Because the most important thing is dignity

There are issues that no one addresses and people who are not noticed. Every day we witness situations that we do not want to see, we look away, hold our breath, quicken our steps. Homeless people blend into the cityscape regardless of their origin or geographical location, becoming invisible to the rest of society. Life on the street strips us of dignity and humanity in the eyes of others, and when menstrual blood is added to this, the situation becomes critical.

Homelessness in Poland

The last nationwide study involving homeless people was conducted in 2019, and its results can be found on the website of the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. 30,330 people were surveyed at that time, of whom 83.6% were men (25,369 people) and 16.4% were women (4,961 people). The most frequently cited cause of homelessness was family conflict (32.2%), followed by addiction (28%). The respondents then cited eviction, deregistration (26.3%) and relationship breakdown (18.4%). During data collection, a significant proportion of these people were staying in institutional facilities (24,323 – 80.2%), while 6,007 (19.8%) were staying in public spaces and places not intended for habitation.

Menstruating People and Homelessness

Statistically, homeless people are much more often men, which is why our imagination usually brings to mind a middle-aged/older man: drinking, neglected, sleeping at a bus stop or train station. This is a very harmful belief that leads to complete numbness to the problem, lack of specific support and understanding. The truth is that homelessness has no gender, age, sexual orientation or origin.

It is in vain to look for Polish studies on people who menstruate while homeless and how they cope each month during their period. While doing research on menstruation and femininity in the context of homelessness, I came across an interesting mini-documentary on the Bustle YouTube channel. It deals with the homeless in the US (the protagonists are New Yorkers) who face the real problem of lack of access to intimate hygiene products , running water, medicines, etc. The less than 7-minute-long film opens your eyes to a problem that for the vast majority of people does not exist at all.

One of the documentary's protagonists says something very simple, even obvious, but it resonates with great power when she says it - cleanliness during your period is a luxury, a matter of comfort, and above all a sense of dignity. Every day, people living on the streets, in parks, in subway stations struggle with the lack of access to basic hygiene products, drinking water, food, and the ability to wash. Experiencing menstruation for several days each month is an extremely difficult time. Menstruating people admit that the lack of water and the inability to wash clothes, as well as the limited access to places where you can change, are the most stressful experiences. Kailah Willcuts - a 27-year-old from New York, homeless for 8 years - admits with disarming honesty that in her opinion "the hardest thing about living on the street is simply being a woman." Because regardless of whether you have a roof over your head or you sleep outdoors and don't have your own place to live, as a woman you like to feel clean, smell nice, just feel good and fresh. Every day Kailah tries to maintain hygiene by using public toilets available in parks, where she has access to running water, soap and toilet paper. Unfortunately, during her period it is more complicated. The challenge is not only the issue of washing, but also getting hot water in a bottle (I assume it is in the form of a hot water bottle), medicines (which can be stolen, but it is very risky), tampons or pads. Every month, people with uteruses are exposed to additional stress and difficulties due to their nature.

A meal or a pad

“No woman should have to choose between a pad and a meal,” says Julissa Ferrera-Copeland, a New York City councilwoman who focuses her work on helping women in crisis. Alexa, Courtney, and Victoria, who also live on the streets of New York, openly admit that their periods are a time of greatest dilemma. A pack of tampons costs around $7-10, which is an unattainable amount for most homeless women. Unfortunately, even if they manage to collect some money from passersby, they often have to answer the question: food or hygiene. One of the characters openly admits that she would rather be clean than fed.

Ferrera-Copeland lists all the challenges women face on the streets, adding that the problem is no longer just about getting these products to those in need (which is, of course, incredibly important). The priority is dignity and understanding that having a period is normal .

Plastic bag, sock and tampon from a sanitary pad

Menstruating people who live on the street and do not have access to normal intimate hygiene products use paper towels, napkins, plastic bags (!), towels, cotton pads, socks, and old T-shirts, among other things. At one point in the story, Kailah shows viewers her own way of making tampons from pads, which are cheaper and easier to get.

The problem of menstruation in the context of homelessness is primarily a health problem. Lack of proper hygiene and the use of makeshift intimate hygiene products often leads to urinary and reproductive system infections , and prolonged use of tampons can cause toxic shock syndrome . Importantly, in 2016, New York became the first city in the United States to require that public schools, prisons, and homeless shelters provide free sanitary pads and tampons. Two years later, the same law came into effect statewide. Unfortunately, many women do not use shelters for fear of violence, addiction, and humiliation.

Help in your own backyard

In Poland, the law providing such free products in public spaces does not apply. Fortunately, grassroots initiatives are emerging, such as the Menstruation Action , thanks to which Period Aid Points appear on the map of Poland. "PPO is a publicly accessible cabinet with menstrual products. Anyone in need can anonymously take pads or tampons from it, and anyone who wants to help can leave something in it." The second great initiative that aims to combat period poverty is the Różowa Szczyneczka foundation , which fights to "ensure universal access to free hygiene products for menstruation in public spaces (...)". On the foundation's website, you can read that since December 2019, it has managed to place about 1,500 pink boxes filled with pads, which can be found "in schools, dormitories, educational institutions, hospitals, cinemas, libraries, theaters. More and more local governments are joining the campaign - Warsaw, Krakow, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Trzebnica County, Krotoszyn, Kołobrzeg, Olsztyn, Legnica are just some of them. (...) there are more and more places in Poland where pads are available on a par with toilet paper." Unfortunately, many of them - such as cinemas, theaters and schools - are still beyond the reach of homeless people. In Poland, Feminoteka also noticed the problem, a few years ago organized a collection of necessary hygiene products and then donated them to the Daj Herbęta foundation , which works for the homeless. A good solution for such people could probably be menstrual cups, which can last up to several years. Unfortunately, they are expensive and their installation requires skill, appropriate conditions and access to water.

Homeless people live among us, although we do everything to ignore them. We do not think about them, the problems they face, and even less about ways to help. Lack of education, and above all empathy and understanding, lead to homeless people being deprived of their right to humanity, stripped of their dignity. Regardless of the statistics, there are also women among them who simply have their period once a month. If we see a homeless person as another human being, try to understand their extreme situation, and start approaching physicality and biology without shame, we can lead to a situation where at least in one aspect such people will have a slightly easier life.