Stop Criminalizing Survival—And Calling Freedom “Homelessness”

4/13/2025

© Lyn Lomasi; Owner/Shaman/Master Creator at Brand Shamans Content & Creators Community LLC

Let’s be real.

Some people are unhoused because of deep crisis—systems that failed, trauma that overwhelmed, and communities that turned their backs.

And others?

Are living wild, free, and off-grid by sacred choice, walking paths that honor ancestral wisdom more than societal rules.

But instead of helping, honoring, or even asking why, society too often throws both groups into the same bucket, slaps the label “homeless” on them, and calls it a problem.

Let’s be clear:

Living differently is not a crime.
Being in crisis is not a crime.
And neither deserves to be punished for simply trying to survive—or live fully.

💔 Some People Are Unhoused Because Everything Collapsed

There are real people—right now—sleeping in tents not because they want to, but because:

They lost their job and couldn’t afford rent
They escaped abuse and had nowhere else to go
They aged out of a system that forgot them
They live with physical, emotional, or mental conditions unsupported by the current world

This is a crisis.
This is pain.
This is not their fault.

And it’s heartbreaking that instead of offering care, society responds with:

Arrests
Fines
Sweeps
Public shame
Legal bans on simply resting

It’s cruelty, not care.
And it’s happening every single day.

🌱 Others Are Living Off-Grid By Choice—And That’s Not “Less Than”

Then there are those who said, “I’m done with the system.”

People who:

Live full-time in an RV by choice
Build shelter in the woods for peace, not because they’re “lost”
Raise families in off-grid homes, vans, or tent setups in legal spaces
Walk ancestral paths connected to land and rhythm instead of concrete and control

They’re not in crisis.
They’re in flow.

And they deserve to be left in peace—not labeled “homeless” just because they don’t live the way society expects.

⚠️ One Label. Many Realities.

The word “homeless” gets tossed around like it means the same thing for everyone. But it doesn’t.

Sometimes it means:

✔️ A disabled elder abandoned by a system that promised to care
✔️ A family hiding the truth about sleeping in their car so their kids can stay in school
✔️ A young person escaping violence with nothing but a backpack
✔️ A sovereign soul building shelter on ancestral land
✔️ An RV traveler choosing freedom over mortgages

One word. Many lives. Many stories.

So why do we keep using the same laws, same shame, same fear-based approach for all of them?
Because systems fear what they can’t box in.
Because comfort convinces people that different is dangerous.

🛑 Survival Isn’t A Crime. Living Differently Isn’t Either.

You can’t arrest poverty out of existence.
You can’t fine someone into housing.
You can’t punish freedom into submission.

Whether someone is:

Running for their life
Living close to the land
Healing from a system that discarded them
Or reclaiming their ancestral way of life

They are not broken.
They are not disposable.
And they are not wrong.

🧿 Living Without A Lease Doesn’t Mean Living Without Dignity

Housing is a human right.
So is choice.

Whether it’s forced or chosen, existing without a traditional home doesn’t make you less valuable.

We need to stop pretending there's only one “right” way to live, and start holding space for:

Crisis with compassion
Choice with respect
Sovereignty with support
Healing with dignity

🧠 To Those In Crisis: We See You

This isn’t just policy—it’s personal.

If you’re surviving day by day, with nowhere to turn, know this:

You are not a failure.
You are not forgotten.
You are not alone.

Your story matters.
Your life matters.
And you deserve more than scraps, shame, or silence.

🌿 To Those Living Wild, Rooted, and Free: We See You Too

If you’ve chosen a way of life outside the mainstream—living with the land, in your vehicle, or by spiritual guidance—you don’t need to justify that to anyone.

You are not wrong.
You are not irresponsible.
You are honoring something deeper than modern systems can comprehend.
You deserve to be left in peace—not swept, fined, harassed, or mislabeled.

💥 Final Word

Some people sleep outside because they lost everything.
Some sleep outside because they remembered everything.

And both deserve humanity.
Both deserve protection.

Both deserve to exist without punishment.
So stop criminalizing survival.

Stop labeling freedom as failure.
Start seeing the whole truth—not just the headlines.