Ignored

 I have found that one of the reasons that homeless people get into rants, shouting aloud to no one, is because they are not being noticed.  They long to be seen.  It is not just about ignoring their meds.  And they don’t want to be seen just so they can be threatened or told to go away or be quiet.  They rebel at direction because they are not first treated as a person who exists.  So I say “hello.”  No direction or instruction, just the normal thing one might say to a stranger in my path.  I have experienced the person suddenly stop shouting and begin to talk to me in a normal voice.  Now they may make no sense, speaking non sequitur, about one thing and then another.  So they might be insane but they feel recognized.  Eventually, they might ask for something and not always money.  Lots of people live alone in San Francisco apartments.  A simple hello can make more of a difference than you think.