Facilities needed to house the homeless

I’VE BEEN THINKING a lot about the homeless; after all, it’s cold outside and I wonder how they manage.

Several years ago, at my place of employment, we had a coat drive every fall. I brought in a coat or two, as did many of my co-workers.

In addition, I sometimes bought a few coats on discount days at the already discounted thrift stores and dropped them in the donation box; yet it never seemed full enough.

I know I could have donated a lot more without feeling much of a pinch. I’m talking about a few measly bucks; I still can.

But I have needs. Like, I need chocolate at least once a week. And I need a cold beer on a hot afternoon or at least iced tea. Well okay, iced water works too.

And I need a computer. Going to the library is much too inconvenient. And because I’m a student under constant stress, I also need stress reducers like computer games. I need games.

I also need a warm coat. So okay, the coat is a need and so is the computer, but how much do any of us really need? Couldn’t most of us give up a few pleasures and donate those bucks to help the homeless?

Yet, there is a much more pertinent question. How can a country as wealthy as this ignore the plight of the homeless?

Why are there homeless men, women and children wandering the streets in the first place? Where, on the value scale of computer games and chocolate, does the homeless rank?

I’d guess not very high.

To be fair, we don’t see “them,” so it is naturally easy to forget “they” exist. But we all know they are out there and we need to be building homes of some sort for them, offering some way they can have an actual address and form a community inside a real building with a roof and heat and air conditioning, running water and…

Well, you get the picture.

I understand the arguments and the inherent problems with such a venture. I don’t have the space here to begin to address them all.

Many might rightly argue that such a place would enable people to never change. Maybe so.

Obviously, there would have to be some rules, as there are in any group of people.

But I think building places for them to live 24/7 would be more helpful than harmful. Of course, some of these people might prefer the streets to living with any kind of community. But homelessness ought to be a choice, not a necessity.

As I said, there are numerous inherent problems that would have to be addressed. And to build such places would take more money than the few dollars we can individually donate to the cause. Plus, it takes commitment.

Such a venture would no doubt need government money, which of course, creates a whole other set of restrictions and problems. And, the government isn’t going to give up money unless citizens care enough to push for it.

MADD, “Mothers Against Drunk Driving” and the “Amber Alert” are just two of the very worthwhile organizations that came out of grassroots activism by some of our citizens.

They raised their voices and got the gears turning. But when it comes to the homeless, most of our voices remain silent.

Look, we have shelters open day and night for stray dogs and cats — why not people?

I want to be clear that I don’t think any of us who are lucky enough to have a roof over our heads and some comfort items ought to give most of it up so we can donate the lion’s share to the homeless or any worthwhile cause for that matter.

I’m just suggesting that we sometimes donate our Big Mac money so someone can have a meal or bed for one night. Or, give it to a place like The National Coalition for the Homeless.

If enough of us care, and act on that concern, then perhaps someday, at least in the United States, the term homelessness will not be used in reference to people who have no place to go, but rather to the few people who truly choose to live that way.

On another track, this is the last time my column will appear for the semester. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

I sincerely wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy New Year.

To those of you graduating like my nursing student daughter Kim, yippee.

To the rest, I hope I’ll be able to continue entertaining you each week in The Collegian in 2007.

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