Homelessness Can Happen to Anyone
A letter from Sherry P.
Dear Friends and Family
Unexpected happenings can take you from stability to fragility in a matter of moments.
Have you or anyone you know:
- ended up in the hospital for an extended period of time,
- lost his or her job and can’t find a job at his or her same pay grade,
- graduated from college and has enormous tuition expenses and can’t find a job,
- an elder person who is on a fixed income or health is declining?
Many years ago as a college student, it wasn’t unusual to see a woman who pushed around a grocery cart with sacks of stuff in it. She was referred to as a “bag ladies.’ What was in the cart was everything she owned.
Men would hang around the area fast food places near the college begging for money, saying that they wanted food. These men were referred to as “pan handlers.”
One day in Sociology class, there was a discussion on how did these people wind up on the street. There were many perspectives to that question. Primary, the perception was that they were either lazy, mentally ill or on drugs. A discussion ensured that didn’t bring about much change in the negative view towards their situation except to say that they were living on the street. Could not say with certainty that the words poverty or homelessness were even used.
The issues surrounding poverty, hunger and homelessness need to be address. The are a leading issue of today and is not going away.
No one is immune. The potential to the vulnerability to poverty, hunger and homelessness impacts each and every single one of us in some way be it environmentally, economically or overall health.
There is an estimated 15% of the homeless who have jobs, but do not make a living wage. Then you have retirees who are on fixed incomes who watch their benefits get cut while the cost of living continues to rise.
Infants to the elderly are struggling to maintain their basic needs – food, clothing and shelter. Children and the elderly have the most difficulty surviving the devastation of poverty not most of them can afford to live in a nursing home or get home care services by the 5 star hospice team.
In 2017, the access to healthcare is a big issue. With the potential policy changes to Medicard and Medicare, healthcare becomes an even bigger uncertainty for those who are medically fragile—which lead to financial fragility.
We need to become advocates for our fellow man. It is the simple things that make a BIG difference.
As an avid volunteer, I want to tell you there are so many organizations that would love your help. Find something you enjoy and then see what you can do.
Being able to interact is rewarding. Working in a soup kitchen has been rewarding over the years for my husband and myself.
You will be amazed at the gratitude that you receive when you are serving others. In our case it is serving times two. We are able to serve a population in need while serving up a hot meal.
What a blessing that is for everyone.
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