Homelessness is more than a word.
It is a lifestyle that encompasses more than statistics and reports. Its a condition that reaches past point-in-time census reviews. The four little letters at the end of the word represent something larger than not having a livable habitat; they ask us to consider that some people are caught in a cycle that most of us have never had to experience. Homelessness is lived and experienced and not fixed to the words typed on this blog. When we are done reading about homelessness, we move on the next thing in our day.
If you experience homelessness, your day takes on a whole different meaning.
Eradicating homelessness would be an amazing thing but it involves more than providing temporary shelter to keep families off of the street. If homelessness is truly a fluid lifestyle that takes the shape of an individual’s specific circumstance, then the way to address it is to understand that unique situations call for specific measures. Giving a person shelter from the elements for a few nights is one thing (a great thing!) but helping them establish a lifestyle to sustain them involves a lot more moving parts.
We live in a world of stereotypes and prejudgements that make it easy to ignore diseases and focus on symptoms. If someone is chronically homeless, they have been caught in a net of poverty and transient circumstances that very well might condition them to reject measures to help them find permanent residence. Combating these issues is a process that transcends conventional ideas that assist people who are rendered homeless due to sudden circumstances. Homelessness manifests itself in different ways and calls for person-specific solutions.
Samaritan House has been addressing chronic and episodic homelessness for decades. We have gathered some amazing tools over the years and we will never stop doing all we can to save lives by treating each person, individual, or family as their own set of circumstances. We have resources and staff who are dedicated to helping our residents take the next step in a journey no person should have to experience. We believe that addressing the obstacles in a person’s life means more than identifying them.
Many of you have been contributors for years and we absolutely could not do what we do without your kindness and generosity. Thank you for all that you do… It is our heart to help people escape a lifestyle and not just circumstances. You make a difference by allowing us to make a difference.