Questions for the Homeless (Part 8) “How Can I Help You?”

Isn’t that the big question that we need to answer “How Can I Help You”? Here is the problem, that question doesn’t come with a simple answer. If you have more than one kid you know how true this is, the things that work with one kid don’t always work for every kid. So if there is not one answer for everyone how do we help everyone? That is why PIN exists!! It is PIN’s goal to build a relationship to put us in a position to help people with what they need where they need it.

However the question wasn’t what can PIN do to help but what can I do. First, you can pray for the homeless. PIN believes that prayer changes things. We believe that if every Christian prayed for the homeless everyday then things would change. Read Genesis 18:16-33, we need to be more like Abraham and plead before God for the homeless. Think about how many times you have asked God for something and He has provided. Now when is the last time you have prayed for the homeless, maybe you would stop reading this blog right now and pray for the homeless? Then you can finish reading….. Secondly, you can volunteer with an organization that helps the homeless. You can volunteer to help at PIN we can definitely use your help. Thirdly, you can support PIN financially…. You can become a PIN financial partner online at http://www.pinministry.org/donations.html . Finally, and most importantly you need to take action. What I mean by this is you have to get started today. Maybe you need to tell a friend about what you know about the plight of the homeless, maybe you can volunteer this week don’t wait till next week. Maybe you can sacrifice something today to help the homeless. Maybe instead of taking your family to dinner tonight you can donate that money to the homeless. Maybe you can refer people to this Blog.

I think if you are asking the question “How Can I Help You” that is a great first step.

 

Questions for the Homeless (Part 7) “Do Homeless People want to be Homeless?”

Have you ever heard this statement, “They probable want to be homeless”? I’ve heard this said in the past, before I began working with the homeless this thought even crossed my mind. I think we think this because it relives us of the responsibility to help them. Here is the problem if homeless people don’t want to be homeless and we aren’t going to help them, then that would make us look bad. So let me clear up this issue, most homeless people don’t want to be homeless. Here is the problem the longer someone is homeless the more they learn how to cope with their circumstances. When you look at a homeless person and they look like they are comfortable in their circumstance, what your probable seeing is someone who has learned to cope with their circumstance?

About 4 years ago I was talking to a homeless guy and I asked him if I gave him a house would he live in it. He said, “No I’m a lion and a lion can’t live in a parakeets cage”. Here is the problem with that thinking, God has created him as a parakeet, but the world and his circumstances have made him a lion. For the smaller percentage of people that want to remain homeless, it is sometimes a matter of showing them God and helping them become the person God has built them to be. This may take allot of time and consistency, but I think you and I can make a real difference in someone’s life.

Here is the deal in both of the cases above the person that doesn’t want to be homeless and the person that does there is one thing that they need to get off the street. Do you know the answer to that question?….. Yes the answer is YOU. They need for you to get involved, to be proactive. They need for you to stop talking about how much you care about people and start helping. This issue is too large for a couple people so we need everyone playing a role…..

So here is a question from the homeless to you. What role will you play?

 

Questions for the Homeless (Part 6) “What do homeless people think when we walk by them?”

First, I want to start this post by saying I don’t presume to be able to read homeless peoples mind. I’m also not trying to say that all homeless people think the same way and I somehow know everything their thinking. What I do have is relationships with hundreds of homeless people that I’ve built over the last six years. In these friendships they have shared intimate parts of how we “People who have homes” make them feel. Have you ever seen someone who you know and you can tell they are trying not to see you? Maybe they are in a hurry or they don’t remember your name and they are trying to avoid that uncomfortable moment. Think about how that feels, now image that everyone who walks by you is trying not to look at you. By walking by without making eye contact you are saying two things. First, you are saying I don’t want any contact with you, it’s kind of the same feeling you get when a telemarketer calls. You want to move on with no interaction. Secondly, you are saying your very presents is repulsive to me. OK maybe the words are not coming out of your mouth, but your actions are very clear. So how do you solve this problem, easy just look at them like you would anyone else? If you smile at people, then smile at them if nod when you walk by people nod to them. The point is don’t treat them any different than you would anyone else, because that’s how they deserve to be treated.

