I handled welcoming people that day, but once everyone was checked in and the washers were running I had the opportunity to have conversations which altered my perception of what homeless people are like. First and foremost, everyone I met seemed happy to be participating in the task that most with a washing machine in their home dread…doing laundry. People were friendly, courteous, and gregarious. I found that conversations came easily and that these people were really not as different as I expected. We joked, laughed, made small talk, nothing out of the ordinary really.

People without permanent homes are valuable human beings – open your heart and your mind and you’ll get the chance to see this. I recently watched a report about an inspiring book club in Boston - watch a short video about an unlikely friendship which lead to a book club for the homeless.