 |
| That Poverty Guy pondering an image in his mind. |
Most people have an image in their mind
of what poverty looks like.
I know . . . because people tell me about it.
of what poverty looks like.
I know . . . because people tell me about it.
Invariably, as I walk down the street or sit in a coffee shop or blog/post/tweet, someone will stop and tell me what I am doing wrong with how I am being "homeless" (. . . using that term loosely because I'm not trying to imitate homelessness . . . since you can't). They're not trying to be negative. Quite the opposite, they're just trying to help me do it right. And here I was not even knowing there was a right way to be homeless!
 |
| Who knew? |
The fact is that the vast majority of those who are in poverty situations, a large number of whom are homeless, are NOT "that guy" either. People are surprised when I share with them that most homeless in the world actually DO live in tents (or some other form of rudimentary or temporary shelter) . . . in refugee camps or urban slums . . . and they have their families with them. I think all of us, me included, have to constantly keep our minds open as to what poverty looks like because only then will we truly see it, and truly be able to help. We have to look past the circumstance, past the stigma, and see the person like you or me that needs some help. When we do, we will see that poverty actually has billions of faces.
Let's try something . . . no, no, no . . . it won't hurt and there is no karaoke involved. I want you to take three slow deep breaths, and with each slow exhale release all of your previous thoughts or preconceptions about what poverty looks like. (STOP! Don't read further until you've done the three breaths . . . ) Now, let's reinvent our image of what poverty and homelessness looks like . . .
The poor and homeless . . .
. . . is the woman with a battered face and broken spirit living in a relative's basement with her young kids.
. . . is the family trying to rebuild their lives after their village and everything they had was washed away by a tsunami.
. . . is the old man with his entire clan living in a refugee camp fleeing conflict or drought.
. . . is the young man on the street who has no family or friends and had nowhere to turn when depression overtook him.
. . . is the First Nation Canadian youth who "has a home" but must sleep in shifts with the 20 others who "have a home" with him, while not having access to clean water or electricity.
. . . is the grandmother living in a decrepit hut open to the elements (and critters!) who is the sole provider of her orphaned grandchildren whose parents died from AIDS.
. . . is the family of six living in the slums of a sprawling mega-city, and whose shelter is a few pieces of corrugated metal crudely attached to form a shanty enclosure.
. . . is the girl who was sexually abused in her childhood, and ran away from home only to land on the street selling her body.
. . . is the man whose "brain broke" with the sudden death of his wife and two kids, and wanders the streets talking to them.
. . . is the young 10 year old African boy, with a gaunt face, yellowing eyes, and loose teeth who begs in the street for something, anything, to sustain him that day.
. . . is the alcoholic or addict, whose addiction has burned bridges with family and caused him or her to lose everything.
. . . is the single mom who can't earn enough to make ends meet and must "couch surf" from friend to friend with her kids in tow.
. . . is ________________________________ (fill in the blank because the above only covers a portion of the poverty situations out there).
And guess what? None of the above are doing homeless right. Why? Because there is nothing right about being poor and homeless.
However . . . through each of us doing just a little bit more than we currently are (especially raising our voices to our community leaders and elected officials) . . . poverty and homelessness CAN be eliminated.
Hey!! I'm That Poverty Guy . . . let's make a world of difference together.
Click Here to See WACHOOKANDU.
Great post. I can hand on heart say that until I came to live in Canada I never really thought a great deal about homelessness and poverty. Yes, i used to see people panhandling on the streets in the local town, the kids at school whose school trousers were too short (we had uniforms) and their shoes had holes in but were never replaced. I suppose I thought about them a little but not enough to do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThe first reality check for me came when I first helped out with Inn From The Cold at the church I attend. Back then they still had children coming along and I was shocked when a lady with a baby not much younger than my own was there. I sat and chatted with a few people that night and have gradually met more people each time I help out. Wow were my eyes opened! Not one of them ever asked to be homeless, I don't suppose they ever thought about it until it happened to them.
Somebody once told me that many people are only a couple of pay checks away from ending up homeless and the phrase 'there but for the grace of God go I' stays with me.
Keep up the good work.
