We have a growing challenge in our community. It’s how to help our neighbors and fellow citizens who are unhoused — the homeless. No one denies that it is a messy, complex situation, with no magic bullet solutions. Some cities seem to be on a better track than others in reducing homelessness. None can declare victory.
I believe that the homeless are the modern equivalent of the lepers from biblical times. We, me included, look away when they look at us. We walk around them on sidewalks. We do not treat them as full human beings. Over the past few years, I have worked to change my behavior and attitude about the homeless, because as a society, our behaviors toward them are mean and destructive.
To make a difference, I had to work on my own behavior first. My entry point has been weekly volunteering at the CHATT Foundation (formerly the Community Kitchen) on 11th Street. More specifically, I volunteer in their Day Center. This can best be described as a “hotel concierge” for the homeless community. In the Day Center, we hand out sundries, towels for shower access, clothing items and much more. The CHATT Foundation’s Day Center also is a post office for the homeless community, receiving their mail and packages. A client can use the foundation’s address when applying for government services or when applying for a job. Most gratifying for me is helping people troubleshoot problems. Sometimes it’s deciphering the bureaucratic language of their mail; oftentimes we help folks find phone numbers; occasionally we help them connect with lost family.
I have interacted with thousands of homeless individuals — young and old, families and single, the long-term homeless and people who recently lost housing.
Last year, I added another program to my homeless volunteering. I joined the Regional Outreach Cooperative (ROC), a group of public and nonprofit employees who have bound together as an organized, systematic program for homeless outreach. It is a small team (less than 10 people) drawn from almost all of the major entities that serve the homeless community. Their full-time effort is in the field, meaning out in homeless camps, in the culverts, under the bridges, and on the streets of our community. With vehicles full of supplies and food, they fan out daily in two teams, covering different neighborhoods. Sometimes nurses and doctors volunteer to join them. The ROC’s system is to be in a specific part of the city the same day each week. For example, the homeless in Rossville can count on seeing them on Fridays.