Wednesday, January 04, 2012

A Reflection on the Homeless (from someone who has very little contact with anyone homeless)

A couple of months ago, at a stoplight, I saw a homeless man who looked to be about my age. He had a dog. I'm not a dog person - at all - but for some reason, that man with his dog really tore me up. I went straight to a local grocery store, Dierberg's, and bought a gift card (thinking that Dierberg's has both people and dog food). I went back and the man and dog were gone. I'm not sure why I didn't just give the guy money, when I had a chance, but I tend not to do that. I've been known to buy coffee and egg sandwiches for homeless guys.  One time Ruthie and I went to Diergergs and bought raisins and trail mix and other such snacks and took the bag of them to the homeless guy at the corner of Skinker and Forest Park Parkway. My point is that I don't hand out cash very often, so when I got back to the spot where I'd seen the homeless dog owner, he was gone and I hadn't helped him (or his poor raggedy dog).

Right before Christmas, I saw another homeless man at another stoplight. I can't remember what his sign said, but it broke my heart. I actually ended up giving him the Dierberg's gift card that was originally intended for the dog guy. I also gave him a $5 Target gift card that I had in my purse from buying three bags of coffee and getting a free $5 card (or some such promotion). When I drove away, I thought, "Have I actually ever seen a homeless person in Target?" What will that guy do with the $5 gift card?  Will he make his way to Target and buy soap and deodorant? Will he get a pretzel and a drink at the Cafe?  Will he trade the card in? Do the homeless have a place where they gather and barter and exchange what they've been given? Can he get drugs for a Target card? Do these questions matter?

I never know what to do about the homeless that I see pretty regularly around town. There are some obvious answers to the question of what I could do to help the homeless in general. I have a degree in social work.  I could go get a job working with homeless people.  I could volunteer regularly at a homeless shelter.  There are things that I DO do.  I donate yearly to the St. Louis food bank. I give hats and gloves when asked.  I buy Christmas gifts for kids in need.  I put money in the Salvation Army buckets sprinkled around town at Christmas. BUT what about the guy on the corner with the dog? What do you do?

I spent last weekend in downtown Chicago, and of course, I saw many homeless. I dropped some money in, here and there, and then I saw a homeless man at 7-11 feeding dollar bills into the lottery machine. Sad! I almost can't write about how sad I felt seeing that. What should he do, though, with the small stack of dollar bills he might receive throughout a day, sitting on a corner of Michigan Ave., with a sign telling a sad tale and an old Starbucks cup? How should I feel about it? Does it even matter to me what he does with that money? Should I be glad he's not buying drugs or alcohol? Right now it just breaks my heart that he's spending the money he has, in hopes of hitting it big. I don't care that he chooses to spend his money on lottery tickets, so much as I'm sad that people live their lives this way! The incident at the lottery machine is just an example of how destitute so many people are.

So, back to me (and you). What should I (we) do? Should I just give people a couple of dollars when they ask me at the stoplight?  Should I load my purse with gift cards (because they may be gone by the time I get back)?  Should I just give more money to agencies that help the homeless?  Please share with me your thoughts! If you're reading this, and you work with homeless people, I admire you, and I'd love to hear any advice you have for people like me!

8 comments:

  1. Very interesting post. I have NO ideas about this except to say that a good read would be "Same Kind of Different as Me" and it's sequel "What Difference Do It Make."

    I've read these recently and think that they have some good insights into this topic and also bring up more questions!

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  2. One thought would be to get some free business cards printed up with the contact information for the St. Louis Jesuit Volunteer Corps and hand them out with a grocery store gift card. I think part of the problem is that homeless people don't know where to go. Rather than just providing them food, maybe they need information on how to get to the next toe-hold on the climb. That next toe-hold might be rehab or a mental health clinic or getting a valid ID to apply for food stamps or other programs. The JVC can help them determine what they truly need. I wonder if soup kitchens or food pantries would give you gift cards in exchange for canned goods. You could hand those out as well as a JVC card. Give them a fish, teach them to fish, then go home and appreciate your own fish. Rinse and repeat. Just my two cents.

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  3. Laura, you just turned the spotlight on something most of us won't talk about. Deep down, those thoughts float through all of our minds. We wish we could do more...we're scared to do more...we don't know what "more" to do. Thanks for being so raw in this post. At least it opens dialogue. I'm interested to see what others have to say as well. God calls us to share His love....that's all. The changing of the heart and life is up to Him. Keep being generous! Keep showing Love. For the hopeless guy at the lotto machine...you might be the only one that shared the unconditional love of Christ with him that day.

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  4. I think in such circumstances we have to listen for and then follow God's prompting. If God prompts you to offer money to someone in need, then do so. You've done what you were called to do in that situation, and whether the guy buys a burger or a handful of lottery tickets or drugs is up to him. Obey the Lord, whether He prompts you to buy him a meal, or a gift card, or give him your coat or the cash in your wallet...that's what your job is.

    Jesus said that the poor would always be with us. We can't eradicate poverty. We were never meant to, though it hurts to see those less fortunate around us. I think we are called to minister one on one, face to face with the very real, hurting people in our communities. Even if we can't give them a single thing, we can see them and love them, treating them with kindness and respect, recognizing their value as Christ does, realizing how easily we could be the ones in those shoes.

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  5. I like the printed card concept. Money to most homeless is just a fix for an addict or alcoholic, unfortunately.

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  6. My dogs made friends with the homeless man who resides next to the park we walk the dogs. He's our buddy now, and we feed him...he's kind of picky though. He cleans up the park area and uses some of his food/findings to feed the geese. However, one must be careful. Some important stats to remember are: 26.2% have a serious mental illness and 34.7% have substance abuse issues.

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  7. Thanks to all of your for your comments. I feel encouraged to pray and to follow God's prompting when it comes to loving others. I also really like the idea of trying out how to pass along information that can help in the long term. Christina, I will look up those books. Linda P also suggested them on my FB page!

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  8. Blessing Bags - http://kwavs.blogspot.com/search?q=blessing+bag

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