Homelessness
Behind the Blindfold
David Raether's Interview
On March 15, 2014, David Raether was interviewed to unmask the stereotypes of homelessness through drug addiction. His story will illustrate a different cause of homelessness which will diminish some of the common theories of homelessness. In the communities of Los Angeles, one of the leading causes of homelessness is due to substance abuse. David Raether also assumed that people were homeless because of drug addiction until he went through his own experience of homelessness.
There is truth to this stereotype because AAPOR (American Association for Public Opinion Survey) conducted a face-to-face survey with random homeless people in Los Angeles during 2009. The findings showed that the highest percentage of homeless people were persons of substance abuse addiction which was 41% and the next highest was the mentally ill which was 24% (5940).
Although many people may think that homelessness will never happen to them, sometimes losing a home and a dream job becomes a reality and what solution will you choose? Consequently, some people turn to drugs to numb the pain and some people seek other solutions. Raether chose to focus on resolving his daily problems rather than becoming bitter or turning to drugs because he lost his home, his dream job and his family. He realized that bitterness would not help him find employment, find food, or find a solution to bring his family together again.
While Raether was surrounded by the influential in his community, he managed to overcome his challenges that were imposed on him. He choose to look presentable rather than resemble the look of homelessness that is portrayed on the streets and in the media. He called his respectable appearance the "San Marino disguise." He was so good at wearing the mask that his family and friends did not know he was homeless. Even though he was starving, homeless and unclean, he made sure he looked professional. Based on his actions, Raether worked hard to maintain his dignity through his circumstances.
With great determination, he overcame the stereotypes of homelessness by finding jobs through Craigslist Writing Gigs, and using Craigslist Shareriding to visit his children. Sharing his homeless story during Rideshares and listening to his girlfriend, he was inspired to write his Memoir: Tell Me Something, She Said. His book did not sell at first. In October of 2013, he applied to Priceonomics.com and the company needed a writing sample so he took a risk and submitted his book. He was not hired, but the CEO urged him to publish his book through CreateSpace self-publishing division of Amazon.com and his books sold.
David Raether's story is different because he chose to overcome the odds of homelessness by focusing on his daily solutions and not succumbing to drug addiction as the single story of homelessness. His writings has changed the views of homelessness and he has changed the world through his writings. James Baldwin's quote, "You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world....The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way...people look at reality, then you can change it" (Pipher, Mary, Writing to Change the World). Raether has changed the face of homelessness through writing his homeless experience in book form as well as the web. If his story was not published, people would only believe the single story that people are homeless because of drug addiction and not through economics.
