Solving homelessness seems as infinitely complex as preventing wars. Redistributing wealth is a fearful and uncomfortable suggestion to policymakers and the more financially comfortable. But as witnesses, pretending to have unseeing eyes and unfeeling hearts may work – until homelessness happens to you or your loved ones.
For example, whether they come rich, or poor or in the middle, veterans, innocent children or the mentally ill can become homeless from lack of assistance. And that is only touching the surface. I mean the millionaires, the billionaires who have lost their fortunes due to embezzlement and fraud try to find their reality only to perhaps discover it was never their own any more than that of innocent people who have committed crimes to feed their hungry families. Once in jail or on the street the realization is a punch in the face.
We need to be aware of the fact, before it is too late, that we are more similar and sensitive than we thought. Look at what is happening to our ecosystem: hurricanes on and on and the subsequent extra millions of people who would never have imagined they would be homeless.
That is a very humbling and harsh reality. So we cannot be unseeing and indifferent until a homeless person has to save your life without a dollar being involved.
Michael Craig is a vendor/artist with Street Sense.
