People

Voice of ______. The man who died under our church porch, on Easter morning.
Still he is anonamouse in death. Did he have loved ones that wondered where he was? Thousands of people find shelter in treaspassed secret places. I saw a discovery documentary about one man's efforts to help the homeless in San Francisco, and he said that over 50% of them are mentally ill. His efforts to help one friend were filmed, and just as they were going into see the case worker, the voices in his head started calling him away, and he left. Still no medication, no food, no shelter, and no help. "We help those who help themselves," is the system's policy. Obviousely mental disability is disregarded as a disability. If people could help themselves, they wouldn't be disabled. Many of these men and women medicate themselves with alchohol and drugs.

HAUNTED BY HOMELESSNESS

An upstanding community member friend of mine in Montana, with the biggest house on the block and a heart full of service and devotion, hid it well. It was her secret. The fact that made her cringe at the frivoulouse talk about the anonamouse homeless... the careless jokes... the nameless etherial identity... the indifference... When she looked at the dirty hairy drunk faces that occupy free spaces in our parks and street side walks, she saw more than a big problem in out society. She saw her father, who died homeless and drunk in Florida. He had been missing for years. His location was revealed only after his death. I will never reveal her secret, and I know that there are many of us with these haunting secrets famouse and not. Madonna experienced homelessness on the streets of New York. My rich uncle lost his fortune and became homeless in Florida because of a crack habit. I'm tired of this "them" mentallity. The homeless are "us". Our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, wives and husbands; We need to take care of our own. I invite you to share your stories and experiences.