Abandoned Houses And Homeless

This empty house is in Dacusville SC. You can access my blog at http://haunted505.blogspot.com for many pictures of abandoned houses.

I've recently taken an immense interest in abandoned houses. When I say abandoned, I don't mean just empty although an empty house can technically be abandoned.

Abandoned houses are usually in terrible disrepair and often times have been looted. There is usually broken windows, etc. although that is not always the case. And usually people near the house wish someone would just mow it down for the sake of the neighborhood. As they often times attract vagrants. Of course you can't blame a homeless person for living in an abandoned house if he/she finds one. In most parts of the country it is way too cold to sleep out in the elements. There are many who would like the homeless to be jailed but for what I ask? If they've committed no crime then what would their crime be? The crime of hardship, the crime of falling on hard times in a struggling society? Not one person can say they will never be homeless or they will never live in their car or never be like "those people" meaning the homeless.

In fact everyone who has a bed to sleep in tonight and a roof over their head should thank God they have a home. It doesn't matter how bad that home is, how rundown it is, how bad it looks, how many repairs it needs or how much it needs a paint job. It is still a home. It is someone's home.

I used to think it made a difference if the home looked bad and needed many repairs. Of course to a certain degree it does. No one wants to live in a rundown shack. But that shack is better than living in the woods, in a vehicle or sleeping on cold concrete.

That rundown house is someone's home.

When I'm out driving around, I see many old rundown houses too. Many people don't notice because if they do look they make a point of ignoring the ugly houses in favor of admiring the really nice houses. But on my drives I've realized those houses are someone's home no matter how bad they are. They are probably just grateful to have a roof over their head.

Recently I came across a burned house. It appeared the fire started in the kitchen and unfortunately it gutted the house. About the only thing still standing was the porches. Many of the walls were still there but the roof had been completely burned at least the part above the kitchen. It was a bad fire. I destroyed everything in the house.

I remember wondering if everyone got out alive. Because there is no way to know for sure without doing extensive research. Something I haven't taken the time to do yet.

Down the road from the burned house was a small travel trailer, there was a path leading from the fire destroyed house to the camper and I wondered if that could be whoever had lived in the house. I wondered if they had had to find something to live in and a travel trailer fit the bill. Of course it could have been anyone. But I still wonder. The only way to know would be for me to make my way down there and ask. But I can't stand the thought of asking someone about this tragedy especially if they lost loved ones in the blaze.

And of course I wonder what could have started this terrible fire.

So I just wonder and will eventually get around to doing some research and finding the answer on my own.

The point here is that there are homeless people who have found an old abandoned house and moved in because no on is keeping it up and it appears no one cares and this homeless person needs a place to live. You will never know who these people are, it could be someone you see regularly at the local pharmacy or fast food chain but you will not know because they have to keep their living arrangements secret for fear of someone causing trouble and costing them their newfound home. It is said there are people in America that not only don't have a place to call home but often times not enough food. Often times the needy are children. The one's that can't get jobs, the victims of a society and government that should be doing more to help. Most restaurants and stores waste enough food on a daily basis to feed an entire town.

Homelessness isn't something anyone should have to experience let alone a child.

Update: That property was sold and now a brand new house stands where the fire gutted one used to be.