Its cold. Even if the daytime temperatures warm back up, from now until springtime, nights are going to be frigid. Theres no denying it.
Its wonderful to be able to go home from a warm work environment, freeze getting from car to house, then step into a cozy home.
We can bundle up in warm jammies, make some hot tea or cocoa, cuddle up with a child or loved one or pet, grab a blanket, and settle down for the night.
Theres an unseen population in Iola that doesnt have that reality. These folks live in their cars. They live in unheated sheds. They live in abandoned homes, old campers, tents, behind dumpsters. If they are lucky, they find someone who will let them sleep on their couch for a night. They walk around finding somewhere warm to go during the day, but at night, they are on their own.
Some people dont want to address the homeless, telling themselves that they only decrease property values or are dangerous.
Others deny that homelessness exists in Iola.
But the fact is, homelessness is rising in the United States.
Most of these people are not drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, or any other myriad claims that some might lay upon them. And even if that were the case, the same thing is true of people of means.
The homelessness include young people in school, workers in factories; people who have lost their jobs, or people who have experienced a tragedy that was too much to overcome.
Whats terribly frustrating is that during almost every conversation we have about the homeless, someone says, the worst thing that could ever happen to Iola would be if we had a homeless shelter.
Imagine how terrible it would be if we could give shelter to those who need it. Imagine having a place where hot meals, support, and services were provided to those most desperate in our society. Imagine the horribleness of being able to provide warmth and hope to someone who has nothing. Imagine how awful it would be to help someone get back on their feet again, to help them feel visible and human.
STEP OUTSIDE tomorrow night. Wear your coat. Put a blanket on the ground and lay there. And stay there. Find out what its like to be homeless. Even when youre cold and shivering on the ground, you wont really know, because in the back of your mind you know you have an escape route.
Dont deny the humanity of others in need because you dont want to see what is in front of your face. We owe it to ourselves to be kind enough to care for those who are in this desperate state. Circumstance is all that separates us.
Kindness matters!
