The Homeless.
Others call the people living in the woods off of West Market
Street (and
many other locations around Bloomington-Normal, but shhh, we don't want
publicity to "help" them any more than it already has) "the homeless" as if it is a
group of 14 people who have been living there for years. In reality, the people
who inhabit these locations are a constantly changing. When we return, I will
be shocked if I know any of “our friends” after being gone for this past year.
Instead, it will be a handful of new friends to meet and weave into our lives
for the time that they want that.
Others assume that they are all sex offenders, all mentally ill,
all alcoholics, all lazy, all sloppy and all a threat to us law abiding tax
payers. Others would be wrong.
Some people in our town who have found themselves without a home
for a time have been some of these things. So have some "homed"
people. So have some of my family members, and I bet, so have some of
yours.
I will never make an excuse for anyone's bad choices or bad
behavior. In every aspect of my life, from myself to my children to
strangers, I have high accountability standards.
I will, however, ALWAYS meet someone where they are and love them
there. I will love them until they refuse to be loved any more. I believe
it is the only way to live. I believe that when I pray for peace and a better
world, that this is the way I can be a part of creating that on earth. I am
thankful that there is a group who lives this same way and that we have all
been able to work together with relationship as our common goal.
We cannot wait for people to clean up their acts and THEN love
them.
The problem with doing ministry this way is that people look at
those of us who love our friends and say, “You are STILL working with the homeless? Why haven’t they cleaned up their acts yet?”
The truth is that they have, and they have moved on, and others
have come. We have been blessed to be able to continue being a community to all
who end up in our paths.
Some other truths that I want Bloomington-Normal to know.
We are told that our town is very well suited for transient
people. The way that the interstates all converge on Market St makes it very
easy to arrive here and then leave when the time is right. That area is also
full of public restrooms and truck stops, so the woods are not full of feces as
many seem to imagine.
Simple gestures such as a shower, a haircut, typing a resume,
offering an internet connection to apply on-line for a job, or helping someone
with less than a 3rd grade education sign up for GED classes at
Heartland Community College have gone a long way in improving our friends’
lives.
Have we given propane and blankets and tarps…Yes.
In the same way that I would feed a child who comes to school
hungry before I can expect him to learn anything, our group meets the basic
needs of people who we are already in relationship with in order to continue
their progress in other areas. The newspaper doesn’t see any of that. The
community has no way of knowing that.
It is true that many who we meet have reasons that they are
prohibited from staying in local shelters. It is also true that we have met
some who choose to live outdoors. Again, the group of people that I work with
would be silly to think that we could change any of that. So we don’t. We share
meals and we offer friendship. Often that has led to us being in a position to
offer advice and point a friend to better options. Sometimes, we have to
believe that we have planted a seed. We have been a voice of love and
encouragement. We will never know the effects.
Does someone who has been deemed a sex-offender get less cold in
the winter? Does someone who has served time in prison not get hungry? Should
we only help them once they have gotten their lives together? No. Often times,
we can be the ones who offer the small gesture that sets them on their way to a
better life. Even if all we offer them is hope.
Hope is not a small thing.
