choosing to give to or to ignore those asking for money, whether I am enabling someone who could work but won't - or if I'm violating my own conscience and being a heartless miser with my spare dollars, claiming spirituality but living in hypocrisy towards others. Perhaps some of those indignant in earlier comments will join me in volunteering, having been reminded that, like the author, I am free to step in and out of the world of the less fortunate, and have the means -and moral obligation - to help.
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Nick Van De Berg 12/13/2008 5:28:00 AM
Hey Matt, Former classmate here. After talking with you about this article i decided to check it out. Great read i must say. I think the reaction of many people on this comment board are a little over the top though. I really don't think you exploited the situation in the manner many people paint you in. Great write and i'll look foward to reading future articles.
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laurie 12/13/2008 2:34:00 AM
I work in that building across the street from the convention center where mr. snyder saw so many homeless lining up for the things the rest of us take for granted...like a haircut. I see homeless people every single day, and it seems that towards the end of his week, mr. snyder was getting the real feel for homelessness. The dream had while sleeping under the bridge is an apt metaphor for the mental horrors people on the street face everyday. How does one keep him or herself going with no hope in sight?
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Gene Anderson 12/11/2008 7:33:00 PM
I have been homeless in the past, This was a excellent article.
Its a shame that people don't realize that there are many homeless people out there both male and female.
When I see a homeless person on the street looking for a donation, I alway give them at least a dollar. I know what that dollar means to them.
With so many people homeless I beleive in helping all I can
to people working what is a dollar? to a homeless person this is food that is needed.
I am glad the reporter took the time and did the deed to write this story
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Chris Langert 12/08/2008 2:00:00 AM
Well that's nice, it chewed up my formatting *and* double posted. Anyway, there's supposed to be a couple of line breaks before the second asterisk, in case anyone was wondering wtf I was going for there.
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Chris Langert 12/08/2008 12:22:00 AM
I call bullshit. I was homeless off and on for a good chunk of my late teens and early 20s, and the vast majority of events, conversations, etc., which Snyders describes simply DO NOT RING TRUE. I'm not saying he didn't do his little experiment, but I'm quite certain he embellished* a great deal of it.
*Well, pulled it out of his ass, really.
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Chris Langert 12/08/2008 12:21:00 AM
I call bullshit. I was homeless off and on for a good chunk of my late teens and early 20s, and the vast majority of events, conversations, etc., which Snyders describes simply DO NOT RING TRUE. I'm not saying he didn't do his little experiment, but I'm quite certain he embellished* a great deal of it.
*Well, pulled it out of his ass, really.
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debbie boyles 12/04/2008 7:10:00 PM
Matt, you are not only brave but more importantly you are compassionate. You experienced the lives of many people in your short but infinite seven days. We all can get a glimpse of that unknown fear and hopelessness as we struggle with our own future these days. We should all use your example to do whatever we can to help others and make a difference. Thanks for that reminder.
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Renee 12/03/2008 11:35:00 PM
It seems that some readers are misunderstanding the author's intent in this story. Mr. Snyders should consider writing a follow-up piece to satisfy the hunger to know why there is a homeless population, even though that has surely been addressed by other publications. He chose to take a route rarely done by a journalist, to live it (to a small degree as he openly states) and not to just interview it. Appreciate this reporting for what it is.
Sidenote to Huff from St. Paul - Catholic Charities has its Pay-for-Stay Shelter at 1000 Currie Avenue, or 10th & Currie as stated in the article, so keep reading!
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Huff 12/03/2008 7:55:00 AM
I could read no further after the author stated Catholic Charities was at 10th & Currie.
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Paul 12/02/2008 8:38:00 AM
"White haired priest drooling like a vampire...?" The Basilica of St. Mary is incredibly involved with homeless issues. Visit their website at www.mary.org. Under the life tab, click on charity and you will see a listing of the many ways the Basilica and its members are active in helping the homeless and the poor. The Basilica is on the front lines of dealing with the actual, day to day, bread and butter issues of the homeless. So much of it is not theoretical. It is sandwiches handed out daily to the homeless. Coffee and a warm place to sit. Bus passes, clothing, and help in developing skills to get a job. The Basilica has given away vouchers for over 200,000 pairs of new shoes to the needy since its St. Vincent De Paul ministry started in 1988. The Basilica has outreach programs designed to help the homeless survive. Anyone who is truly concerned for the plight of the homeless is welcome to volunteer their time.
If City Pages writer Matt Snyder wants to actually help the homeless, he may want to consider laying aside his anti-catholic prejudice and volunteering his time instead of spending an ultimately self-indulgent week of his life taking services and charity intended to assist those in real need.
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Heather Tarnowski 12/01/2008 11:12:00 PM
I liked Sullivan's Travels a whole lot better:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034240/
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Kari 12/01/2008 10:15:00 PM
The author did not claim to solve the problem of homelessness, or even to discover some of the causes with this article. What he did claim to do is exactly what he did. Walk as much in the shoes of a homeless person as he could for a week. Some of these comments are clearly written by people who felt powerless to help and/or threatened to have their faces shoved in a problem that is going on all around us, and as a defense mechanism decided to go on angry rants about the article rather than just appreciate it for what it was.
