The addicted homeless bias…
“A common stereotype of the homeless population is that they are all alcoholics or drug abusers. The truth is that a high percentage of homeless people do struggle with substance abuse, but addictions should be viewed as illnesses and require a great deal of treatment, counseling, and support to overcome. Substance abuse is both a cause and a result of homelessness, often arising after people lose their housing.” -National Coalition for the Homeless
So what came first? Does it matter?
It is important that we are good stewards of our resources and no one wants to be taken advantage of. But I get tired of hearing how the ‘concern’ for money given to a homeless person will be used for drugs or alcohol, as the excuse to not to do anything. Really? Sounds like a huge cop out to me.
The fact that many homeless have addiction problems does not give us permission to let them starve or freeze to death. Do they deserve it? Oh my, I hope I never get what I deserve. Do we have the right to sentence them to even more hardships than they already have?
I am sure many of you reading this, myself included, have family members or friends who struggled with alcohol or drugs. I grew up with family gatherings that always included beer and mixed drinks. Granted many of my family members handled the alcohol consumption with no problem, they went to work on Mondays and paid their bills. But I also had family members who had self-sacrificing spouses, children or siblings that bailed them out often…giving them a bed to sleep in, a hot meal or a ready excuse to a boss. If not, they would have been on the streets or in shelters.
Whatever your experience has been with a drunk or addict, set it aside. There are people (and if we began to see them as such it would be easier) that need a hand out. Here are some ‘safe’ ways to help:
- Hand them a fast food gift card
- Hand them a blanket, socks or coat
- Donate to a local shelter or organization serving the homeless. They know the best way to use your donation
- Give them a smile or hello…just to let them know “I see you”
If you walk down the street and see someone in a box, you have a choice. That person is either the other and you’re fearful of them, or that person is an extension of your family. — Susan Sarandon
The mentally ill bias…
When I was a very young girl I would go with my mom and grandma to visit my grandma’s uncle. “Little Joe” as they called him, stayed in a county facility. From a little girl’s perspective, he seemed pretty easy going, rather jovial, but he just couldn’t remember who we were. He reintroduced himself throughout our entire visit…equally excited about his new visitors with each handshake. When I was a little older, I visited a county hospital with a youth group. I remember how frightened I was by the ‘strangeness’ of the people there, walking around aimlessly, mumbling and sometimes approaching us, without invitation, to share their latest treasure. That discomfort with the unusual remains.
Sometimes a bias toward something or someone can also be defined as a prejudice. I went to my favorite dictionary and found this definition of prejudice: Prejudgment; an opinion or decision of mind, formed without due examination of the facts or arguments which are necessary to a just and impartial determination. That pretty much sums it up for me. My opinion of the mentally ill was based on experiences as a child. As an adult, I have not truly examined the facts, which are necessary in order for me to be ‘just’ in my assessment.
I was recently at a distribution of clothing and other items to the homeless. As I mingled with the folks attending, trying to help them, the eye contact which was the hardest for me were the ones that seemed so lost….lost in themselves. I stepped out and engaged a woman in conversation and walked away very humbled. This woman had a child-likeness that was endearing and alarming at the same time. How will she survive on the streets? She would be so vulnerable to those who ‘knew better’ than her.
Over 25% of the homeless adults on the streets suffer from some degree of mental illness. Since the 1980′s, these numbers continued to increase. The National Coalition for the Homeless, put out a paper on Mental Illness and the Homeless. In it they stated, “Mental disorders prevent people from carrying out essential aspects of daily life, such as selfcare, household management and interpersonal relationships. Homeless people with mental disorders remain homeless for longer periods of time and have less contact with family and friends.”
When you pass a homeless person on the street, and they are walking aimlessly in ‘their own world’, be aware of your reaction. What is the first thought that comes into your head? That, my friend, is your ‘bias’. Is it for good or not?
Find a way to support a local organizations that are trying to find a way to help these precious people…do something, someone has to. It may as well be you.
