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Unconditional

11/25/2014

thanksgiving is approaching and during this season i think all of us take a moment at some point to look back and think of what we're thankful for. alof of us become retrospective, introspective and examine different aspects of our lives and the people and things in it. i usually take a few minutes on thanksgiving and think of the things i'm grateful for and in some way try to convey that to someone...or just silently thank god for putting those people and things in my life.

somehow this year is different. i'm not exactly sure why. but i've been thinking about thanksgiving and the time of year and exactly what it means to me. i've been thinking of the things in my life, the things not in my life and the people who have crossed my path along the way. the homeless weigh heavy on me. not because they are homeless but because they are human beings. the children concern me, not because they are children, but because they won't be children long and we will once again have indoctrinated another generation into the meaning of homelessness and all the hardships and pain that comes with it. the people who strive unselfishly to help the homeless concern me, not because i'm afraid they will cease to help but because it can be emotionally draining to be around the homeless and poor and realize the stories and faces and souls behind them. i'm worried about myself, not because i'm afraid, but because i know and have experienced things that perhaps i should never have.
all of these things led to me to the question...what am i thankful for? what in my life makes me feel gracious and humble? what makes me take pause and just breathe and know that i've been blessed?

it's love. three times in my life i've been blessed with the gift of unconditional love. my mother loved me totally and unconditionally. i didn't have to do or be anyone special. i only had to be her son. her love was unyielding and displayed itself every day of her life. it was a love that only a mother could have for her son. my mother was born in a different time and in a different world. it wasn't so tolerant then. but she taught me that respect to all people from all walks of life was a basic principle of life. my daughter loved me from the moment she was born. i could feel it. it manifested itself daily in our interaction. i only had to be her father to be the recipient of the kind of love that every dad should be lucky enough to feel and know. it was a trusting, pure sort of love that only a child can give. she taught me the innoncence of a child and the love of that innocence to all people with no preconceived notions or prejudices. there was a woman who loved me unconditionally and that is rare. she loved me for who i was and who i wasn't. she loved me even when i didn't realize it. she taught me the value of the sort of love that exists without ever speaking about it.

for these three women i am grateful not only for loving me, but for teaching me what love is and what love isn't. each one had a profound impact on my life that they will never be aware of. it is because of these women that i can love and feel compassion. it is because of these women that i harbor the concern for and the willingness to help the homeless. it is largely because of these women that, good or bad, i am who i am today. to each one of you....thank you. i am truly grateful. i hope someone out there feels that somehow i have loved them unconditionally and i have made them feel the way these three women have made me feel.

see you around town

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It Could Have Been Different

11/15/2014

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winter is once again upon us. the homeless are again facing, from all predictions, another snowy, icy and frigid winter. they're also once again facing the problems that they faced in last year's brutal winter. there is a shortage of shelter space for the homeless who live on the street. there is a shortage of a warm place to sleep for families with children. emergency aid and assistance appears to be running low at the beginning of this year's cold weather. to complicate this, many cities are embroiled in controversies over feeding the homeless, where the homeless camp or spend their nights and the destruction of the only places the homeless could call home...the camps they built along rivers, under bridges and in parks. school districts across the country are reporting a record number of homeless children enrolled in our public education system. missions are already seeing their numbers spike as much as 30-40% above last year and many, if not all, expect another year of over capacity nites as the temperatures plummet and it becomes unsafe to sleep outside. food pantries are stretched to their limits and missions and other charities that supply meals to the homeless are running low on the very basic staples to continue feeding the hungry.

this winter could have been different. we had a brutal winter last year and learned many lessons from it. we could have spent the spring and summer preparing. we could have made a sensible plan to deal with another winter and the continuing rise of the number of homeless people across the united states. we could have made accommodations for the families with children that we let down during last year's cold. we could made amends for those who died in the weather because there was no alternative for them. we could have changed things. but we didn't. we spent the spring and summer slashing budgets and defunding missions and shelters...the one effective and proven tool we have to assist the homeless. we spent months diverting funds to house a small number of the homeless population that hud and usich had broken into subgroups so they could make the next big headline. politicians on all levels, the federal level in particular, ignored the most vulnerable of the homeless population...children....for the more politically valuable of these subgroups that had been formed. our agency leaders attended feel good meetings and conventions and rehashed the same topics and one liners from the last five meetings and conventions. federal, state and city leaders spent billions of dollars to house a group of the homeless that would bring them headlines and accolades during an election year. hud and usich cheered free housing with no strings as a stunning success. all this while the homeless children in our country grew by record numbers. while hud was touting a 10% decrease in our homeless population, another devastating winter for our homeless children was beginning to approach. another winter of putting our future at risk and ignoring the one group of homeless that needs and deserves our utmost attention and priority.

our advocacy system and homeless agencies were hijacked this spring and summer by an uncaring and misguided federal government. in their view they collected much needed political headlines and attention. in reality it cost us money and precious time. money and time that could have at the least eased the homeless' burdens this winter and at best saved lives, particularly the lives of women and children. perhaps this spring we will do things differently. perhaps after another winter of needless suffering and basic survival, our homeless will get the attention and effort they've always deserved. perhaps it will be for the right reasons instead of self serving ones. perhaps.....for the ones that survive...it will be better next year.

see you around town

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Who Criminalized The Homeless?