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Liz 11/30/2008 10:29:00 PM
That was dumb. How self serving can you get? I can't believe this guy really thought he was doing anyone a favor by sharing with us his "homeless" experience. He should have donated the money he got to the shelter he exploited, and apologized to them for taking advantage of their service for the betterment of his shitty career in journalism.
He should have had more of a dialogue with actual homeless people. This would have educated people about the problem a lot better than faking it alone.
What a masturbatory excursion.
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Helm Matthews 11/30/2008 3:04:00 AM
Thanks, Matt, for a well written article. Cheers!
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brad 11/30/2008 1:51:00 AM
I think this was a nice read, Short and sweet, Im sure being on the street for a week, cannot truly Assess the Mental and physical challenges of being homeless, But it takes you into a 3rd party view of the conditions you might be face with, I myself have been homeless for 13 years but i do what i need to do, to live comfortably, Im of sane mind and still young, my circumstance is of my own doing, bad decisions and alot of mistakes, if you was to ever see me you wouldnt beleive i was homeless, Because i always have money and nice clothes, but it wasnt always roses, even though this might not be the case i still dont have a place of my own or a place to call home,
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Joe 11/29/2008 7:04:00 AM
Oh no, 50" TVs!
The world's going to end because a website (with an erotic massage ad at the bottom of the page) has a comment about consumer excess. Go figure.
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David Gayman 11/29/2008 1:06:00 AM
First let me just say that this article was long overdue.
This last April I made my way back to Minneapolis and through a series of unfortunate occurrences I found myself homeless for about the span of two weeks.
My computer, hard drive and luggage were stolen from Greyhound and my credit card was hit for fraudulent charges and frozen. With no cell phone, money or place to stay I was with out a doubt in a precarious situation, homeless in Minneapolis.
All of the things that lead to my situation were simple problems but combined together it made for a huge undertaking to set right.
I immediately set about the arduous task of getting some sort of assistance. After calling various numbers provided by so-called crisis organizations, I was directed to a Job fair at the convention center by an empathetic phone operator.
When I arrived at this event I was astonished to see thousands of needy people standing in line for everything from shoes to hair cuts to bag lunches.
After spending three hours there with a volunteer, a first year college student that could have been named "Buffy", I found out that I needed to go to a County Office across the street and apply for emergency assistance.
After eight hours in that place I was finally turned away because I was too able bodied and mentally fit to receive it.
They gave me a slip of paper and told me to go to the "Harbor Lights" and get a cot for one night. When I arrived I was told that the slip of paper meant nothing and that there were no beds available.
On the advice of an astute homeless man, I then made the trek to a church on Stevens Avenue South, where I took part in what is referred to as the "Homeless Lottery" an absurd sort of game show where young rescue mission workers draw names out of a hat for a bed to sleep in.
My name was drawn and I was put on a waiting list for one week.
In that week I slept in a friends car, a friends couch and finally ended up sleeping down by the Mississippi River under Main Street.
In the next few weeks prosperity began to go my way and I was able to secure residence again, however something inside of me had changed forever.
The experience had shown me just the tip of the iceberg. Eventually I found my way to my current job in Supportive Housing with MI and CD adults.
In reading this article I noticed there are many things that are overlooked by the author but it was provocative enough to make me think about the issue which, I hope people do.
The one keen observation that I share with Mr.Snyders is the difference between the Homeless by choice and the Homeless by Circumstance. To my estimation there are greater of a variety of these categories than just choice and circumstance. Mental Illness and Chemical Dependency being the most prevalent.
Most often this is misunderstood. A person that is unable to function in society because of a mental illness may indeed be homeless as a result of it. There are organizations designed to help these people and for the most part they do help.
Many times the individuals that fill our streets become homeless by circumstances that have nothing to do with mental illness.
The same organizations that are designed to help the mentally ill are being over run with people who are just taking advantage of the services they provide.
Some individuals abuse the system in order to not work and continue to abuse drugs and alcohol.
In summary, the problem is one that we all end up sharing the burden of.
Keep up the good work Mr. Snyders and should it ever occur again for you, there are still plenty of subterranean locations you can sleep in if you don't mind a few rats. -D
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Sam 11/28/2008 7:35:00 AM
It was good to see an article about homlessness in a paper with your circulation, hopefully someone sitting and sipping their $10 coffee will read it and have an epiphone(Good God! There are those homeless folk!). The article, while well written, with a valid experiment, was not without one fatal flaw:dude got to home after it was over.
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Fletcher 11/28/2008 7:04:00 AM
"Mr. Snyders' article was successful in bringing attention to an issue which needs the attention of the public and media and addresses exactly what it advertises to. The responsibility of the reader is to take action on an issue which they have invested an effort to read about rather than criticise the tactics to create an article which made them consider the issue."
I disagree about the effectiveness of this article. It may have been successful in pointing out that it's cold outside and that it sucks to have nowhere to go, but as far as addressing the root causes of homelessness it fell far short for me.
As someone who spent two years on the streets and currently works at a homeless/crisis center, I can definitively say that a throwaway line such as "But these alleged free spirits were rarities; the majority of my roommates were creatures of circumstance," with absolutely no follow-up does absolutely nothing to encourage housed people to do more in the fight to end homelessness.
The majority of people's attitude toward the homeless can be summed up by the quote from Kin Hubbard, "It is no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be." The American myth proclaims that through hard work and determination ANYONE can become a millionaire. The converse of this is that if someone is in the gutter, they deserve to be there. Neither of these statements are true but in a handful of cases.
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mike 11/28/2008 5:31:00 AM
OK, the elephant in the comment board is that the City Pages could have commissioned an actual homeless person to write this article. It's not that easy finding a job in a newspaper these days. While this may have been a more appropriate avenue for conveying what the audience clearly wants to hear, I think Mr. Snyders' article was accurate in what it attempted to capture: a week in the shoes of someone else.
Clearly the comments posted above are in line with a group of people trying to dig at the heart of the issue of "authenticity" from the warmth of their own homes. This is currently common practice from individuals who try to capture "authenticity" by drinking PBR and looking as though they do not hold a job. By discussing things they generally do not have the fortitude to do themselves, they feel empowered as professional critics.
Mr. Snyders' article was successful in bringing attention to an issue which needs the attention of the public and media and addresses exactly what it advertises to. The responsibility of the reader is to take action on an issue which they have invested an effort to read about rather than criticise the tactics to create an article which made them consider the issue. If as much time was spent critically thinking about the epidemic of homeless and precariously housed individuals as were criticizing someone who had the gumption to walk a day in their shoes, our society would be better served.
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cold k 11/28/2008 4:25:00 AM
you're a fucking pussy. your little experiment is belittling and lame.
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Margaret Hastings 11/27/2008 10:59:00 PM
This really is not about homelessness at all. It IS about exploiting the issue of homelessness to satisfy some sort of need on the author's part to do something he sees as "cool" or "adventurous". In his story, he does not report any conversations or interactions with people, homeless or non- homeless of any substance. He takes money from people on false pretenses, he paints a well-worn and stereotypical image of people he observed -- that is right,,,observed like ants under a magnifying glass---and makes assumptions and value judgments about them. Do we have to have one more person's voyeurism to add to the plethora of media drive bys that take place around this time of year? Why is it "cool" to have a non-homeless person write a story about their "faking it"?
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Dwight Hobbes 11/27/2008 8:10:00 PM
A week. One week on the streets, knowing full well he has home to go back to and Matt Snyder calls himself reporting on the experience. Bullshit.
Dwight Hobbes
Mpls
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ted williams 11/27/2008 7:50:00 PM
I stopped reading when i realized you were taking a bed from someone who really needed it. Selfish prick.
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Heather 11/27/2008 8:46:00 AM
An interesting article to read Thanksgiving night while cuddled in a �Why didn�t I buy the one rated for 20 below?� sleeping bag; perched upon a lounge chair with goldfish crackers and CLIF bars that won�t be eaten because one�s belly is still bursting from the carnage of dinner but were brought �just in case;� swaddled in last year�s �I really need a new coat� Columbia jacket with matching ear muffs, scarf and �I would have bought mittens instead of gloves if I knew it would be this cold;� flanked by friends one trusts and a portable heater plugged into an outlet that used to power Christmas lights�waiting outside overnight for Best Buy to open so one can grab a 50� plasma TV for the bargain price of $899.99 (Limit 1 per customer. Minimum 10 per store. Great odds!).
No doubt the ruff-and-ready consumer will be lauded by the media, local and national, for their tenacity to achieve the American dream of having a TV larger and/or clearer than their neighbors while jump-starting the economy. Interviews with everyday people�dare I say Soccer Moms and Joe the Plumbers without seeming partisan�will dominate television Thursday night.
�What time did you get here? How cold are you?� the talking head will ask.
�We�ve been sitting here for hourrrss and we�re freeeeeezing,� the sheep will answer.
�Is a TV really worth this ordeal?� asks the Barbie or Ken doll.
�Fuck, yeah,� the semi-inebriated-from-the-secret-stash-of-Patron will answer.
�Back to you in the studio, Jim.�
�Hey, hey�they look cold and are getting ornery! In other news, we here at [insert-local-news-station] care about our community. We�ve set up this phone bank so you can make a tax-deductible donation to [insert-charity-name] to help those who are less fortunate this holiday season. Please call now with your gift�no matter how small. Heeeeyyyyy, we just received a $5 pledge from Sarah in Inver Grove Heights. Way to go, Twin Cities!�
Way to go, Twin Cities indeed.
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Michelle 11/27/2008 2:27:00 AM
I think this is an incredible article. I am a social worker and work with many people who battle the beast of homelessness and street life everyday. I think it's wonderful you exposed your readers to what it's like in the life of a homeless individual. I think it raises awareness to others especially this time of year. Food shelves have little food left, non-profits are out of money, and there is little to offer in agencies that used to offer so much. I hope this gets people out there to help those in need this season. Those in need need it now more than ever. Thank you again for this incredible article. I will make sure to pass it on to everyone I know.
