Next week is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
Food and shelter are the most basic human needs, yet on any given night in Illinois over 10,000 people are homeless. Some of these homeless faces are young; 1 in 4 is a child.
Mental illness, drug addiction, the lack of affordable housing, and unemployment are common causes of homelessness. But even if you’re working, in Illinois you need to make more than $20 an hour or, on minimum wage, put in 99 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Among women, domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness. Note, too, that, nationally, more than 10% of homeless people are veterans.
You know what, though? If you’re homeless, I don’t think it matters why you’re homeless.
Probably what matters are things like:
- Where’s my next meal coming from?
- When will I be able to take a shower?
- Where will I sleep tonight?
- Where’s the nearest bathroom I can use?
- Will I ever have a place of my own again?
- I am so hungry/tired/ashamed/scared/drunk/lonely/itchy/cold/dehydrated/desperate … human.
Mahatma Gandhi said; “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” If you’d like to help, here are some ideas:
- Donate your time and energy, some money or supplies
- Be an advocate for affordable housing
- Be respectful in your interactions with homeless people: acknowledge they’re human, admit their humanity, and recognize they are humanity.
I wonder how many hungry and homeless people are aware or care that next week is “their” week. If you’re without food and shelter, every week is a Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
I’m Robert Laurie, and that’s my perspective.