The Forgotten
The forgotten. They’re out there. We just don’t talk about it. But for me and my team, we are out most days helping the hurt. Loving the lost. And housing the homeless. We are often confronted with aggression. Some are dealing with mental health issues, while others addictions. We deal with overdose, suicide, domestic violence, human trafficking and people running from the law. So why do we do it? The better question would be, how can we not?
The people we come in contact with are from all walks of life. Veterans who have seen too much. The man or woman who have been passed through the foster care system. Those being released from incarceration. And some, who just really made some bad choices. Do you want to know what the one common denominator is? In nearly 4 decades of working with the homeless, I have yet to meet anyone who, while growing up, had aspirations of being homeless.
The other day while out with my team, we passed a man on the side of the road urinating. We have dealt with him once before. He has co occurring disorders, and at 9:00 am, he was already severely inebriated. When we engaged him, he mentioned wanting to harm himself several times. I continued speaking with this gentleman, while my teammates called for law enforcement. His threat was credible, so we knew we had to EP {Emergency Petition} him. Long story short, we saw a human being in distress. We were successful in getting him taken to the hospital to get the care he needs.
Many have visions in their heads that homeless want to be homeless. And yes, many do. But you might be surprised, that I have come across homeless individuals from all walks of life. Decorated war veterans. Affluent professionals. People with higher education degrees. The truth is, everybody has a story. The problem is, no one is willing to listen. And that is why I am so proud of my team. We are the front lines to homeliness. And we are blessed to be supported by a team of case managers that is every bit as dedicated as we are.
I was talking to a government official not too long ago. And they were concerned when/if the homeless come here. I told them that they already are here. Many times the homeless are hidden. We call them hidden homeless. While we see those who are out on the streets, what we don’t see is those who are living in their cars, hotel hoping or couch surfing. They’re here. And there is no getting around it.
So what am I talking about today? Let’s not compound the problem. Suspend your judgement until you have spent some time engaged with the homeless. No need to pile prejudice on top of pain. My ask today is that you keep an open heart. You need not be a part of the solution. Just don’t impede those who are trying to help. {It happens more than you would think.} And while my team constantly puts ourselves in harms way, we do it for the forgotten. It is worth the risk. And this story needs to be told.
