Many of us are starting to see glimpses of life returning to “normal” since the COVID-19 Pandemic first began in 2020. With vaccinations, we’re visiting family again, seeing friends, restaurants are fully open, events are coming back, there is certainly excitement in the air. But what does it look like for those experiencing homelessness?

The opposite, actually.

While we’ve all been excited to reunite with friends and family, those experiencing homelessness likely don’t have those trusted relationships to reunite with. They aren’t able to attend these events, and life is not returning to “normal” for them. Rather, it’s an unfortunate reminder that they are experiencing homelessness and have no one and nowhere to turn.

We are all seeing the housing market explode, the car market go crazy, and overall gas and grocery prices continue to increase. Imagine if you were facing homelessness on top of these price increases. This puts a strain and weight on the shoulders of those already struggling and without a home. Now, they can’t afford gas and groceries, let alone find a home to live in.

For some, the stimulus checks were a great way to save or buy yourself something you’ve been waiting for. For others, if they even got the stimulus checks, they were forced to use them to survive. And now that money is gone.

So while many of us are excited and feel the world returning to normal, remember there are those experiencing homelessness that are feeling quite the opposite. They see everyone else returning to “normal” and it’s a stark reminder of where they are in life.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we wrote this post about how we were starting to notice more people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta while the rest of us were under strict stay-at-home orders. But now, as we return to our busy lives, let’s not forget that there are those whose situation has not changed. And they need us now more than ever.