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Homeless people in our communities are a fact of life, especially in big
cities. Many of us don’t know how to interpret this situation or what we can
do to help. We may vacillate between feeling guilty, as if we are personally
responsible, and feeling angry, as if it is entirely on their own shoulders.
The situation is, of course, far more complex than either scenario. Still,
not knowing how to respond, we may fall into the habit of not responding at
all. We may look over their heads not making eye contact, or down at the
ground as we pass, falling into a habit of ignoring them. Each time we do
this, we disconnect ourselves from a large portion of the human family, and
it doesn’t feel right.
Most of us know in our hearts that the homeless and the poor are not so very
different from us. They may be the victims of poor planning or an unavoidable
crisis. Some of them are mentally ill, some are addicted to drugs or alcohol,
and some are choosing to be homeless for reasons we may never understand. We
can imagine that, given their lives, we would likely have ended up in the
same place. This does not mean that we are meant to rescue them, as they are
on their own learning path, but it does remind us that we can treat them as
equals, because that is what they are. Even if we aren’t able to offer food,
shelter, or money, we can offer a blessing as we pass. We can look them in
the eye and acknowledge our shared humanness, even if we don’t know just how
to help them. This simple act of kindness and silent or spoken blessings can
be so helpful to those living on the street.
If you want to help with information, you can learn about the services in
your area and share the locations of food banks, shelters, and other
resources. Perhaps your family would like to have a plan ahead of time,
talking with your children about how as a family you would like to handle
these situations. Whatever you decide to do, you will feel much better when
you make a conscious choice not to simply look away.
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