No easy solution
Posted by Homeless in Slo Times on October 25, 2009
I sent some of my family in Hawaii a link to my new blog. My sister some months ago had offered to host me in Hawaii, IF I wanted to move there. My children are here on the mainland and I declined. We stay in touch weekly because she worries about me. When we spoke recently she wondered out loud what I thought was the solution. I had to answer, which one?
Just as their are multiple reasons why people are homeless, there will be many different solutions to end the challenge of homelessness. There will be no easy solution. The only thing we can do wrong at this juncture is to do nothing at all.
The challenge is not too big to solve. There are projects on a small scale that are providing viable models for other communities across the United States. I hope that there is somewhere a clearinghouse for these projects and new ideas, as well.
A friend’s site here at wordpress prompted me a long time ago to begin contemplating writing my own blog. He is an inspiration to many people to not give up the challenge of homelessness. Last week his www.slohomeless.wordpress.com site featured a post about a new bill coming up for consideration that would give pet owners a deduction up to $3500 per pet. Michael has more on this at www.slohomeless.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/h-r-3501-cash-for-barkers.
It occurred to me that IF the government passed such a flagrant bill, it might pave the way to have some celebrity lend their name to create a humane society for humans, or what about the ACLU? Why couldn’t partnerships of service to need be met by matching individuals with homes and needs, to those individuals with service capabilities and no home? The homeowner could have a deduction, met by a social security award to homeless who provided services.
There needs to be more thinking outside the many boxes that are the many faces of homelessness.