11/9/2014

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i can't find any town, city, county or state in america where it's against the law to be homeless. now before you start reciting some years old, obscure law about vagrancy....forget it. i'm talking about today and all the headlines about cities criminalizing being homeless. from ft lauderdale, florida to los angeles, california social media, newspapers, blogs, op-eds, pinterest, and google+ are buzzing with articles and opinions about the cities relentless attack on the homeless. they aren't being allowed to rest. they can no longer eat, cities are trying to starve the homeless. cities and states are denying the homeless basic human rights such as food, water, sleep and public restrooms. they are being punished for the simple reason they are homeless. the heartless local governments are targeting the most vulnerable of our population and turning them into non-citizens and denying them their basic civil and human rights.

well....no. they're not. we do indeed have a problem and it's a major one in my opinion. local governments are a problem at the present with all the ordinances that effect the homeless. but on the other side, homeless advocates are just as much responsible and just as big a part of the problem as the city governments. they are blindly taking the side of the homeless without really thinking about the problem or why the cities have reacted in such a seemingly harsh manner. until they step back and look at the bigger picture and consider the city's concerns and what caused the reactions, there will be no good solution to the problem they may delay the inevitable with publicity and an outcry, but sooner or later the ordinances will come back, enforcement will get tougher and everyone will lose.

in my former life i've been at a few of the meetings and planning sessions where the homeless were the topic and the question of what to do has been at the center of debate. yes, there has been the extreme answers come up on both sides of the spectrum. in reality for a city to actually criminalize, target and persecute the homeless it would require such a total collaboration of people from different points of view and such a complete, implicit plan that i truly think it would be impossible. if any city did manage to compile such a coalition, it would be the coup of the century. it would take a majority of the city council to heartlessly pass such ordinances while stipulating penalties so harsh that the homeless could not escape them. it would take a mayor willing to go along with those ordinances and penalties and sign the law. it would take a law enforcement agency so cruel and lacking any other priorities as to almost constantly be vigilant of the homeless and violations of those ordinances. then it would take a judge willing to go along with those violations and impose the subsequent penalties without any compassion or understanding or realization that the laws were unfair. outside official agencies you would have to have the quiet cooperation of homeless agencies and advocacies churches, philanthropies, charities and even newspapers so the issue didn't become a moral cause and creae such an uproar that the entire concept would have to be scrapped. then there's social media. it would take a complete and total blackout...we all know that's not going to happen.

in reality, the problem is a two sided one. i'm not going to address the obvious and say that any true attempt to criminalize the homeless is a direct violation of not only human rights but the bill of rights in itself. the homeless do not need a bill of rights, they already have one and are fully protected under it. they have the same legal rights and responsibilities as any other citizen. any direct infringement on those rights can and should be dealt with as any other citizen would be. i think a key thing to remember here also is the fact that the homeless nave responsibilities. they do not escape those responsibilities as citizens just because they are homeless. just as they should not be persecuted or targeted because they are homeless they should also not be relieved of their basic obligations and responsibilities as good citizens. so all the advocates looking for a headline or the next big homeless cause should quickly back off that concept and stop trying to further isolate the homeless. the homeless need to be fully integrated into society, not treated as a separate group.

when a city passes ordinances that seem to target and directly effect the homeless, it is usually after a problem has come to a boiling point. public feedings seem to be a hot topic at the moment when it comes to criminalizing the homeless, so i'm going to say some things about that. pubic feedings are a very kind and generous gesture. feeding the hungry goes right to the core of kindness, charity and the spirit of human giving. but when you see headlines about a city outlawing feeding the homeless, they are not truly outlawing feeding the homeless. they are not trying to starve the homeless. even the most supportive of advocates should know that's not the case and if they'd stop for a moment and look at the entire situation and consider all the details, they would know that. public feedings can be a problem, and often are. often the logistics are horrible and the control factor is nonexistent. feeding the homeless, especially in an outdoor environment is not like having a family picnic in the park. it can be tedious at best and can very quickly turn into chaos. i've seen it.....alot. when the lunch or whatever it is that's being served is over, often there is a conglomeration of trash left. i'm not saying this is the case in every situation, but it does happen too often. and for some reason, advocates seem to choose the most inconvenient place to hold these feedings. a street corner in one of the busiest business areas of town, a public park on a saturday afternoon or a parking lot of a business that is closed for the weekend that has no idea this is being done. to complicate matters even more, at times, in the locations i just mentioned, violence will break out. it happens...whether or not advocates and people who support these feedings want to admit it. it's a fact and in reality odds are it's going to happen at some point. the city reacts when people complain often enough. they don't just take it upon themselves to say....we don't like the homeless so let's pass some laws to get rid of them. and to complicate this whole situation even more, quite often the people who bemoan the fact the the city is attempting to criminalize the homeless are some of the very people who complained the loudest and longest about the homeless problem. these same people pass homeless individuals every morning on the way to work and never look at them or try to think of ways to help. remember...when you read that a city has criminalized the feeding of the homeless....they haven't. they have only passed an ordinance that says you can't have a spontaneous, unplanned, uncontrolled feeding. they are not closing the missions or charity dining rooms where the homeless can eat....three times a day.

now sleeping, camping and sitting is another issue. but there again, usually before a city passes ordinances that seem to target the homeless when it comes to these things, it is only after a problem has come to a boiling point. it is only after the city council, the mayor's office and the police have been deluged with complaints, many of them legitimate. take a moment to look at the pictures below. just slow down and browse thru them. there's only 12 of them so it won't take long. but really look at them and think about them for a minute. these are not made up pictures. these are not exaggerated. these are real and realistic. this is what happens when you have the homeless camping or sleeping in an area. unfortunately it is a stark reality that cities have to take into consideration and deal with. i'm not saying every homeless person or every homeless camp is like this. but i have to be honest, any time a homeless person or group of homeless people move into an area and are there for any extended period of time, this is usually the outcome.

a city is responsible for the homeless. they should be treated like any other citizen. they have rights. they are protected under the law. also a city should treat the homeless with compassion and do the best job within their means and financial capability to serve and assist the homeless. but the city also has a responsibility to the other 99% of the population and it's concerns, rights and protection. the homeless also have responsibilities, which are often not lived up to. no, they shouldn't be homeless. yes...they should have housing and be afforded every opportunity to acquire food, shelter, clothing and employment. but no...it can't be unconditional without consideration of the other citizens of the community.

look at those pictures one more time. would you tolerate this in your business district where you work every day. would you tolerate this on the street you live on and your children play on? would you allow this in the yard next to your home? would you want a homeless public feeding in front of your house? would you allow a homeless camp in your neighborhood? until you can answer yes to all these questions, don't be so quick to judge a city and its attempt to deal with the homeless. i am not taking a stance against the homeless. i am taking a stance against all the articles and news reports that fail to see that unless we as advocates recognize there are two sides to these issues and that the homeless and the advocates have a responsibility to attempt to see the other side and not be so militantly against any city's effort to deal with these issues that the homeless will ultimately be the losers. until we step back and try to find common ground and deal with the city reasonably and find a solution, there will be no solution.

see you around town

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A Simple Message To The Gop

11/5/2014

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election day has come and gone. the results are in, the political commercials are no longer on television, the signs that seemed to take over every square inch of unoccupied lots, yards and corners are being taken down. the winners have celebrated and the losers have moved into the shadows. the analysts have all given their take on the how and why and what if and what may be. fox news is beaming anew, msnbc has a hangover, cnn is reeling and president obama is still ...well...abit lost. and now we wait...for january and beyond.

i have a message for the republicans, or maybe it's more of a request. it's not a plea, because if it comes to that....you can be replaced as easily as you were voted in. you have an opportunity in front of you now. you can do what few people have had the opportunity to do. you can right the course that this country is on and you can ensure that it remains on that course. you can undo the wrong and keep doing the right. you have control of both houses and for now the attention and support of the american people. you have been elected...selected...to represent us and our best interests.

when you take office in january i realize you will have a zest and an urgency to begin the business at hand. i fully realize there are alot of problems to be dealt with. i understand you have some business that the democrats started that you would like to bring to a full halt. i also know that you have an unfulfilled agenda that has been gridlocked for awhile. i comprehend that there is an election in 2016 and the stakes then will be much higher than they were in this election. i also anticipate manuvering and jockeying for position for those among you who would be president of this nation. before you begin your term and your effort to finally push meaningful legislation thru congress and senate there is one simple thing i want you to remember...one simple phrase...one simple concept. DO NOT FORGET.

