Homeless Demand Our Aid

[MountainLaurel]

Sing it, Brother Milloy!

This won't be my usual "remember the homeless" column, a staple of winter writings in years past. There will be no profile of some randomly selected street person whom you can either pity with a donation or curse in contempt. Either we're going to put an end to chronic homelessness in America. Or not. And featuring a few more sad faces for Thanksgiving or during the first cold days of the year falls squarely in the category of doing little if anything to solve the problem.

Call me Scrooge. And I'll return the favor. For we only mock this season of peace by the way we treat the poor.

Walking through downtown D.C. the other day, I saw a group of homeless women -- one trembling and hugging herself -- in front of the Martin Luther King Memorial Library. What a place to show off our callous disregard for the suffering of others.

Our typical response: Call the police and have them shoo the homeless away, like flies. Is there no end to the spiritual bankruptcy of a nation so blinded by greed that it will spend billions on Christmas -- to say nothing of billions on war -- yet can't give a home to the homeless?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901466.html

[acmavm]

1. And this thread got no response here either. What a damn

shame.

[Skittles]

2. I care

I do

[skygazer]

3. There are very few powerful advocates for the homeless and poor

They are not a sought after voting bloc, they don't have powerful lobbies or give large donations to candidates. And as you saw with this thread, they don't even generate much interest on a progressive message board.

There is still, even here on DU, such a suspicion that people who are homeless, or poor, or barely hanging on are somehow at fault for their situation. So many people don't realize how easy it is to slide into that trap, and how close they are. There are plenty of people living paycheck to paycheck - one accident, one job loss, one piece of hard luck and they would be in the same fix.

Please check out my recent post in my journal about poverty and homelessness. This is an issue so close to my heart. And thank you for posting this - nobody should have to die on the streets.