Warmth...

Warmth: The quality, state, or sensation of being warm; moderate and comfortable heat.

It was cold and rainy yesterday, and my homeless clients were anything but warm. More than likely, they were shivering and suffering. It physically pains me to be sitting in a warm structure...incapable of doing anything about their current discomfort. I feel terribly guilty. Undoubtedly, I feel as though I should be doing more for them...again.

While we have succeeded in warming their hearts and touching their lives, nonprofits and ministries can only do so much when these individuals lack shelter. In truth, with so many in need, there's simply not enough room at area shelters to accommodate these individuals. They literally have no where to go. Can you even fathom not having a warm place to call home?

Society seems to be perplexed as to why a moderate amount of homeless individuals seem mentally unstable...is it really any wonder? Housing fulfills psychological needs, and ultimately, a lack of shelter exacerbates psychological issues. Plain and simple. I for one, would be quite interested in seeing how a wealthy individual would handle being in a similar predicament. My guess is that they would not be able to handle the stress of said situation, and would more than likely have a nervous breakdown. Think about it...

Back to Normal?

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I cannot say with absolute certainty, but it appears as though tensions within the homeless community have dissipated, at least from my perspective it has.

Last Thursday, during Operation Save (Charlotte's Homeless,) our homeless clients were back to occupying both sides of the street on North Tryon. The weather was fairly warm, and therefore, we found and provided food and supplies for at least fifty unsheltered individuals.

It was comforting to see that they were walking around, freely...without being regulated. Still, I wonder if this is just a temporary lapse in supervision. When we walk the streets of uptown and assist them, I look at their faces and I realize that we've gained a lot of ground within their community. They've come to depend on us, but undoubtedly, with all that we've accomplished -- the proposed camping ordinance threatens to wash it all away.

A few months ago, I wrote an article for the Viewpoint about the DNC coming to town and the possible fate of the unsheltered during the event. Undoubtedly, the homeless are politically powerless, and any movement comprised of solely homeless individuals lacks political durability. The article hasn't made it through the printing cycle yet, but I have been eerily surprised at how, even this far out from the DNC -- my predictions have already started becoming a reality.

So back to the proposed camping ordinance; the Charlotte Observer recently wrote an article about what the ordinance entails. I spent countless hours analyzing every aspect of said camping ordinance, and I found a rather disheartening part. Now, for the record, The Observer didn't explicitly state that the ordinance would affect the homeless, but they implied it in this statement: "In terms of camping, the ordinance attempts to close a small loophole. No one can sleep in city or county parks nor can anyone occupy a city sidewalk or street." Also they did touch on individuals who could be arrested for offensive odors, such as urine or alcohol. Both commonly present in the homeless population. Of course, they can't actually make homelessness illegal, just their way of life illegal.

What does this mean for the unsheltered homeless population? It means that, in addition to having no where to go, they now have no where to stop and sit or rest. If they stop and sit on a sidewalk, city bench, etc., then they can be arrested and fined five hundred dollars. Five hundred dollars, none of which they can afford to pay. This means that when they fail to pay the fine, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. And once they are arrested, who pays for that five hundred dollar fine? We do, our tax dollars will pay for this fine, in addition to jailing said homeless individual. It's a vicious cycle that they WILL NOT be able to escape from.

So there it is...I look at how we've been able to assist them, and I understand that it is all in severe danger of being taken away. In truth, the ordinance is now just another obstacle, another instance of where we have to fight for what is right. But, they are worth fighting for, and I plan to devise some sort of strategy that will tackle this ordinance. Sure, I could just stick with feeding the homeless, but as I have said before -- I'm not a play it safe kind of gal. Besides, I'm fortunate to be surrounded by an awesome group of compassionate volunteers who understand that we have to stand up for them. Not standing up for them simply isn't an option.

So today, I ask you all to be thankful for what you have. To appreciate your family and friends, and maybe, just maybe for a few minutes...stop and think about someone who is lacking those things. Someone who has no where to go today, and is alone, hungry, and cold. If you can sympathize with this depiction, then you agree that they are worth fighting for. And, you can help...more details to come. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

In the 20's

Last week, the temperature dropped unexpectedly into the 20's. I don't know why it was so unexpected on my part, since it is November. Nonetheless, our homeless clients were not prepared to sleep outside in such frigid temperatures. We were hopelessly short on volunteers on Thursday evening, and therefore, we didn't pass out food and blankets after our meal service. I deeply regret not doing so, and as a result, I couldn't sleep Thursday evening. The realization that our homeless clients were freezing ate away at me all night, and when Friday morning came around -- I knew I had to get blankets over to them.

