It might stick today.
Snowflakes glinted in headlights as I stood at the bus stop this morning. The frosty crust on my lawn was beautiful in the early sun, and the noise of the world seemed muted in the cold.
Working at a homeless shelter makes me take more notice of changes in the weather. We have a steady stream of people coming in to ask for blankets, and our overflow mats are all filled at night. Thank God for people who donate their quilts and stocking hats to the needy. I can tell you that they are well used.
My office doesn’t have any built in heat, so I crank up the little space heater when I arrive each day. It is usually about half an hour before I can take off my coat and scarf, and my fingers stay cold even longer.
About five years ago, I lived on the Seattle streets for a week through the Urban Plunge program at my university. It was an exposure and education experience to help college students understand homeless life and the programs that serve the street community.
The organizers matched us up in groups of three for safety, and they gave us a sparse schedule of agency meetings that we had to attend during the week. We slept on the floor of a local church each night so that we didn’t take beds away from those who really needed the shelter, and we kept track of the services we used so that we could reimburse them for their cost in the end.
It was snowing that week, and my little group had long blocks of time to spend outdoors between meals. We had tried staying warm by sitting in hotel lobbies and food courts, but we were asked to leave in spite of our good behavior. Finally we got on the bus and rode through the free zone to the end of the line. The bus let us off at Pike Place market, and we found a sheltered corner near some public tables where the sun came in and the wind stayed out.
All three of us fell asleep. We were warm for the first time that day, and I honestly did not care one bit about the tourists who awkwardly broke off their conversations when they came around our corner.
I learned a lot that week. There are positive and negative ways to interact with the homeless community. Treat them as humans. Look them in the eye. Smile genuinely. Be smart but not fearful. Help with tangible needs- food, clothing, toilet paper, socks. Give money to agencies that have a reputation for meeting the needs of the homeless. Don’t give cash to those who say they need food or shelter, but research local services so you can give people good information and a way to meet their needs.
I hope I will never have to live on the streets, and I don’t pretend to understand everything about the lifestyle. But I do know that there are many people like me who are riding the busses today to stay warm. And I know that snow can be as miserable as it is beautiful when you don’t have a home.
Working at a homeless shelter makes me take more notice of changes in the weather. We have a steady stream of people coming in to ask for blankets, and our overflow mats are all filled at night. Thank God for people who donate their quilts and stocking hats to the needy. I can tell you that they are well used.
My office doesn’t have any built in heat, so I crank up the little space heater when I arrive each day. It is usually about half an hour before I can take off my coat and scarf, and my fingers stay cold even longer.
About five years ago, I lived on the Seattle streets for a week through the Urban Plunge program at my university. It was an exposure and education experience to help college students understand homeless life and the programs that serve the street community.
The organizers matched us up in groups of three for safety, and they gave us a sparse schedule of agency meetings that we had to attend during the week. We slept on the floor of a local church each night so that we didn’t take beds away from those who really needed the shelter, and we kept track of the services we used so that we could reimburse them for their cost in the end.
It was snowing that week, and my little group had long blocks of time to spend outdoors between meals. We had tried staying warm by sitting in hotel lobbies and food courts, but we were asked to leave in spite of our good behavior. Finally we got on the bus and rode through the free zone to the end of the line. The bus let us off at Pike Place market, and we found a sheltered corner near some public tables where the sun came in and the wind stayed out.All three of us fell asleep. We were warm for the first time that day, and I honestly did not care one bit about the tourists who awkwardly broke off their conversations when they came around our corner.
I learned a lot that week. There are positive and negative ways to interact with the homeless community. Treat them as humans. Look them in the eye. Smile genuinely. Be smart but not fearful. Help with tangible needs- food, clothing, toilet paper, socks. Give money to agencies that have a reputation for meeting the needs of the homeless. Don’t give cash to those who say they need food or shelter, but research local services so you can give people good information and a way to meet their needs.
I hope I will never have to live on the streets, and I don’t pretend to understand everything about the lifestyle. But I do know that there are many people like me who are riding the busses today to stay warm. And I know that snow can be as miserable as it is beautiful when you don’t have a home.
posted by Erin 8:46 AM
1 Comments:
Good thoughts sis. I found myself thinking about the homeless individuals that I met when it was snowing a few days ago. It seems like simply meeting them reminds you to be more aware of their need. It is hard to avoid eye contact with someone that you know personally.
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