Experiencing homelessness in Minnesota is especially harsh in our cold winter climate and with all the Covid restrictions and perils.
There are as many reasons for being homeless as there are people experiencing it. I am not a politician or a lawmaker and I don’t have the means to give everyone a home who needs one. But I have compassion and empathy and I want to share some observations.
There are people experiencing homelessness all around us. Some are young, some are old. They may work or they may not. Some are sound of mind and body, some are not. Many experience mental illness and/or addictions that make it hard to get a job, hold a job, make good decisions and assimilate into the mainstream economy.
When it is ten below zero outside, the shelters are full, stores and public places are closed or have restricted hours due to Covid 19, it is not helpful to spout “tough love” narrative. We can help by opening our hearts and really feeling the plight of our fellow humans.
Right in our neighborhoods, there are people without food, without adequate clothing and shelter; with no where to go and no place to belong. Public shelters are not always available and are not very safe, because desperate people in desperate situations will behave badly. Your property might be stolen and when you only own the items you can carry, it is a big loss when they are gone. Losing your boots or gloves may mean you lose a toe or a finger.
People experiencing mental illness want to be independent and have autonomy. Often the illness can cause disruptive behavior that families and others don’t know how to handle. These people need ongoing medical care and oversight. We just don’t do enough in America to help these folks among us.
Minnesota has a large tax surplus this year and my desire is to see some of it spent on affordable or free housing to first get everyone in out of the cold. Next, work on long term treatment plans for those with mental and/or physical health problems. Finally, permanent housing, and employment support for those who can work. This would be more meaningful to me than a refund check for $175.00 as proposed by our governor. When we work together, we can solve big issues; that was the reason for collecting the taxes in the first place.
Well said!
Lots of nice thoughts many true, however the solutions are rather weak. You say you don’t have the means to give anyone a home, yet you are more than willing to give away and choose how to spend other people’s money they overpaid in taxes. While I think that low income housing is necessary too, consider this: if you overpaid a bill to someone, would you be okay if instead of returning your overpayment they took that money and spent it on something you had no say over? Wouldn’t you like a refund? Shouldn’t government learn to live within it’s means as you and I need to do? I think addressing homelessness is not as simple as pouring money into it …look at the problems they are having with the ‘company’ that was supposed to be feeding children and it turned out $300 milluon was spent on luxury homes and vehicles, not food for kids. They could go after those people and retrieve that money …and use that to provide homes for the homeless. Good stewardship is essential in every dollar spent by our government.
You don’t get it
From a wise reader on FB in response to this article:
Dawn Sutherland
I’m not a good writer,I don’t have numbers or statistics.all I have is my opinion.There is a large homeless population all over the country and it’s growing.There are people with addiction problems,mental illness,physical disabilities and for some a combination of those things.As far as solving the problem…I don’t know the answer.Money might be a part of it.Two things that could really help are compassion and kindness…they’re free.That might sound really corny…but I’m serious.Unfortunately that doesn’t happen all the time.There are so many stereotypes and stigma when it comes to homelessness.Not every homeless person is lazy and doesn’t want to work…everyone has their own story.It kills me when I hear someone say that people who ask for money are out to scam people out of their money cuz they’re too lazy to work and “they make more money begging than I do and I work for a living”.That may be true of some people but I don’t think it’s the norm.if you don’t feel comfortable giving money,go to McDonalds and buy something off the dollar menu…a hot meal might really help someone.Unfortunately unless you’ve been homeless,know someone that is or work with homeless people….you probably don’t have a clue about being homeless.Yes there are good people and bad.That’s the same for all people…there are people that appreciate help and will spend the money you give them on food or something worthwhile and there are people that will spend it on drugs or alcohol…you have no idea really…maybe you should take a chance.it might make someone’s day a little bit brighter…if I’ve offended anyone by saying this…sorry…this is my opinion.