On any given night in the Richmond metropolitan area, it is estimated there are approximately 1,200 homeless people in shelters and on the streets. This number hasn’t moved much in the last several years. In general, people are numb to what’s happening and there are many misconceptions.  Many people feel like homelessness can’t happen to them.

They may feel that the homeless must be lazy or drug addicts. I wanted to learn more, so I decided to be homeless, but for one day only! I know that experiencing homelessness for a day can never compare to being homeless for months or years. But I hoped that knowing more about the daily struggles of homelessness would keep the spirit of compassion alive in my heart.

The streets and buildings of downtown Richmond take on a very different look when you are walking aimlessly for hours under the sun, carrying your life belongings on your shoulders.  In my normal day, I don’t even think about it: I would enter these buildings, eat in their restaurants and use their restrooms.  But today, the insides of these buildings are off limits to me. I only have $5 in my pocket and restrooms are for customers only (please!).  Relieving our bladders would require emptying what little I have in my pocket!

My companions, Bob, Booty, and I are already tired, hungry and frustrated.  We want to go home.  We’ve spent a long day in Richmond as a part of Homeward’s first “Walking in Their Shoes” event during the Affordable Housing Awareness Week.  On this day—Thursday, April 23—I had joined them for a “trip”: a taste of what it would be like for a homeless man trying to get by on the streets of Richmond,Va. Gone were my normal accompaniments, my cell phone, my blackberry and credit-card stuffed wallet. I felt lucky just to be able to keep my driver’s license with me!

We had met at 7 a.m. at the Central Intake center for breakfast and a briefing.  Bob, Booty and I joined 15 other “volunteers.” One hour later we were “released” from the city jail.  We were given roles to play: we were three men, ex-offenders, with mental illness and drug abuse issues facing the unknown.  So we walked and walked for several miles. Eventually we arrived at our destination: the Daily Planet.  Our instructions: get a case manager for your mental illness problem and walk back to St. Paul’s Church in downtown to get a number for the lunch.  Go to the Richmond Behavioral Authority; stop by OAR for job assistance.  Meet back at Central Intake at 4 p.m.

One day on the streets of Richmond isn’t enough to capture the life of a homeless person. In the back of our minds, Bob, Booty and I knew that our situation was temporary. The true homeless don’t have that comfort. After hours of walking, waiting, filling out forms, searching for services and being asked to come back the next day, I was left without medications for my mental illness.  We were tired and I needed my tea. I normally have several cups a day. We had little money to spend. We made a quick decision to take a short cut to my office downtown for a break. We cheated.

Several hours later, we’re back at Central Intake. The simulation has ended. I rushed to my car, eager to check my cell phone and email.  Bob, Booty and I were grateful to escape the heat. But we know that the people we’ve been pretending to be can’t do that. I know I have my wife, my kids and some warm hugs waiting for me at home. The homeless people we met today are seldom so privileged.

The most surprising thing I learned while I was homeless was that, while many homeless people are struggling with a lot of pain, they are still full of hope and dignity. Many homeless people have substance abuse problems or mental illnesses.  But, wouldn’t you have problems if you had to fight for a warm spot to sleep in, stand in line for a meal, and sleep in a different bed every night? What would this situation do to your self-esteem? Most of the homeless didn’t choose this way of life; most are victims of circumstance and, for some reason or another, lost their earning ability or credit in order to have a home.

The homeless are definitely not lazy, because being homeless is hard work. It is a life of constant motion, being displaced from one place to another.  You are under constant stress, always wondering:  where am I going to sleep, where am I going to put my belongings so no one steals them, where is my next meal coming from, where can I rest, am I going to be safe?  You start worrying about small things that people usually take for granted.  These questions, and many more, haunt the daily life of the homeless.

I also learned that none of us is immune from the tragedy of hunger and homelessness.  One illness, one job loss, one misstep could land any one of us among the ranks of Richmond’s homeless.  A lot of people in our region are one or two paychecks away from financial crisis.

As a person of faith, I know we cannot always control our circumstances.  The best we can do is love, appreciate what we’re blessed with and to be truly thankful and grateful to God by spreading, in our region, the Divine attributes of justice, mercy, compassion, goodness, and beauty.

M. Imad Damaj is the President of Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs. He also serves on the board of directors of Richmond Habitat for Humanity and ACTS (Area Congregations Together in Service).