Have you ever been the point of a conversation, people are talking about you but you are not an invited to the conversation? It happens to me all the time, people are talking about how smart and sexy I am and pointing at me it really makes me uncomfortable……. OK that doesn’t happen all the time…… OK it has never happened, but if it did it would make me uncomfortable. The same thing applies to a homeless person, you walk by and maybe you point in their direction as you talk about them. Maybe you talk about them and you don’t realize that they can hear you. This can really be dehumanizing, it can really bring a person down and make them feel really bad. I think the best policy is if you have a question, just walk up and ask.

All of the above may seem pretty simple, but by just changing how we interact with homeless people on a daily bases we may have a huge impact on how they feel and view themselves. What do we stand to lose, maybe some stereotypes that need to go.

 

Questions for the Homeless (Part 5) “Where Do Homeless People Make Money if They Don’t Panhandle?”

Making money is an extremely important step toward getting off the street. So if people that are currently homeless are going to get off the street, they are going to need a steady job. So what are the options for a homeless person, First, they can panhandle or hustle people out of money. Secondly, they may not work at all. Thirdly, they can get a job, and this is the area I will be focusing on for this post.

Getting a job is very complex when you are living on the street. There are several things that complicate getting job. First, it is very difficult to get a job when you are homeless because you are not able to get a shower. People get a sense that you are homeless because of your hygiene then they begin to look at you differently. Secondly, allot of homeless people don’t have identification, and the lack of identification makes it tough to get a good job. Homeless people in this scenario tend to be hired by day labors that pay by cash by the day and take advantage of them. I’ve known homeless people who once their employer finds out they are homeless they begin to try to drop them. The third thing that makes it tough for homeless people to keep a job is depression. Imagine having a job coming back to your tent to notice that all your stuff is stolen. When you work so hard only to feel like you’re not making any progress it can be very depressing. Finally, access to drugs and alcohol are all over the place on the street. When things get really bad sometimes turning to drugs an alcohol seems the only way to escape.

 

Questions for the Homeless (Part 4) “Where Do Homeless People Sleep”

So you’re getting ready to go to sleep, so you go down you check list: Is my door locked? Is my alarm set?, Is the stove off?. Yes some of these things are on your check list and some are not. Are any of the following on your check list?: Will the police give me a ticket for sleeping here?, I hope no drunk people will invade my space, I hope no wild animals come after my food, I hope the rain holds off I don’t want to get wet. If the following items are not on your checklist it is probable because you have a house to sleep in.

People that are homeless have to spend a large part of their time trying to find a place to sleep. It is very difficult to find a place that meets all of the items on the check list above. So where do homeless people sleep. First, allot of homeless people try to sleep in the woods. Yes they will try to setup a tent in the woods; however there are problems with setting up a tent in the woods. If you leave the tent up in the day you are susceptible to someone coming and stealing your stuff while you are not there. It is also possible that someone will come destroy your stuff during the day. You can also take your tent down during the day, but now you have to carry your tent around during the day and someone my take your spot. Secondly, you can try to sleep on a bench in the city, but the problem with this is that if the police see you they will probable ask you to move along. You can try to sleep in an abandon building or under an overpass; however, the problem is these areas can be dangerous. The reason they can be dangerous is because they can attract people who use drugs and alcohol because they are hidden out of sight.

Here is the deal; it is extremely dangerous for anyone sleeping on the street. If you are homeless to get 4 hours of sleep at night is very difficult. Think about how you’re thinking and performance goes down when you don’t get a good night sleep. Now imagine that you go weeks or months without a good night sleep. So what can you do? Join PIN in praying that we will be able to raise enough money to build an emergency shelter so we could give the homeless a safe, comfortable place to sleep at night.

