Focus on the Homelessfrom 50 Ways You Can Be Prolife by Tony Campolo and Gordon Aeschliman
Nobody has the exact statistics on homelessness in the United States. But the numbers are staggering however you read them. As many as four million people live in boxes, under bridges and in cars, abandoned buildings and our back yards. As many as one-third of them are children. The lifestyle of homelessness is painful and degrading in every way. Facilities that we are accustomed to just are not there: toilets, showers, sinks, closets, stoves and fridges, to name a few. Bodies are vulnerable to the bitter cold, snow and wind, the drenching rain and scorching sun. Fever and disease are companions. Privacy is rare. And muggings aren’t. Rape, robbery and "fun beatings" are part of the package. An alarming number of assaults have been discovered by police where well-to-do youth harm the homeless as evening sport. We have several suggestions for focusing on the homeless: [ ] Research the homeless shelters in your community. It’s good to know what is available for the homeless for the times when you cross their path. A hot meal and warm blanket on a winter’s night can literally be the difference between life and death. [ ] Take a turn in staffing one of the shelters. Perhaps your fellowship group could agree to provide three people for each shift, one evening a month. The first team would take the evening shift, which would include providing a simple supper for the guests at the shelter. The second team would be there through the night. The third team would arrive with an early breakfast before the guests had to leave. [ ] If there is no shelter in your town, discuss the ideas of establishing one as a cooperative effort among local businesses and churches. A shelter is best outfitted if it as beds, privacy, showers, food, entertainment and resource persons. The cost of running a shelter is not as high as one would expect. Get an organizing committee of folks who are willing to ask others for help; lots of people will volunteer once they understand what is required of them. If you want help in establishing a shelter for the homeless, travel to a nearby community to see how it’s done. There is no how-to-do-it manual, but you can learn a lot from observing others. We also suggest you contact Covenant House for advice and resources. They are the nation’s largest center for reaching homeless youth. . . . [ ] You may find that a group of peers in your church or fellowship group wants to address the issues that lead to homelessness in your area. This is demanding and often frustrating work. But it is thoroughly Christian. Cooperate with the local agencies working with the homeless. See if it is possible to interview the homeless locally and begin to develop a plan of action for individuals. Some people have recently become homeless because they lost their jobs and therefore are unable to pay the rent. Others are runaway kids who are scared to return home. Some are developmentally disabled or emotionally disturbed and have been overlooked or rejected by loved ones. Work to find individual solutions that go beyond the shelter. [ ] Consider giving weekends or a vacation week to building homes for the homeless. An innovative organization, Habitat for Humanity, builds homes using volunteer labor from the community, volunteer labor from the person who is to receive the home and funds from a revolving building fund. The house is sold to the needy individual, interest-free over several years. Habitat is always looking for people who will launch chapters and building projects in their own regions. Habitat provides all the technical support, advice and encouragement you will need to make the ministry of building homes work in your neighborhood. . . . (Published in 1993, 50 Ways You Can Be Prolife is now out of print. Used by permission of the authors, 9/27/01.)
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