Happy Winter! Putting ourselves in another’s shoes is a Biblical principle. Like “Being a good person 101”, in order to see how we can be of best benefit to our “neighbor” we need to imagine their situation from our current perspective. It’s not an easy thing to do, but with some practice it will become second-nature. Primary to this, sometimes just following God’s leading without seeing the connections ourselves is just as beneficial (if not more so). We’re challenging you to act.
Homelessness is an epidemic in the United States. While not everyone who is un-housed wants to become housed and not everyone who is housed wants to interact with the homeless, it’s important to make sure that resources are available to those who do indeed want a roof and four walls over their heads. This requires extending grace to them and realizing we are not as far away from disaster as we’d like to think we are.
Locally, we spoke with a homeless outreach worker about this plight of the homeless. Programs exist in which employees are made available to check on those without housing in the areas they inhabit throughout the day. The winter weather may be fun to look at from inside a toasty warm abode, but for those who live in sub-optimal temperatures throughout the year, there is no climate control to rely on. These conditions wear out the human body and create issues one does not experience when allowed to be in a residence with a comfortable temperature of between 68 and 72 degrees.
It’s freezing right now in our area. Snow on the frozen ground sometimes doesn’t thaw even when the sun is out.
Homeless outreach workers identify the individuals needing and wanting assistance, while shelter workers occupy the temporary sleeping quarters set up for these individuals on a volunteer basis. They work 12 hour shifts without getting paid. There is a shortage in our area (as well as many other metropolitan areas) of capable, volunteer workers to work shifts in the shelters. Hence, the overflow shelters especially are simply closed down instead of being open when the temporary residents need it most.
Ever had hypothermia or frostbite? Me either. I imagine it happens all too often within the homeless population. Hypothermia is mentally alluring to someone whose core body temperature has fallen low enough to relegate their brain to the solitary tasks of breathing in order to keep them alive. It’s not uncommon for a hypothermic victim to succumb to death due to the unusual illogical thoughts such as “I’d be warmer if I took my clothes off.”
Aside from death, the toll the cold weather plays out on the human body is astonishing: it takes many more calories per day to keep a person warm while outside in the frigid temperatures than if inside at a balmy 72 degrees. Finding food when one doesn’t have shelter is sometimes a step those in the homeless population do not want to expend the energy to problem-solve. The body responds by consuming its own insulation (fat) and the problem compounds.
What can you do in your community to help? When we asked homeless outreach, they said even a half-shift of 6 hours volunteering at your local shelter helps tremendously and will keep the doors open for these people instead of forcing them out into the cold when regular shelters are full. Keep the number 18 in mind. Eighteen degrees is the cut off upon which the shelters rely to determine if an overflow shelter is open. Even if you can only work 6 hours overnight in an overflow shelter, you’ll help save lives. When you hear your regular weather station reporting temperatures of 18 degrees or lower, that’s the time to act. Call your local shelter or text 211 in your area to find the contact information and volunteer your time.
If you’re too busy for that, try responding to homeless in your immediate vicinity. Ask a potentially homeless person if they’d like a healthy meal if you see someone in need on your way into the grocery store. Ask them if they have a preference (yes, they have dietary restrictions and allergies just like the rest of us.) If they accept, drop off the meal on your way out and remind them that they are loved by our Creator just like we are. We are all one big family sharing space on the planet.
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