Does Homelessness Ultimately Matter? 🤔
Hi <<First Name>>,
Last week, I chaperoned a group of middle schoolers on a series of visits to nonprofits in Denver that address homelessness. This trip was part fun and mostly professional development for me. Between the visits and a few other conversations, I was able to learn more about homelessness and reflect on why everybody - even those who have not lived in homelessness - seems to have an opinion on it.
Please note: This email is a bit longer than usual and deals with a sensitive topic. If you'd like to discuss anything with me in further detail, feel free to text, call, or reply. I'd be happy to continue this conversation.
Takeaway #1 - Homelessness affects everyone, not just those living in it
Consider the following examples of other people whose lives have been affected as a result of someone else's homelessness:
|
|
"Where I moved from businesses were being shuttered as outdoor malls were taken over by homeless, it seemed like every open space was filled with tents, abandoned grocery carts and trash, and parks and beaches were filled with drug paraphernalia."
- Neighbor on Nextdoor
|
|
|
"A colleague of mine visited a notoriously unsanitary homeless camp in LA. As a result of being in contact with people who lived in this camp, he contracted an infection in his leg. That was the price he chose to pay to make the people of that camp feel like they had value."
- Paraphrased from a conversation with a homelessness outreach specialist
|
|
|
Takeaway #2: Even just the presence of homelessness forces people to face complex emotions
After my trip, I decided to conduct a social experiment. I went to Nextdoor - a social networking app - and asked the following question (you can view all the responses here):
|
|
|
Among the responses was this analysis:
|
|
"It is asking people to feel the tension between fear and empathy. Both of those are vulnerable and vulnerability leads to big feelings and big reactions."
- Denver area resident on Nextdoor
|
|
|
Emotions like fear and empathy can be complicated and confusing. Human nature teaches us that it is more convenient to bury our emotions than to do the hard work in processing them - journaling, praying, or meeting with a counselor or psychiatrist - so that we can understand them. Case in point, why is emotional health such a popular topic in American society these days? Yet, by doing the hard work of getting in touch with our emotions, we can begin to respond to the topic of homelessness and those affected by it with levelheadedness and a listening ear, rarely utilized techniques in our society.
Takeaway #3: Homelessness is a situation, not an identity
Speaking of American society, we often refer to people using identifiers, such as age (teenager, elderly, etc.), hair color (blonde, dark, etc.), ethnicity (American, Chinese, African-American, etc.), gender (male, female, etc.), and a variety of others. It's commonplace to refer to people experiencing homelessness as "homeless." But what if a person in homelessness does not want their status to be how they're know? Consider this interview with an NFL draft pick who grew up in homelessness. Beginning at 1:11, he discusses how it became increasingly more difficult for his mother to break through others' perceptions of the family the more they experienced homelessness.
By viewing homelessness as a situation - not as an identity - we begin to see other human beings as people who are just like us, not as the product of their situation. In doing so, we give them basic human dignity. For example, one leader during the visits last week felt convicted that she should begin referring to a friend as "John Doe, my friend who is experiencing homelessness," rather than, "John Doe, my friend who is homeless."
How does all this apply to Heidt and Depth?
At Heidt and Depth, our mission is: "Do good in the community." We believe that in order to understand the needs of the communities we work in, we need to get out the community interacting with people. To effectively respond to homelessness through our work, we must do everything we can to empathize and equip ourselves to serve all parties involved.
Please consider reaching out to us about how we can assist you in your social sustainability projects, such as responding to homelessness.
Happy July,
|
|
Neal Heidt
Owner, Heidt and Depth
HeidtandDepth.com
|
|
|
|
|