 

Questions for the Homeless (Part 3) “What should we tell our kids about homeless people”

This is a great question because like everything else what we learn as kids will affect how we feel about and treat people in the future. I believe most people want to talk to their kids about the homeless, but what do I need to say. First, I think we need to make sure that kids know that homeless people weren’t always homeless, that there was a time that they had a house. I think the reason this is important because they need to know that when they were younger they probable lived in a house just like they do now. Secondly, most homeless people (like 85%) of homeless people don’t want to be homeless. I remember when I was a kid hearing adults saying homeless people want to be homeless. So even into adulthood I was thinking well they want to be homeless people. We need to make sure that our kids know that if homeless people are put in the right environment they can change, and that most likly they are not happy in their current circumstance. Thirdly, kids need to know that some people are homeless because of bad decisions, so they need to be careful about the decisions they make as they get older. Finally, the most important thing is that you talk to them about homeless people. The reason I setup this blog was to begin to knock down barriers, between people who are currently homeless and those people that have homes. A big reason we have those barriers are because of things we have seen or heard when we were younger. So if we talk to our kids about the homeless we may prevent barriers before they are ever created.

 

Questions for the Homeless (Part 2) “Will Work For Food”

Let’s cut to the chase, you pull up to an intersection and a homeless person is holding a sign “Will Work For Food” what do you do. Here is the problem that person doesn’t really want to work or they would be trying to get a job. They are banking on two things first that you will feel guilty, and second that you have a couple dollars in disposable income. Let me translate for you what that sign really means “I Need Money To Buy Something You Probably Won’t Give Me Money For if You Knew”. This isn’t the case 100% of the time, but it is in a majority.

Hey they know you are not going to hire a homeless person of the side off the street to do some work. Want to see someone stutter say, “hop in I have some work I need done.” That person is also banking on that you are way too busy to actually go buy them food. They know we are too busy to take time to spend with them (Yes that is a sad statement but its true). They are hoping you will just hand them a couple bucks. So my opinion is never give someone money on the side of the road. If you want to help them with food do one of the following:

 

1) Carry food like chips or snack bars, or fruit that you can hand to them.

2) Actually, pick them up and take them to a fast food restaurant. Yes you’re going to have to get to know them. You might find you have more in common than you expect. Ladies… NEVER PICK UP A MAN ALONE… Just wanted to make that clear. OK Men…. NEVER PICK UP A WOMAN ALONE….

3) Ask them what they are hungry for and go buy it for them.

Yes I know you’re too busy, but if you want to make a difference in someone’s life then sometimes you have to invest in them. If you are a Christian, they are YOUR NEIGHBOR, so you know what Jesus told you to do. So here is a quick quiz, What are you going to do tomorrow when you see a homeless person holding a sign that says “Will Work For Food”. Go ahead attach your answer as a comment to this post.

 

Questions for the Homeless (Part 1) “Where do homeless people go to bathe”

Have you ever had a question that you wanted to ask a homeless person? Maybe it was too embarrassing to ask, possible you were afraid to ask. During the next series of blog post we will address questions you might have. I’m hoping that this series will be informative and will help you see what homeless people have to deal with better. So our first question is “where do homeless people bathe”. Have you ever gone several days without a good shower/bath? Maybe you went camping, on a retreat, or you’re a 13 year old boy. Think about how you felt and how bad you needed to get a shower. Now imagine instead of several days you go several weeks or several months. So where can homeless people take a shower in Virginia Beach. There is a place called the Lighthouse Center on 18th St. at the oceanfront, which has showers available. During the summer the Lighthouse Center is open Monday through Friday during the day, and it is closed at night and on Saturday and Sunday. During the winter the Lighthouse Center is Open 7 days a week. It is closed during the day’s most Saturday’s and Sunday’s until 6PM unless it is really cold. All that being said there are people who don’t have access to the Lighthouse Center because they have been denied access for a period of time. I’ve known people who have told me that they have been banned for life. I’m not trying to be critical I’m just stating facts that I’ve heard.

So we are going to focus on the people who don’t have access to the Lighthouse Center. If you don’t have access to a shower then you use a sink. I know sinks are not made to bathe in, but you have to try to get clean wherever you can. You will use whatever sinks you can get access to, restaurants, grocery stores and the Churches where PIN serves. Let’s say you don’t have access to a shower or a sink. You can use wet naps, yes the same wipes you use to keep a baby’s bottom clean is used as a substitute for a bath. It’s not a great substitute, but you do what you have to do. By the way you’re not going to be washing your hair with a wet nap.

So what is the next Post? I don’t know you haven’t told me yet….