We went out Friday evening and headed out to their territory. It was slightly intimidating only because we had never approached them under the overpass before. Undoubtedly, once they realized that we were there to help and not harm them, they were receptive to our visit.

It was truly awesome to look past the chasms on both sides, and just interact with them, human to human. We are headed back uptown on 11/22 @630pm. Come on out and join us.

Where to go from here?

Really an off day for me, followed by not one of the best meal services. At week 29, we should be moving forward, but over the last few weeks I feel like we have moved ten steps back. Undoubtedly, I have not mastered balancing everything well, and all too often, my writing career impinges on the nonprofit. Sometimes, I feel like the more that I write about the homeless's hardships and obstacles, the more involved I become in recognizing and feeling their pain. It has become a personal mission of mine to draw awareness to the obstacles that surround them, and I can't break free from it. I also feel as though I an incapable of writing about anything else. Problem is, no one wants to pay me a living wage to write about the homeless population.

In society, the predominant tendency has been to ignore the homeless, to blame them for their problems. After all, blaming them means that society doesn't have to empathize with their situation. Something is seriously wrong with this viewpoint. It is a deleterious approach that affects every aspect of their life. They have trouble getting a job, finding adequate shelter, getting someone to acknowledge them -- gosh, it's nothing short of heartbreaking. Why? Why does society block out or push aside anything that they label as "too painful to feel?"

Sometimes I wonder, are we being affective in their population? Can they rely on us to always be there for them? And then I remember, that I need them more then they need me...I can't imagine my world without them. They have given me strength, probably more than any of them will every know. So when I push through the criticism, I remind myself that fighting for what is right isn't about me...it's about them and I have to continue to do what is right. After all, people will always attack what they don't understand. And that's okay. I forgive them, but I don't accept their criticism. It's theirs to carry around. If I let them affect my decisions, then it hurts the homeless. It's all or nothing for me.

I'm okay with people who don't understand why I have to do this and think that I am crazy, or that "there must be something wrong in my life that I need to fix their lives." All I can say is that I didn't ask to do this. It wasn't one of the top five career choices for me. It just happened, and while I may have witnessed a lot of people come and go in my life b/c of the time spent on the nonprofit -- I don't regret any of it. And, if I had to do it all over again, I would...without questioning it. In the end, I didn't choose to do this, it chose me...and so I don't have a choice, I have to push through.

Tonight, we learned that one of our homeless clients was murdered last night. Because we have hundreds of clients, I can't specifically recall by her name alone, which homeless individual she was. I just have a terrible feeling that it was the one we have been working with on the street. She had been really hard to help, and looking back now, I don't think I did enough for her.

We skipped passing out supplies on N Tryon tonight, and I deeply regret this now...I really should have gone. It literally breaks my heart to think that they are probably freezing on the streets tonight. I am forever grateful that the New Charlotte Church is supplying us with hundreds of blankets, it was just the blessing that we needed this winter.

On my way home tonight, there were countless homeless individuals wrapped in tarps and blankets under the overpass. I almost felt overwhelmed, not in the full sense of the word, but just in combination with the week and meal service...I just realized that I have to do more. I also have to remind myself that my volunteers are truly amazing individuals and that I am blessed that they have a desire to serve -- but I know that the time that they serve is generally a fleeting moment, and I can't always be so dependent on them. It just means that I have to dig a little deeper and realign myself with the quote that started it all..."Be the change you wish to see in the world."

"Always do good to others. Be selfless. Mentally remove everything and be free. This is divine life."

For the record...

I'm not sure if I have ever previously published an article that evoked as much controversy as my Occupy CLT piece has. Wow. Here is something that may be lost in the criticism. I don't necessarily disagree with everything that their movement stands for. I actually wholeheartedly admire their perseverance and their desire to bring about change. In addition, I think that most everyone in our country will agree that it is the best of times for big corporations, and the worst of times for Americans.

My issue lies more in the way that the group is structured, along with their lack of presenting a solution to the things that they oppose. In the end, vigor is useless in the absence of a viable solution.

Originally, when I saw my homeless friends being hounded last week, I too assumed that the crackdown was due to the DNC coming to town. But, then I thought about the current issues, and inevitably, OC came to mind. It became quite evident at that time, that the proposed city ordinance was a direct response to the Occupy Charlotte Movement, not the DNC.

Unfortunately, when people raise awareness about issues, the city has the right to react. This reaction, if passed, will greatly hinder the homeless population's way of life. Under the ordinance, they could be arrested for having an offensive odor, such as urine -- which is a frequent smell among the population. Is it Occupy Charlotte's "fault?" Well, in actuality, they didn't realize that their actions may lead to less freedom for others...but, their actions can be compared to someone driving too fast. Unfortunately, they didn't look or plan far enough ahead, and as a result, their miscalculated actions led to a collision.

