I consider myself a lucky man. I have a home. I have a kind and loving wife. And I have a good job.
But about three years ago, I began losing sleep over a simple question: How can I help the nearly 7,000 people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C.?
It turns out that for me, the answer is simple: One at a time.
I used simple methods to find that answer. Every day on my way to and from work, I would stop and talk to every person who asked me for money on the way. I stopped at Metro stations, in front of coffee shops and at intersections to learn about their lives. For those who said they were sleeping on the streets, I asked a lot about that problem specifically — the problem of homelessness.
But the problem was different for each of them. It was true that for some, the streets meant a difficult life of danger and violence. But for victims of abuse, the streets were an escape from violence. Some believed that they would very soon die on the streets. But for some people recovering from drug addiction, the streets represented a new life, away from the drug use that was so common in the housing they had known before.
That’s how I realized that when it comes to people experiencing homelessness, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. And in many cases, just listening can make a difference. So I started to form relationships with the people I passed, and I began to ask my newfound friends what they needed.
Every time I asked, I received an answer. Some needed medical care. Some needed jobs. Sometimes I could help. Sometimes I couldn’t.
But I had found an answer to my question.
So today, when I think about the 6,904 people living on the streets of D.C., I don’t think about an “issue” that needs to be “solved.” I think about the human beings who are asking me for help when I walk by. And they’re the only ones who know what that help should look like.
I am convinced that if there are 6,904 people experiencing homelessness, there are 6,904 different solutions to the problems they face.
I can do my part if I look for one solution at a time.
