A Meal, A Mattress, and A Name No One Asked For

I remember the first shelter I ever stayed in. It smelled like bleach and lentils.

The walls were soft beige and the lights hummed, like they were tired of shining. I had one bag with me, the kind you can fold into itself and zip. Inside it were two shirts, a toothbrush, and a paper with my name misspelled in pen.

Refugee Camps’ In Chicago? Mayor Proposes Tent Cities For Migrants, Report Says

They asked me questions before they gave me a bed. Where was I born. When did I arrive. What was my trauma history. Did I feel safe. The woman taking notes smiled like she had done this a thousand times. I answered like it was a test. I tried to sound grateful.

She wrote down my name. Wrong again.

The mattress was thin. The food was warm. The room was loud. But the worst part was how quickly you stop being seen. You are not a woman anymore. You are a statistic with bad timing.

Chicago may move some migrants to tented “base camps,” mayor says — Axios Chicago

The Guardian published a report last year showing that homelessness in the United States is at its highest level since data collection began.

There are not enough beds. There are not enough…