Hailey

Last year, this video was put out by a shelter in New York City. You’ve probably seen it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6jSKLtmYdM

In it, people disguise themselves as homeless to see if their family members will recognize them. The family members walk by, none of them recognizing their loved ones.

It’s a powerful video because it makes the viewer consider how they treat the homeless. It asks the viewer “Would you recognize a loved one if they were homeless?” It made me question if I would. And it made me think about Hailey.

When I first met Hailey, she was sitting outside of a Tim Horton’s panhandling. She was young, early twenties maybe. When I first met her she looked nervous and she would barely speak to me. Very slowly (I’m talking 2 years) she began to trust me – she opened up. She told me about her life on the streets and in the shelters and her struggles with mental illness and addiction.

Last week, I saw Hailey on the street and I sat with her for awhile. She mentioned that she had a sister who was living in a small town outside of the city – the same town I’d grown up in. She said she’d grown up there too. We looked at each other and suddenly realized we’d grown up together. I couldn’t believe it. She’d been several years younger than me but we’d played together and we’d always gone to the same school.

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t recognized her – she looked exactly the same!

But I didn’t recognize her because I never expect to see someone I know on the streets. It’s like when you are out of the country – you never expect to run into someone you know. But just like the people in the video, when I recognized Hailey, I was shaken to my core. She shouldn’t be there. This girl I grew up with shouldn’t be there. I can only hope that our paths have crossed again for a reason.

– by Moira, Youth Outreach Worker