Recently dad and I were able to attend the Fort Worth Stock
Show and spend the day with some outstanding Hereford Breeders from all over
the country. We ended the great day be eating at one of our favorite
restaurants. While heading home dad and I were detoured off the highway to get
around an accident that was blocking all lanes of the exit. I looped around a side street to get back on
the way north home. While taking this side street Dad noticed the homeless
people sleeping on the sidewalks. There were 25 or more on his side of the
truck, just across the street there were about the same amount. This was all in a one block area of Ft Worth.
The walk to the downtown area was less than 10 minutes.
I
remember when I first visited Washington D.C. when I was in high school. The
amount of homeless shocked me then and still does to this day when I see it.
History has taught us that there are a few certainties in life. One is crime will
exist in any place or time. Social classes have existed in all societies from
free all the way to socialistic. The last is homelessness/poverty will be a
part of any society. All these social issues are not easily solved and can be
complicated in detail when working to resolve.
This
problem exists in all cities large and small, north or south. Almost every, if not all, cities I have visited have homeless. According to data for 2017 on any given night
there were 440,000 homeless people in this country. This is the average per night. In this report it breaks it down by areas, veterans, younger and older populations. The numbers in some states are STAGGERING.
Homelessness is a complicated issue that doesn’t discriminate. It affects young,
old, male, female, and knows no ethnicity. There are other factors such as drugs,
alcohol, and even mental disorders that play huge factors in the homeless world. There are many groups, organizations and
even ministries that want to care for the homeless. Soup kitchens exist yet
that is only a small part of the needs. These people most of the time sleep on
the streets. Covered up in blankets, cardboard huts and even under bridges to
get out of the elements.
Last
year a local ministry worked to set up a soup kitchen for the homeless in this
area. They ran into a lot of red tape for the building they had chosen and the
city ordinances in place. While working through their red tape, they would just travel around to the areas where the
homeless stayed and pass out lunches, water and the good word of god. They
finally found a location and have set up some much-needed services in this area
along with working with local crisis centers.
The saddest part of this for me is seeing the older people and even military. Men and women that have issues and no access sometimes to get the help they need. Getting off the streets can be a long, difficult process and some people never make it off the streets. I have often thought about what if that was my dad or someone in my immediate family. Many of us have no idea how close some people, family, friends or loved ones might have been to being on the streets. There are probably people out there that have family on the streets and have tried unsuccessfully to get them back on their feet. A great example is the story of 3 time Super Bowl player, Jackie Wallace.
I do
not know the solution to the problem. I have never been the person to just give
a homeless person money. Instead I have bought them food or given them water.
Homelessness is a problem that may never go away. The amount of homeless can be
lessened in our country. It will take time and money to make the much-needed
changes.
This
might seem like a different topic for me to cover in one of my blogs and it is
for sure. It is one that struck me when Dad and I were driving home, and I knew
I had to write about it. What I want everyone to think about it is the number
of people. 440,000 people are a lot to be homeless. These are people that need medical care, housing, and basic financial assistance to get back on
their feet. Some of these people need permanent assistance or continual care
for the rest of their lives.
What value do we put on our fellow Americans? What are the lives of the homeless worth?
How much are you, me or anyone wiling to sacrifice for the American Citizens that are here
legally, have fought for our country, and need our help? Remember, homelessness does know gender, race or age, it does not discriminate. That is what I want
people to see and understand is that to be the best at anything you do, you
must take care of your house. There are many people, not just the homeless that are in need. We have young people without parents, we have elderly without family and we have veterans who need all forms of assistance. Your family, friends, loved ones, and even fellow
countrymen should be taken care of as your
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