Alternatives
The way to address homelessness at its human source is _________________ [fill this in yourself].
You are in love with me, I shall make you perplexed.
Do not build much, for I intend to have you in ruins.
If you build two hundred houses in a manner that the bees do;
I shall make you as homeless as a fly.
If you are the mount Qaf in stability.
I shall make you whirl like a millstone.
Jalaluddin Rumi
Challenged by Humanity
Each nation and the entire community of nations is challenged by humanity, so to say, to build a society in which there is no one who cannot find what is minimally essential for a dignified life, where no one lacks decent housing, a principal factor in human progress.
The more desolate the panorama of poverty becomes, the greater is the responsibility of those who hold political and economic decision making power. The poorest countries and social groups hope to find a solution to the serious situation of the homeless through that universal solidarity to which they have a right.
The poor and marginalized are waiting for a concrete answer, and, first of all, for a change in the attitude of certain sectors of society that are indifferent, if not hostile, to their plight.
From Feast of the Holy Family
I’m Homeless and a Human Being
I may be homeless
I may not be clean or smell pleasant
But I have feelings just like everyone else
Just because I look different than you
Please don’t stray from me
Give a smile or say a word or two
This sure would make me have a better day
By seeing at least one person
Truly cares.
Joann, nationalhomeless.org
The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
The Corporal Works of Mercy
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
Admonish the sinner
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel the doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
Pray for the living and the dead
From catholicculture.org
“I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me”
Matthew 25, 42ff.
Dignity Village, Portland, Oregon
Since moving to the city-owned property two years ago, residents have brought trailers and an old bus onto the site. They have opened an office, acquired portable toilets and built a communal, propane-heated shower.
They also have constructed dozens of homes from donated scrap lumber, doors and tarps. A community center that includes a small sewing room sits in the middle of the camp. Raised garden beds are used for growing vegetables.
Today, Dignity Village is a dizzying mix of cobbled-together buildings and swirling activity. People are constantly in motion, hauling scrap lumber, tarps and other construction materials across the asphalt lot. Small groups congregate outside the common buildings, including a community center that seems built almost entirely out of wood-frame windows.
Should I give money to panhandlers?
“Give me spare change and I may never get off these streets. Give to organizations that could really help me and you could save my life. Help is available. 800-478-2221” This widely publicized effort, ‘Change for the Better,’ is sponsored by Conoco/Philips and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership.
Consider giving directly to people experiencing homelessness. Deciding whether or not to give to panhandlers is a personal decision. Some may not give money out of fear that it may be spent supporting an addiction. Although this is occasionally true, the money also may help someone buy a meal, afford housing, buy clothes, purchase an ID to stay in a shelter, pay for transportation to a job, childcare, healthcare, support a family member-the possibilities are numerous. In some cases, instead of giving money, people carry gift certificates to restaurants or granola bars, peanut butter crackers, sandwiches, or fruit to give to homeless people.
Smile. Whether or not you choose to give change, plea
se don’t look away from homeless people as if they do not exist. Making eye contact, saying a few words, or smiling (provided that it is a situation in which you feel comfortable doing so) can reaffirm the humanity of a person at a time when homelessness seems to have stripped it away. Most people will be glad simply to be acknowledged. For more insight into panhandling and homelessness, read “Panhandling: A Little Understanding,” at http://www.nationalhomeless.org/panhandle.html.
From National Coalition for the Homeless
What YOU can do
Volunteer
Think about what you do best and the kind of setting in which you work most effectively-with individuals or groups, with men, women, or children, and so on. Then call a few places, ask what help they need, and arrange for a visit.
Here are some ways you might help:
Plan a Bringing America Home House Party.
Work at a shelter.
Help build or fix up houses or shelters
Offer professional skills directly or assist in job training.
Share hobbies.
Invite people experiencing homelessness to a community event
Organize an event at a shelter.
Work with children
Involve others!
Advocate
Advocacy is critical to creating the systemic changes needed to end homelessness. Advocacy means working with people experiencing homelessness to bring about positive changes in policies and programs on the local, state, and federal levels. It means working with various sectors of the community to develop workable strategies for responding to homelessness.
Get connected to a coalition.
Respond to NCH’s Legislative Alerts.
Follow local politics.
Educate your leaders.
Involve the media.
Encourage those most directly involved to advocate.
Register people experiencing homelessness to vote.
Sponsor a Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
Organize a “Faces of Homelessness” panel
Recognize National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day.
Get involved with a local street newspaper.
Join the National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project.
Become more aware of your language.
Contribute
While the concern and support demonstrated by volunteer work and advocacy are essential, material assistance is also a necessity. Escaping and ending homelessness is a long process. In the meantime, people experiencing homelessness and the programs that serve them need help every day.
Needed items and services might include:
Clothing
In-kind services and materials.
Household goods or other items.
Books.
Computers.
Homeless “survival kits.”
Phone calls.
Job opportunities.
Support for a homeless person or family.
Other things you might do to contribute include:
Raise funds for a program.
Consider giving directly to people experiencing homelessness.
Smile.
Continue to educate yourself, your family and your community!
Follow your local news
Take advantage of teachable moments.
Talk to children about homelessness.
Read.
Also try the following sites:
The National Alliance to End Homelessness: http://www.naeh.org
The National Low Income Housing Coalition: http://www.nlihc.org
The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness: http://www.nscahh.org
The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty: http://www.nlchp.org
Homes for the Homeless/Institute for Children and Poverty: http://www.homesforthehomeless.com/hfh
The Better Homes Fund: http://thebetterhomesfund.org
Universal Living Wage Campaign: http://www.universallivingwage.org
Educate Others. As you learn more about the problem of homelessness, share what you find out with those around you. In some cases, you may learn as much from the reflections of those around you as from a book. Whatever you do, don’t let the insights you gain stop with you!
From National Coalition for the Homeless, http://www.nationalhomeless.org