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Several years ago I had a memorable encounter with a homeless man. I was in Washington, D.C., for my monthly work-related trip. I had plans to meet a friend at the nearby museum on Constitution Mall for an evening concert. There was no nearby coffee shop, so I sat on a bench on the mall to look at the view. I had my suitcase with me since I was going to spend the night at her home. There were several homeless men in the area with their shopping carts full of personal belongings. A homeless man in his 60s was on the bench next to me. He had on a shabby coat while I was wearing my warm winter coat. I watched others walking by but realized that this man kept watching me. After about 20 minutes or so of my sitting there he started walking my way without his shopping cart. He stopped in front of me and in a concerned tone of voice asked me: "Do you need help? I can tell you where to go to get help." I thanked him and told him I was fine. He went back to his bench. For days I kept thinking about this man. He, a homeless man, rather than assume that everything was fine with me, decided to check out the situation. In his mind he thought it was possible that I was someone newly homeless. Folks don't usually sit down with their suitcases on park benches. In thinking about this now, I am glad that I did not run off thinking he might assault me in any way. I would have insulted his humanity. So now, when I see all the discussion about where to move the men's homeless shelter currently located downtown, I see that this community makes assumptions, and unlike the homeless man, hasn't verified them. Some assume that the homeless in the shelter are dangerous. I am not sure where this perception comes from because there have been no incidents between the homeless and other citizens of our community. Rather, the few incidents with problem behavior occur between residents of the homeless shelter and are dealt with by staff and/or police if necessary. Furthermore, as Chris Moran of the Inter-Faith Council told me, there was an incident several years ago where a homeless man was sodomized by several students. Some assume that those temporarily housed in the homeless shelter are the same individuals who panhandle. Again, there is no evidence that this is occurring. If we went to the homeless shelter we would find individuals who want to rebuild their lives and become part of the productive citizenry of our community. Many have been waiting for some time for the county commissioners to make a decision about relocating the homeless shelter for men to the Southern Human Services Center. Some are concerned about the safety of those who will be participating in activities at the newly built Senior Center. I would like to suggest that rather than be fearful of individuals who are trying to rebuild their lives, we ask the question of how can we as citizens help these individuals. Wouldn't it be a wonderful opportunity for the wise elders in our community to serve as role models and advocates for individuals in the homeless shelter? Our elders could use their vast knowledge and skills to help their community and the homeless might find it easier to reintegrate into the community with the moral support and advice of someone who cares about their future. I wholeheartedly support locating a homeless shelter at the Southern Human Services Center. However, I also recognize that many feel safer around women. A compromise solution would be to move the women's homeless shelter to the Southern Human Services Center and move the men's homeless shelter to the current women's shelter location, which is close by. Even if a homeless shelter were to be located elsewhere than the Southern Human Services Center, there would still be the opportunity for neighbors of the homeless shelter to volunteer and contribute to improving the welfare of fellow citizens in hard times and in difficult circumstances. We cannot assume that the homeless want to be a burden to our community. If we got to know more about the individual stories of the homeless, I am sure we would all be asking ourselves why we ever were afraid of where the homeless shelter would be located. If a homeless person can attempt to help someone who is actually not in need, we who are not wanting for a job and home can surely find some way to help those who truly do need help to become self-sufficient citizens. Bernadette Pelissier is a retired social scientist who lives in Orange County and serves on several community boards. Her column will appear in this space every Saturday. Readers |
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