So true, so true. Thanks for sharing this Jenny! And thanks for volunteering with Inn from the Cold . . . they do great work and provide much needed shelter for families and singles.
ReplyDeleteis the child or children of the oxycontin addict, who has a home but it's no longer a real home. Feeding their addiction comes first with the parents, not food, shelter or clothing, shoes for their children. They get evicted for not paying their rent. The child plays alone in the neighborhood park late at night. The parents are unable to care, that's poverty and homelessness. The child is left to be parent herself just like the commercials we see of children in Africa on TV.
ReplyDelete. . . and then, unless there is some sort of intervention to break the cycle, that child is subject to a life in poverty due to poor nutrition leading to poor education and quite likely following the influences of her childhood. And then the same for her children. A vicious cycle BUT one that can be broken so that these children can better meet their true potential.
ReplyDeleteI saw another case of what poverty looks like a few minutes ago in Walmart here in Taber. As we were shopping we saw an elderly woman in a wheelchair being used as a shopping cart by her caregivers who happened to be Filipino woman. I have nothing against people of other races but if they are going to mistreat an elderly woman, it makes me very angry. I approached these women and told them what they are doing is not right and especially if one of them is getting paid for this service. They got very angry with me. Too bad I did not have my camera then. They made the poor elderly woman hold a bunch of school supplies. When I got home I called a couple of the homes for the elderly and could only get hold of one staff and it wasn't their worker doing this. I may never find out who hired this woman but will call around.
ReplyDeleteSue, this is always if not most of the time when it comes to stepping up to address abuse of all sorts. When you step in, they will say, its not your business but that is how elderly abuse ends.
ReplyDeletePoverty in Canada? before comeinbg here I always see lushness and greenery and not pan handling on 7ave or shooping centres. The government will say "they are doing everything to end it" ahhhh progressive rhetoric continues and dependency is solidfied.
Mr. government,don't mske someone a proirity when you are only an option.
Dez
I was watching, the other day, a similar event as Sue was describing. I seems that an elderly person was being helped by her daughter and that she could not push the wheel chair AND the buggy at the same time, so 'Mom' was holding the groceries as they shopped; both looked happy.
ReplyDeleteAnd Sean this was a Very GOOD post. Thanks.
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
ReplyDeleteAlmost 18 years ago I was in Spokane Washington with my boyfriend and our 3 week old baby girl...we had hopped across the border (Im Canadian) to do a little shopping. We were leaving a shopping mall parking lot and stopped at the exit stop sign waiting for a break in traffic...and my life was forever changed. To my right...not 10 feet away on the side walk..was a couple in their late 20's/early 30's...the woman was sitting on the sidewalk, hugging her bent legs, her head bowed...her long hair covering her face...the man was standing beside her, staring off above the vehicle we were in, holding a sign that said "Will work for food"...I can still see the look in his eyes as if it had happened only hours ago....fear and shame...the whole aura of this couple was fear, shame and desperation. I had never seen anything like this before...in Canada at that time, for the most part, we looked after our poor..not perfectly...but most of the people you saw on the street were older, and I had never seen anyone hold a sign up that said "will work for food", much less a younger couple. I was so taken back, I reached for my purse and expressed to my boyfriend that we had to give them some money..I had the money out but my boyfriend snorted in disgust that we weren't giving them anything..and sped away into street as there was a break in traffic...(did I mention he became my ex boyfrined not long after that.....for many reasons..). To this day I think of that couple..and I have cried telling the story...and even now...it is hard for me to contain emotion...I wonder where they are....and if they made it...and if anyone ever did give them some money so they could eat. I will not toot my horn and try to gain kudos by what the impact of that experience did to me...but it formed alot of who I am..and how I give to those I see...even if no one ever knows that I give...my tribute to the hungry couple in Spokane...I pray God had kept you..and that someone ..somewhere...helped you both.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your sharing about this experience you had. Very powerful testimony about poverty!
ReplyDeleteI can see that experience has changed you, and this is commendable. Many people don't give these things thought let alone allow them to change them in anyway. I encourage you to continue to take the obvious compassion that you have and channel it towards helping others so that, eventually, no one will have to experience what that couple had to endure.
Your prayer for them touched me a lot. Thanks.