Homeless creativity is frequently dismissed as irrelevant because it challenges what society considers ‘normal’ behavior in certain situations. Yet, in this context, creativity is not only about survival, but an expression of the human desire for comfort. No matter the circumstances, being comfortable is a pivotal element of enjoying life.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about something I’ve seen frequently during my travels: people without homes finding ways to make comfort where comfort isn’t necessarily expected, or sometimes even welcomed. A padded rolling office chair next to a cup for donations. A small tent, decorated with what little someone has. These moments always make me pause, and they’ve stayed with me since.
Carving Out Space: Homeless Creativity in Action
It can seem a bit radical, a bit out of place. The world tends to expect unhoused people to take up as little room as possible, but they claim areas and do the opposite. They’re carving out space and making themselves comfortable. They’re declining the assumption that their life doesn’t have an order of operations just because they don’t have a traditional “home”.
Creative Scenes of Resilience Around the World
I’ve seen this in DC, where a man nestled a queen-sized mattress in between the enclave of two storefronts. I smirked a bit, knowing he was going to get a cozy sleep but would have to get up early to lug it away before the business opened. In Bogotá, someone laid down a woven rug over uneven pavement, placing a brick on each corner to keep it in place. And in Mexico City, a couple rested inside a tent pitched right on the sidewalk. Their tiny orange kitten, wearing a blue collar with a bell, stood watch outside. I couldn’t help but smile at the surprising charm of it all.
Claiming Comfort Through Creativity
At first glance, these setups may seem haphazardly thrown together, but they’re very much intentional. While these setups primarily focus on survival, they also help maintain a sense of normalcy and a level of comfort. They’re about dignity, no matter how small. When someone sources an item and has the vision for how it can fit into their world, they’re doing something that’s universal: they’re creating a sanctuary. Everyone’s sanctuary looks different, but everyone deserves to have one.
More Than Shelter: The Emotional Layers of Home
People consider the idea of ‘home’ a very layered concept. Right now, I’m speaking specifically about where people lay their head, and it may be completely different from where their heart is. For some, a dream home is a walk-in closet or high ceilings, while others just want a safe spot to rest their bones at the end of the day. A place to lie down in peace. For people without a permanent home, creating that peace in a temporary location is a rebellious act against the perspectives of people who see them unworthy of rest.
Challenging Society’s Definition of Home
A home isn’t just about four walls and a corresponding monthly payment. We’re conditioned to think that all homes have addressees. When you start seeing unhoused people adapt what little they have to create comfort, it challenges that idea. A “home” encompasses routine, presence and control, not just square footage. It’s a place where you know where your belongings are (or should be). A place where you have the freedom to have a lazy day without feeling like a burden. A place where you long to return to after a hard day.
Society deems luxury condos as homes. Trailers are homes too. Even barely up-to-code apartments in the most dilapidated areas are still considered homes. But an encampment of tents, perhaps the most visible form of homeless creativity, is viewed differently. Somehow, those are seen as less than. Despite the fact that human beings reside in all of them. The major difference? Access. Access to funds, to resources, to housing that’s deemed legitimate.
Finding Humanity in the Details
I’m not ignoring the challenges that a tent in the middle of a busy sidewalk creates. Makeshift and temporary housing can and does pose numerous issues for safety, sanitation etc. Homelessness is a complex, critical, and widespread issue. But sometimes in the midst of that complexity, there are small, or queen-sized, reminders of resilience. You can miss them with a casual glance. But when you look a bit closer, you notice the effort it takes to maintain fragments of a routine and preserve dignity while confronting instability.
An old suitcase set up like a nightstand beside a sleeping bag. A milk crate turned into a bookshelf. A miniature Christmas tree. These little touches might seem out of place to some, but to me, they signal care, effort, and comfort. When I see them, I don’t feel pity, I feel a sense of respect. I have a level of admiration for anyone who is passing through a hard time but refusing to let it humble them. I admire the commitment to comfort. Not sacrificing the small remnants of what makes us feel at home takes courage. Even if it means being labeled an eyesore.
Even if the world thinks the unhoused should travel light, move frequently or stay hidden, I disagree. Some people may ask, ‘Why allow them to get comfortable?’ It’ll keep them stagnant and make them lazy and unmotivated to change their situation. But the reality is, even while making steps to improve a situation, we are still living. And that life in between the ideal place and where we are now, still deserves to be enjoyed.
Making a Home Without a House
When I see a homeless person enjoying a little bit of normalcy and comfort, I smile. Every day, I too am trying to make wherever I am a bit homier, whether it be lighting a candle or fluffing a pillow. We all have our ways of signaling that there is a place for us, and homeless creativity demonstrates that place is wherever we happen to be.
Next time you see a setup in a public space that looks atypical, don’t assume that the people have gotten ‘too comfortable.’ Consider the intention behind it, the time it took to find those items, the vision involved, even the weather that day. Because everyone deserves a spot in the world that feels like theirs, even if it’s temporary.