Teddy James

AFA Journal staff writer

November 2016 – For most Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of feasts, football, family, and favorite recliners. It is a time to relax and reflect with gratitude on the blessings in our lives.

But for those living on the streets of our towns and cities, the holiday is just another reminder of their present struggle to survive. 

Awareness
It is easy to assume homelessness and hunger occur only in big cities, but that is not supported by facts. According to a 2010 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 71% of homeless people live in central cities, 21% in suburban areas, and 9% in rural areas.

Homelessness is everywhere, but even when individuals and families have roofs over their heads, they are not guaranteed to have food on their tables. Food insecurity, meaning not having consistent access to adequate food due to limited income and other resources, touches 48.1 million Americans; of those, 15.3 million are children.

It can be difficult to identify food insecure families. Ironically, according to a 2015 article in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, food insecure children are more likely to be overweight or obese. The reasons are multifaceted, but part of the problem is the inability to purchase healthy food options and a lack of available physical activities due to poverty.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has published a list of common signs of homelessness and hunger that include poor hygiene due to lack of shower facilities and washers; skin rashes, especially with respiratory problems; unmet dental and medical needs; and fear of abandonment, especially in the afternoons.

Education
There is a marked difference between being aware of a problem and being educated about it. Being educated on a particular issue means confronting and removing false presumptions and stereotypes.

It is a myth that all homeless individuals live on the streets. The majority of homeless individuals and families are considered “temporarily homeless.” Many still own vehicles, and that is where they live, eat, and sleep. Vehicles are typically the last big item a person will sell, and it can also mark a difference in the way people think of themselves. It can move them from thinking they are simply between homes, as an unemployed person can be in between jobs, to labeling themselves as homeless.

It is a myth that all people are homeless because they are unwilling to work. A recent article in the Washington Post reported, “According to a 2002 national study by the Urban Institute, about 45% of homeless adults had worked in the past 30 days – only 14 percentage points lower than the employment rate for the general population…the number of working homeless would probably be even higher if ‘off the books’ work was included.”

Homelessness is often caused by loss of a job, the death of a breadwinner, or a chronic illness. Another frequent cause of homelessness for women and children is domestic abuse. A woman may escape an abusive husband or boyfriend to find she and her children suddenly have little more than what they escaped with in their arms. There are shelters available, but the number of women and children in need far exceeds the rooms and beds available.

Dispelling myths and stereotypes about the homeless is one of the most potent steps to curbing it. But education is only worth the action it inspires.

Intervention
National Coalition for the Homeless and National Student Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness partner each year during the days before Thanksgiving to promote the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 12-20). For nine days, individuals and groups organize events that raise awareness, offer education, and take action to help the homeless and hungry.

“The week is an important part of our effort to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness. We will only eradicate poverty by educating the public and future decision-makers about the extent of these issues and their root causes,” NSCAH says on its website. “Once individuals have a better understanding of these problems, many are inspired to take action by volunteering, donating funds or resources, writing to their local newspaper, or calling their member of Congress.”

Outside the week before Thanksgiving, NCH encourages everyone to get involved in the political realm. Many cities and states have legislation that makes it more difficult for homeless and hungry to receive the help they need and get back on their feet. Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a prime example.

Ministry
Fort Lauderdale passed a law in 2014 that made it more difficult for ministries and organizations to give food away to the homeless and hungry. The law limited outdoor feeding areas and required organizers to provide portable toilets; other restrictions made it either too costly or time consuming for several ministries to continue work they had done for years.

In 2015, a Broward County judge in Fort Lauderdale, ordered the city to stop enforcement of the law, and ministries have continued doing their work regardless of the penalties they may face.

There is much churches can do throughout the year, including hosting job fairs, free job training, car maintenance days in which members of the church do oil changes and basic maintenance to keep the homeless’ final lifeline afloat, and other practical tasks.

For believers, the bottom line is this: Care for the hungry and homeless is much more than a political issue. God makes it clear throughout the Bible how His followers are to treat and care for those in need. Proverbs 14:31 says, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

In the New Testament, one of the best-known parables is of the Good Samaritan who finds a man near death on the side of the road and cares for him (Luke 10:25-37). Are the homeless, whether living on the street or in a car, any less image bearers of God?    

The Giving Circle
Mary Lou White lives in Fredericksburg, Texas, where she and a group of friends have created “The Giving Circle.”

“The Giving Circle is just an informal group that first decided to serve some needy individual(s) or a family one Christmas several years ago,” White said. It didn’t take long before they were meeting monthly and finding neighbors whose lives they could bless throughout the rest of the year. The group is now a blessing to the entire community.

Consider starting such a group in your church or community.

For more ideas about how you can serve the hungry and homeless, visit:

▶ Taking action: nationalhomeless.org
▶ Local shelters: homelessshelterdirectory.org
▶ Advocacy: studentsagainsthunger.org