An interesting link from Mr. Tuit.
When Lisa was here on Thursday, she shared "Five Practical Ways You Can Help The Homeless" from a book called Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness. Here they are, with my own explanation of each:
1. See the homeless as people. Recognize the humanity and dignity of others. "A kind, supportive word can go a long way."
2. Stand up for the homeless. Be an advocate in your community, your church, and broader society.
3. Give. Most agencies or organizations that serve the homeless exist based on donations of money and items.
4. Volunteer. Use your time and skills to help others and raise awareness.
5. Come up with a plan to help. You're going to have interaction with people who are "housing insecure" if not outright homeless. Be prepared to help--and not just with your spare change. Know what you will say and do, and have items and resources on hand to carry out your plan.
This course has been a good opportunity for me to practice all five of these, so far. One person who is doing #1 and #2 very well is named Mark Horvath. His website, http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/, tries to draw attention to the situation of specific individuals. Take a look at it--it's powerful stuff. I like the tag at the bottom: "Some content may be offensive. Our hope is you'll get mad enough to do something." This probably refers to the "righteous anger" we mentioned in class.
Now I need to do #5 more intentionally.