Beginning another New Year

Beginning another New Year

I hope all of you had a great holiday season.

For the past several months I have been getting emails from people who want to know how they can help, where to go, assistance with locating a missing loved one and what to do about a loved one who is an addict and on the street. I have heard back from a couple of those people and in every case they told me that the information I gave them was a big help. Last month I even helped several battered women into safe homes where they could get away from their abuser, drugs or just get their heads straightened out.

That’s only a drop in the bucket and as fast as one is gotten off the street then another takes his or her place. There are many areas where you and I can continue to help the homeless. There are many ideas we can promote to assist our homeless neighbors. I’m going to run through a few that I’ve spoken about in the past and may spark something in you.

Many of the things I will talk about cover the unsheltered homeless. The people who live in camps, abandoned building and under the bridges. They are all over the city and while sometimes not easy to find, if you keep an eye out you will start noticing them. They tend to hide in plain sight.

Adopt a homeless person. Now this one takes some thinking about and a certain amount of caution on your part. In my case a family adopted me after getting to know each other. In the end they made sure I had fuel for my stove (I was camping). Brought me food. Invited me to their home for meals, clean up and laundry. Plus a lot of love.

Organize some people in your church to help out some of your local homeless neighbors. I know of a couple of churches who put together care packages that they then deliver to their homeless friends. The care packages can be just a box of things or placed in a backpack. Popular items are hygiene products like soap, razors, tooth paste, tooth brush, gloves, socks, small food items like Vienna sausages, crackers, even candy. Be creative, ask you homeless friends what they would like to be included in a care package.

Here’s a project that is long term and could easily be expanded upon here in Ft Worth. Take a look at the Mobile Loaves and Fishes web site. They have developed a housing community for the homeless in Austin, TX. Their web site is http://mlf.org/ . Might this be something you or your church could promote here in Ft Worth?

A similar project. How about building “Tiny Homes” for the homeless and then locate safe places to put them. Just do a search for “tiny houses” and you will find all sorts of ideas, articles and information about them. In some cities there are people who build them just for homeless to give them a secure roof over their heads. Check it out.

One other way to help is to donate to those to go out into the bushes. One organization I am proud to know is The Hands of Hope, hohtx.com. Take a look at their web site. See the sort of work they are doing. I met the founder John Ramsey and his wife during their very first days of starting this very special outreach team. There are other groups and organizations other than the shelters who work with the homeless. Especially the unsheltered homeless. I intend to talk about them as things progress.

These are only some ideas. The most important part of helping the homeless is to remember that each one of these people is an individual so no one solution will be right for everyone. Love is another part of helping. I probably would still be in the woods if it hadn’t been for the love I received from several people. Just reach out to them and see what happens. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the response you are looking for. Be patient and get to know them. They will surprise you.