The Tragic Truth- Homelessness in America
Friday, July 31st, 2009Most people I know are somewhat jaded by this issue of homelessness, especially here in America. Often peoples first thoughts are "well, there is no real reason to be homeless here in America", or "It’s their own fault", or "God helps those who help themselves"… over the years I have heard these statements and many others like them from the mouths of good and not-so-good people alike. I believe it highlights the desperate need for "re-education" on this topic and a shift in attitude from the general public, because whether we like it or not, homelessness is a huge issue in America affecting over 3.6 million people .
For me personally, 5 years ago I probably would have been found in this camp and said similar ‘ill-informed’ statements like the above. However that changed when my wife and I volunteered at the local homeless shelter here in Nashville TN. Sitting down with people, hearing their unfortunate and heartbreaking stories made me very aware that for some people, life throws many lemons, too many that one can bear alone. In mounting desperation some people find themselves without anything, shelter, family, food or money, these people end up on our "invisible streets".
So to help ‘re-educate’ ourselves on this issue of homelessness in America, I want to share two stories with you. I hope that hearing these stories you might re-think your prejudices and begin to join the fight for ending homelessness here in our wonderful country.
Meet Jim
I met Jim in Vegas on a 116 degree day. Like many others I met, he came out here to start a new life. Instead, he wound up on the streets.
Jim lives in a tent city that has been moved eight times. He says his only other alternatives are jail or leaving town. The most heartbreaking thing about Jim’s story is that he has AIDS but not healthcare, so he doesn’t receive badly needed medications. The only public assistance he receives is food stamps.
One of Jim’s closing statements still haunts me, "it’s hard on everybody, it’s just a little more hard on the homeless."
Kenneth is a straight shooter. He’s been sober for four years and is taking the right steps to move forward with his life. But it isn’t easy. He has been to prison, so finding a job is more complicated than usual. He’s getting old, he says, so his job skills aren’t what they used to be. But he remains optimistic, "I just roll with the punches. But believe me, if there was some other way, I wouldn’t be here."
Kenneth offered an interesting street perspective. He says that there are more shelters today then there were 20 years ago. At the same time, he says that even more shelters are desperately needed, because the need has not been met. He knows of people who are still sleeping under bridges at night because they have nowhere else to go.
Kenneth from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo .
