THIS Is How To Deal With Those Damned Homeless!
How would you feel if the local council said they were planning to erect temporary (or semi-permanent) living accommodation for the homeless in your area? I’m guessing you wouldn’t be too keen on the idea. It would mean all those homeless people would be gathered together in one place … and somewhere near you, and your family. And you know what homeless people can be like – many of them are alcoholics, some are definitely on drugs, most of them are living hand-to-mouth, and some (if not most) are living on the edge and not averse to a bit of thievery if the opportunity arises … frankly, they’re a bunch of no-goods and no-hopers. Well, that’s the opinion of many people, anyway.
So it was with a certain degree of trepidation that the council of Santa Rosa, California, did just that. They alerted the local community that they were setting up 70 tents for the homeless in the parking lot of a community centre. It was quite a brave move really, and they weren’t really surprised that literally hundreds of complaints quickly flooded in. Local residents were clearly upset, and concerned about the potential for a massive increase in crime. They expected drug use to become a regular issue in the area. They fully expected the area to become awash with litter, garbage and disease.
A brave and unusual approach
The authorities had expected a backlash, of course, but they were simply alerting the public to their intentions regarding the planned tent setup. It wasn’t really open for discussion. Tom Schwedhelm, the mayor, was prepared to take the risk that this could mean the end of his political career. “Go ahead and vote me out,” was his attitude. “Go ahead. It’s important for government to listen, but the reality is these are our neighbours, so let’s help them.” A brave attitude indeed.
County Supervisor James Gore agreed with him. “We can’t just keep saying no,” he said, “that’s been the failed housing policy of the last 30 to 40 years. Everybody wants a solution, but they don’t want to see that solution in their neighborhoods.”
They needn’t have worried. Locals soon changed their minds once the tents were erected and their fears proved unfounded. The council took steps to ensure that the experiment went ahead as smoothly and successfully as possible; they arranged for local police and security guards to patrol regularly, and they provided portable toilets, hand-washing stations, and showers for their new residents. Local charities and businesses helped provide meals for them, and helped them to make the area more pleasant to live in.
Residents’ fears soon put to rest
Once locals saw that the area was clean and well-ordered, families began to bring donations for their new neighbours. A mobile clinic visited a few times a week to help maintain basic health care. The council did all they could to make this a positive and proactive approach to an age-old problem. Instead of just ignoring the homeless, they did all they could to integrate them.
And it worked! With access to decent sanitation and medical care some of the residents began to turn their lives around. Some found jobs, or a more permanent place to live. I suppose the lesson of this whole thing is that while homelessness is a major problem, its solution is not impossible, just as long as people, and local authorities, are prepared to take a positive approach to it. Simply ignoring the situation is not a solution, and has been the authorities’ approach for way too long.
Thank you to upworthy.com for this story, and for all the stories they bring to light. Upworthy brings a touch of positivity to the internet, and a very welcome counterbalance to the almost overwhelmingly negative junk that fills the information superhighway. I think it’s worth remembering that there are good people around (yes, and sometimes even in authority!), and that we needn’t become too easily drawn in to the morass of garbage and downright falsehood that often portrays itself as news and genuine information.
It could happen to you
Homelessness can happen to anyone. I repeat, anyone. You could be highly intelligent, employed in a ‘secure’ position in a well known company, financially well-off and living in a perfectly ordinary and orderly family, and never even imagining that homelessness awaits you … yet still, after a series of highly unfortunate mis-steps along the way, you could find yourself scrabbling to find a warm place to sleep at night. On the streets. It happens. Be aware of it, and be grateful for all that you have. It could disappear in a flash.
Remember, stuff you take for granted is the same stuff that others are praying for right now. Be mindful of their situation. Be kind, whenever possible. And it’s always possible.