The homosexual bias…
My visit to The Gathering Place in Denver, caused me to start taking a look at biases against the homeless. What happens when we decide who gets help and who does not? I’ve decided to start with the homeless homosexual community. Let’s look at the facts first.
There are a number of studies and a whole lot of opinions on the homeless homosexual community. What I have found to be prevalent in most of what I’ve read this morning, is that there are a large number of youth who are on the streets, homeless, because of the abuse from peers or being kicked out of their homes by their parents because they are homosexual. You can take a look at the few sources I perused this morning with my tea:
- Empire State Coalition on Youth & Family Services
- Safe School Coalition
- National Institute of Health
As I was reading this information, I remembered a young man that came into the HELP Warehouse to volunteer during the time I was working there. His name was Jack and he was gay. He was a young man who began to share some of his stories about being homeless. As I listened to how he was on the streets as a teen, the story about his little girl conceived in high school and the beatings he took in jail because of his sexuality, I began to get a bigger picture of this young man. In the midst of his story, he talked about taking donations back to the streets of Denver to help those in need. I didn’t ask too many questions and unfortunately Jack never came back, but I was left with a sense of a life that was so hurt and lost that I can tell you I will never forget him.
There are so many emotional reactions and responses to homosexuality that it is a hard topic to even bring up. This is not about those issues. It is about what happens when issues stop each of us from helping someone in need. In the story of the Good Samaritan, one of the main lessons is that someone, the Samaritan-a member of a group of people seen as social outcast during those times, did what the others did not…helped someone in need.
The most disturbing ‘read’ this morning was a story from Michigan. It is a story of churches who pulled support from a homeless ministry because of differences over sexuality issues. I have seen and heard so many discussions over these issues that I really don’t want to make that the focus of this short blog. All I can ask is, “How does the Bible, or even the dictionary define ‘the hungry’ or ‘the poor’?”.
If there are personal biases that you have that prevent you from being a Good Samaritan, than please take time to look at those. What is stopping you from making a difference in the lives of the homeless?
Have to run off to church…a church that feeds the hungry homeless. I guess I have some questions for Pastor Tom this morning.
The Homeless and our biases….
I have been a champion of women and their rights for many years. In the 70′s I was quite the feminist, and could burn my bra with the best of them. Whatever it is/was that fuels my disdain for injustice it has not stopped. I have not ‘outgrown’ my passion to step in and try to make a difference.
This week I visited The Gathering Place in Denver, Colorado. I was ‘wowed’ as a precious woman, Denise, gave us a tour of the facility. She radiates a love and compassion that bathes you as you walk through the halls and doors of this facility. In 2009 over 84,000 women received from this ‘safe refuge’-whether it be clothes, food, friendship or a nap. The Gathering Place is one of those places you walk away feeling ‘ahhhh….someone is actually making a difference.’
It was during our tour that Denise was describing their clients. She said something that caused that ‘hmmm’ button in my brain that reacts and the next thought is ‘wow, I hadn’t thought about that.’ Now for someone whose brain is the first thing awake and the last thing to sleep, it is hard to believe there are still things out there I haven’t pondered. So I always get pretty excited when there is something ‘new under the sun’ for me to ‘think’ about.
Denise shared that their doors are open to all women and their children who are homeless or in poverty. She then added, “If someone comes in as a woman, our doors are open.” Now it was not until she added the term ‘transgendered’ that I ‘got it’. (This small town girl sometimes takes a while to get the bigger picture.) So this morning my search began. What are the facts about homelessness and homosexuality?
Now if you are about to move on or have gotten a bit uncomfortable, I am talking to you. If you are a follower of Jesus, than I am really talking to you. I have read all the scriptures and believe the Bible to be truth, so let’s get that out of the way. In the arena of homelessness, the command we have to ‘feed the hungry’ and ‘care for the poor’, remains constant for me. I’m not sure where the homosexuals sat when He fed the 5000, but I am sure they did not go away hungry. That is all I’m going to say about that! (My daughters would now know the ‘mom look’ just popped up.)
So, what are the facts? Disturbing to say the least. I’ll share my story about Jack tomorrow…before I go to church.
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