In the end, if OC members are forced to leave with less freedom than they originally had, then then they failed at what they initially set out to do.

Week 29

In just a few short days, we will host the 29th week of Operation Serve Charlotte's Homeless. It's a pretty amazing feeling to provide for someone who cannot provide for themselves. In these brief encounters with the homeless, my volunteers and I walk away forever humbled. It's also amazing to have around 60 volunteers on board with this mission. Giving is contagious.

Good things to come...
We have a Christmas Benefits Concert in the works that will also include homeless individuals on the guest list.
We will also take to the streets of North Tryon two additional times in November. Date and time will be emailed to our volunteers.
"You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." John Bunyon

Things are changing...

For starters, we celebrated a homeless clients birthday at our meal service last night. We also had Touch one Productions visit and perform a poetry show. The homeless were really drawn to the performance, as was I and the other volunteers. James, the birthday gentleman, had a smile on his face from ear to ear. It was so awesome to see him light up that way.

And while the lightheartedness of the meal service was uplifting, the rawness of taking to the streets was lurking in the background. As we walked up 9th St towards North Tryon, something seemed off. While it is true that in colder weather the homeless are harder to find, the visual perception was that their presence was nonexistent in the Queen City. However, I am not that easily fooled. I may be naive about a lot of things, but I simply do not believe that any one agency has gone to great lengths to resolve the homeless crisis.

Instead, I fear and know in my heart that great measures are being taken to conceal the homeless population, especially with the DNC right around the corner. And, as we rounded the corner on North Tryon St., we noticed something rather odd -- none of the homeless were present on the left hand side of the street. It was as if they were being "pushed" to the right hand side.

As we reached the First United Methodist Church, one of our regular homeless clients told me that it was the last night they were allowed to bundle up and sleep on the stairs. I instantly became angered. I asked him who said that and he said, "the police." I told him that I would do the best that I could to let them stay there, and the worst part of that encounter was that our homeless client was so submissive. They are used to feeling like they are marginalized from society, and thus, they feel politically powerless to stand up for themselves. They may be politically powerless, but I am not and I know that the tactics used by CMPD are wrong.

Housing, in itself, is a basic human right. Here is an article that I wrote a while back about it: Housing: A Basic Human Right. If anything, they should be harassing lawmakers and our entire justice system, not vice versa. I will get to the bottom of this, I will. "What's right isn't always popular, and what's popular isn't always right." Albert Einstein

The "new face" of homelessness

I published an article today about the "new face" of Charlotte's Homeless.
http://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-charlotte/the-new-face-of-charlotte-s-homeless-population

One on one

The nonprofit is currently entering the 27th week of our homeless meal service. At times, I am in awe at how something so simple evolved into something quite amazing.

I used to think that I was alone in this mission...and I guess I had come to terms with that. I realize that a lot of people never fully understood why the homeless have always been so important to me, and in truth...that's okay. It hasn't always been easy and effortless, and quite plausibly I have probably doubted myself more than I believed that I could effectively assist our homeless clients. I continued to push through because I realized that it wasn't about me, it was about them. And in the end, all of the criticism, and unsolicited advice didn't hurt me -- but if I gave up and let it affect our efforts, then our homeless clients would have suffered even more.

Somewhere along the way, other people started to share my desire to not only feed the homeless, but to also reach out to them on the streets of uptown. I'm not entirely sure how this transpired but nonetheless, I am extremely thankful and beyond appreciative for the rare few who have followed my lead. This mission may have started with me, but it now has very little to do with me. So many volunteers have made it a part of them, which is truly amazing. A local Pastor recently described our efforts as "Mercy and Grace...a rare combination." And thus...Operation Save Charlotte's Homeless was born.

I really admire that description of our efforts, and if anything...our street outreach and advocacy group will continue to grow. We are set to take to the streets tomorrow night, and then again on Sunday, November 6th @2pm.

While the meal service provides a chance for the homeless to come into the Government building and obtain a meal and vital supplies, interaction is limited because the whole operation happens rather quickly -- and there are often around 80 individuals in attendance.

But when we take to the streets, it gives us the opportunity to converse with them, and it also helps to restore their dignity. I love these one on one interactions, and although at times seeing them suffer can be unbearable -- since they have to suffer and experience this unfortunate plight, the least we can do is witness it and help them to the best of our abilities.

"You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give." Winston Churchill
Giving of yourself is the ultimate sacrifice, but it is the only way to live a full and humble life.