do not forget the families struggling to keep a home. do not forget the children who worry about where their next meal is coming from. do not forget those who do not have a home and are sleeping in missions and shelters or on the street. do not forget the homeless men, women and children who died in last year's winter, the reasons they died and the relatively simple things that could have prevented those deaths. yes..they are important...yes..they matter. do not forget those who are still unemployed and continue to strive and struggle to find a job, while attempting to hold on to their home and family. yes...they are important..and yes they matter. do not forget the 11.5 million immigrants that are already in this country and have been for awhile. do not forget the faces behind those immigrants. do not forget our veterans and their families who have recently went thru years of war, injuries and death to protect and keep this nation free. do not forget our elderly who often barely make it from month to month. do not forget our cities that have been forsaken for so long. bring prosperity back to them and allow them to flourish again. do not forget our middle class....yes...it is still alive. lumped up, chipped up, bruised but not defeated, it still exists and is waiting for the opportunity to proudly shine again. they too matter and are an important part of what you were elected to rescue, repair and renew. do not forget that this country is indeed diverse and varied. but also do not forget that diversity does not mean forsaking the majority and their traditional values. do not forget the mentally ill or those suffering from disabilities. do not forget that despite the need for growth and prosperity there is also a need for affordable and stable, sustainable housing for them. do not forget one important message that still resonates from over two decades ago....it's the economy stupid.

just a simple message....with so many things involved. do not forget ...you were elected to serve these people....you were not elected to worry about the next election or who is going to run for president in 2016. you were not elected to punish the democrats or give the middle finger to president obama. you were elected to address the problems and issues that these people and more have been struggling with for many years. do not forget....you were elected because the last group of people forgot. just a simple message....DO NOT FORGET...because if you do....we will not forget.

see you around town

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Just Do It

11/4/2014

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it's your right. it's your responsibility. it's your obligation. it's your duty. many have died to give you these rights and responsibilities. the ads are over, the pollsters are finished, the analysts are done....it is now in your hands. whatever else you do, wherever you are, whatever your political
beliefs and standing....just do it. it's your future...it's your children's future...it's our country's future.

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12 Reasons We Should Help The Homeless

11/1/2014

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people have different ideas about helping the homeless. they also have different reasons. some people
are torn on whether or not to help them at all. there are many arguments for and against helping the homeless and those less fortunate than us...and there is always someone less fortunate. for me, the answers to the question whether or not we should help is very simple. here are some of them.

The Bible
Luke 14:12-14 ESV / 113 helpful votesHe said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ESV / 63 helpful votes“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

The Quran
Food and the needy
Have you seen him who belies the rewards and punishments of the Hereafter? He it is who drives away the orphan and does not urge giving away the food of the poor. (107:1 - 3)
Give to the near of kin his due, and also to the needy and the wayfarers. Do not squander your wealth wastefully; for those who squander wastefully are Satan's brothers, and Satan is ever ungrateful to his Lord. (17:26 - 27)

Clothing
Ibn Abbas related that the Prophet said: Any Muslim who gives a Muslim a garment to wear will be in Allah's safekeeping as long as a shred of it remains on him. (Ahmad, Tirmidhi)

Buddhism
Thus, from the not giving of property to the needy, poverty became widespread, from the growth of poverty, the taking of what was not given increased, from the increase of theft, the use of weapons increased, from the increased use of weapons, the taking of life increased . . . (Digha-Nikaya iii 65)

in modern terms, when the state neglects its responsibility to maintain a minimum of what we call distributive justice. Social breakdown cannot be separated from broader questions about the benevolence of the social order. The solution to poverty-induced crime is not to punish severely but to enable people to provide for their basic needs.

Hinduism
the Artha Shastras, one of the Hindu scriptures written in 300 BCE by a wise man called Kautilya, gives advice for householders. It says that they should always be generous and hospitable to guests, and no guest should ever be turned away without food. Tradition says that a place at the table should always be left for atithi (the unexpected guest).

One may amass wealth with hundreds of hands but one should also distribute it with thousands of hands. If someone keeps all that he accumulates for himself and does not give it to others the hoarded wealth will eventually prove to be the cause of ruin.

if you watch very young children, they share and help one another from the beginning. from their toys
to their food, to a smile....they give. they give instinctively and expect nothing in return. i think we are all born with the universal instinct to help our fellow man, but somewhere along the way we are taught or we acquire the propensity to not help or we become conditional or suspicious in our charity.

you see, all 12 major religions of the world tell us that we should be compassionate and help the poor. poverty, hunger and homelessness truly has no religion, but helping them is the true religion of the world. baha'l, buddhism, christianity, confucianism, hinduism, islam jainism, judaism, shinto, sikhism, taoism and zoroastrianism all say it is correct and an obligation to do so and all of these religions teach that if you do not help the poor, the hungry and the homeless then are not truly practicing your religion.

you see, i believe in god. but whatever you perceive god to be and whatever religion you practice, this is one of the basic principles that it is built on. it is also where our humanity begins and our moral compass gets its calibration.

see you around town

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Unconditional

It Could Have Been Different

Who Criminalized The Homeless?

A Simple Message To The Gop

Just Do It

12 Reasons We Should Help The Homeless

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