Simple Acts of Solidarity: The Homeless pt.1

Homeless facts:

- Homeless are classified in 1 of 3 groups: families, youth, chronic homeless

- The average age of the homeless in America is 9

- 3.5 million homeless within a given year in the United States

– Over 2000 homeless in Colorado Springs

- 40% of the homeless are families with children – the fastest growing segment

- Apprx.  2/3 of chronic homeless have mental health problems

- 25% of homeless were abused as children; 27%  were in foster care

- 5000 homeless minors die each year from illness, assault, and suicide

Ever since Candace and I have been back in Colorado Springs, one area we have continually felt our hearts pulled to is the homeless. Don’t get me wrong, this is not LA or New York, but CO Springs still has its fair share of homeless. For us, the homeless seem to personify the marginalized in society, the down and out, the ‘least of these’. As we’ve been thinking through and looking into the problem, we have continually felt helpless. However, I realized the tragedy isn’t just that people are on the streets, cold and hungry each night, but that these are human beings, real people made in God’s image, with names, and a story. But they are treated as though they aren’t human, ignored, ridiculed, neglected.

So, we decided that although we can’t solve the problem of homelessness in this society, we can at least provide a few people the dignity they deserve. We are hitting the streets. We’re not going to be throwing the gospel in their face, pointing out their problems or anything like that. And, while we will be handing out some small emergency homeless packs, the goal is bigger than that. We’ll be sharing a cup of coffee with them, talking with them, and offering them the chance to simply tell someone their story. The goal is to remind these people that they have a voice, that they are loved, and that they are not forgotten.

For those of you who are interested, each of these packs cost us about $12-$15; however, our goal is to cut down the cost of future packs to about $10 through donations. Our current packs include:

- Blanket

- Canned fruit

-Canned pasta

-Granola bars

-Bottled Water

-Fork/Knife

- Hand warmers

- Coffee mug

- McDonalds gift card ($5)

-Toothpaste/toothbrush

-Soap