‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ -John 14:1-7

It was a visit long overdue. Patricia had invited us to her new home several months ago. Unfortunately, things have been a little hectic. We are being priced out of our apartment. Now, we are in the process of looking for a new place. It is a little complicated. We live in a region known as the old center or rather the “historic center”. It used to be called the “mouth of the trash”. There are many brothels and all other elements giving this place the undesirable seedy character. Once this area was where the wealthy coffee barons built their mansions. They are still here but in various degrees of deterioration. It could have been a beautiful historic center if it wasn’t abandoned for decades. Today, it is a place where the majority of the largest homeless population of the Americas is found. We would like to find an apartment which is affordable and safe. Many times it is one or the other. We chose to live here because we can walk to where the children are and it saves us a lot of time. As of now, our free time and energy is taken up looking for the ideal place within the context of our reality. Today, however, was a public holiday. It gave us the chance to do something outside our normal time with the children and youth in the streets. It was time to visit Patricia but first I have to introduce her.

Patricia was 13 when we first came to the streets. I don’t mean in 2013 but in 1994. Then there were about four to five hundred homeless children and teens living in the streets. Therefore, it was not possible for us to remember every child or teen we met then. In her case, I don’t believe we ever met her. Now, she is forty and a grandmother. Unfortunately, she never left the streets all these years. Her children are first generation homeless children who never knew what it is like to live and grow up in a house. They also have children of their own. The grandchildren are all under the age of five. We have seen Patricia around for a long time but we hardly spoke to her. To be honest, we were a little suspicious of her. We thought that she was exploiting her children. Our first contact with her was when she approached and asked us to pray for her grandchild, Perola, who was a premature baby and in intensive care. Our relationship slowly progressed from henceforth.

She is actually a very simple person. She does not lack intelligence but she has developed intellectual skills which may not be applicable anywhere else in society except in the homeless situation. We realized that our initial assessment of her was completely wrong. Patricia loves all her children and grandchildren dearly and gives them the best she has. Today, she is one of our closest friends among the homeless. Patricia is considered to be part of the children and youth because her children and grandchildren are part of the homeless youth. She never leaves her children alone. She is always with them and whenever one of the toddlers does something mischievous, we can hear her booming voice yelling out their names and they immediately stop what they were doing. It is quite amusing. Even though their situation is far from perfect no one can deny the strong bond of love between them. Ever since our relationship with her improved, her grandchildren accepted us as some of the people who are part of their complex family structure.

Patricia slept in a tent in the streets with all her children and grandchildren. It was amazing to see how many people they could squeeze into a tent. However, she wanted to rent a small place but she faced the some of the same issues as us. However, it was much worse for her. She could never rent a place like us even if she had the money. There are absurd requirements. In the best scenario, the renters are expected to give three months rent as a deposit and are also expected to pay the annual property tax on the rental. The best Patricia can do is rent a small room which she did. She found a small space about 100 square foot and she is paying double of what we pay per square foot. This is the cruel reality here. The poorest of the poor are too poor to be poor. Patricia receives help from the government. However, it barely pays for the grocery. She pays two thirds of her rent and we have the means to help with the rest. She still resorts to begging to survive the rest of the month. She has a lot of mouths to feed. None of this stopped her from inviting us to her house. She wanted us to have a cup of coffee in her home. She told her us that she was going to stay at home and clean up the place and send someone to meet us and take us to her place. Eric was our designated guide.

Eric is a delightful fellow. He just turned 18. We have known him since he was eight and he was a nightmare then. No one would have guessed that this terror of a child would become such a nice kid. He showed us the way to her place. It wasn’t far. On the way, Eric told us that he has been sleeping at Patricia’s too. Her place was a tiny room with walls that should have been painted decades ago. There was a part closed off with a flimsy curtain. I guess that it was the entrance to the bathroom. Patricia managed to squeeze in two beds, a stove and there was a sink filled with unwashed dishes. They wash the dishes as they are needed them because there is no place to store the clean ones. Every corner was used as storage for clothes or dry groceries. On one of the two beds, there were two teenagers sleeping. One was Vinicius. He is not related to Patricia but he is a first generation homeless youth. We have known him since he was nine. He recently turned 19. He was taking a nap. Next to him was Dreyson who is not related as well. Then on the other bed was Patricia’s daughter, Taina, and another non-relative named Isabel who is just 16 and another first generation homeless girl. There were the two toddlers rushing to us for attention and a seven year old. I asked Patricia where do they all sleep at night. Taina said that they have cushions and some of them sleep on the floor. Patricia said sometimes the other kids would come at night and find a tiny spot to squeeze in. Her tiny room which barely fits a double bed has more children and teens sleeping per square feet than any homeless shelter in this city.

The coffee was good. Eric made it. However, they only had two good cups. We had to take turns drinking it. In another time, all this would have overwhelmed us. However, something has changed. We were able to see from Patricia’s perspective. This was something great for her. It gave her great pleasure that she could invite us to her place. We visited with them for an hour or so. Patricia said that her dream was to live in a place with two rooms (not bedrooms, just two rooms) and a proper bathroom. This was quite amazing to hear. In a way, we are looking for the same thing but our concept of an ideal home is completely different. We come from two different worlds and we have learned how to survive with has been dished out to us. Patricias’ life has been hard but she has acquired some virtues in the process. Every space in her tiny room is open to receive guests. For her, happiness is not having ample space but is being able to be hospitable. I don’t want to romanticize her situation. The lack of privacy is draining on her too. She said that she goes to bed very late maybe about four in the morning. One can imagine that the only way one can sleep in such a tiny and crowded space is to be so exhausted that comfort is no longer an issue. I sat there thinking how Patricia would have imagined the room which Jesus said He was preparing for his disciples. It is definitely different from what we imagine.

We went home feeling a little happy. It is another strange sign. Some years ago, we would so focused on the housing situation that we would have failed to share Patricia’s joy in having a place of her own. Now, we are able to be truly happy for her without romanticizing her situation. It was a great visit. She walked us to the door as we left because it is a custom here if you want the guest to return. We plan to return in a couple of weeks. There is a lot we can learn from Patricia. Being homeless has helped her develop virtues that might be difficult for us to acquire. There were things which we have learned from life that will be valuable for her. We have something to give to each other. Together, we can help prepare each other to be members of the household of Jesus.