| When the lights went out... |
| Out of respect, there are no photos with this article. I think we all have our story of how the power outages affected us. Certainly, everyone has been talking about it, asking each other, "Did you lose your power?" and "for how many hours?" We were without power for almost 30 hours. Our house was like ice. I like to keep the thermostat at 78 degrees and when we finally had power again (Hooray for Red Bluff PG&E workers!), our house was 56 degrees. Brrrrr!!!! While watching the thermostat crawl back up, we started to peel off the layers of clothes. I started to wonder about people who were out in the storm, without the luxury of a thermostat in their tent or wherever else they were. Have you ever wondered about it? What would it be like to be homeless and out in a storm? Fortunately, in Red Bluff, we have PATH, an organization that assists the homeless. With the help of local churches who open their doors at night, PATH gives the homeless a place to stay...so there shouldn't have been any homeless people out in the storm, right? But there were. For various reasons, there are some homeless people who choose not to accept an open door. Let me try to explain one of these reasons. Maybe the best way to understand it is to put yourself their place. Imagine you don't have your home. You don't have your job. You don't have your vehicle. You don't have any money. Let that absorb. You don't have anything... except your pet. I think about my pet, the most wonderful dog on earth. His name is Opie and he's a Jack Russell Terrier with an attitude. He sleeps on my feet every night. Think about your pet. What if your pet was all you had left in the world, but for very understandable reasons, he wasn't allowed at church? Here's your dilemma: Would you get rid of your pet so you could sleep indoors? Or would you do what Shaun has done, and brave out the storm in a tent that's covered with a tarp? Having lost everything else, she's not giving up her cat. After meeting her, Joe and I talked about it. Joe thought about Opie and said, "I'd sleep in the tent, too. If the dog were all I had, I wouldn't give him up for my own comfort." The wonderful thing about an animal is that it doesn't know you're homeless. He's happy to see you and he doesn't care if your clothes are old or haven't been washed. He's loyal to you, and all you've done to deserve that devotion is to give him affection. He looks at you like you're royalty. He doesn't know that you're choosing to sleep in a tent rather than indoors because the unconditional acceptance he gives you is all you have left in the world. If you had nothing else, would you give all that up? Shaun has been homeless for 3 months. She's amazed at the stereotyping of homeless people. "You're dressed nice," she told me. "If you stopped on the sidewalk to talk to one of your friends, no one would look twice at you. But if I stop and talk to another homeless person, it looks suspicious. We're asked what we're doing, where we've been, if we're carrying drugs." She said that if she were drinking a beer, she would expect some questions. But if she just looks homeless? "I haven't always lived like this. I have a skill. I went to culinary school and became a chef. If there were a job opening, I'd take it. I've heard that there might be jobs in Redding, but how does a homeless person, without a car, get to Redding?" Shaun is a beautiful person...the first thing I noticed about her was her clear skin and perfectly straight, clean teeth. She looked me in the eyes and said, "I'm not a drug addict, I'm not a drinker. I'm just someone who is down on their luck." Just someone who loves her cat. And someone who had the misfortune of having the flu during the storm. She said she asked for public assistance because she needed to be indoors while she was so sick, and was told to "hold a sign at Walmart." She said she didn't do it. Besides the fact that she was too sick, she didn't want to go to jail. (Note: I'm interested in talking to any public assistance workers.) We were near the place where she stays, kind of a precarious spot to get to, covered with rocks that are very slick. While we talked, an older homeless woman slipped on the rocks and fell on her wrist. It looked to be either broken or dislocated as it started to swell. Shaun guided her to a place where they could phone for help. What goes through your mind when you're hurt? Maybe you grab your insurance card? Get a friend to drive you to the hospital? Crying from the pain, this older lady said she didn't want to leave the camp. "How will I ever get back here? It's going to be dark soon." She was worried about Shaun leaving the cat alone. She didn't want Shaun to go to the hospital with her because of the cat. Our county is on the right track. PATH is staffed with volunteers who give of their time to be a good neighbor. My husband's aunt is retired and keeps herself busy volunteering. Churches are helping. Individuals are making a difference. No one should be left out in the storm. But let's not forget that some homeless people want to keep their dog. Government organizations can't be counted on to understand that kind of reasoning. They have guidelines and laws they must follow. To a computer generated graph, a cat isn't logical. However, not all of us make our decisions based on logic. Some of us can identify with wanting to keep our pet. I know there are people who justify their apathy by saying, "We can't be giving out charity to everyone. Some people take advantage of it." Let's not forget what charity really is. Charity is defined as a virtue, directing love toward your neighbor, recognizing that they are an object of God's love. Jesus said simply, "Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the sick, shelter the homeless." He didn't say, "unless they're an alcoholic or will take advantage of your good nature." One-fourth of homeless people in this country are children. There are 200,000 homeless children in the United States. The average age of a homeless person is 9 years old. 15% of homeless people are mentally ill. 46% have chronic physical conditions. These are the sick we're supposed to comfort. Do you still want to ignore the problem? But what can one person do, you might ask. Quite a bit, actually. One person can do something. Do you like wearing socks in the winter? One person could buy 7 pairs of thick socks for about $20. Wouldn't it be nice to have warm feet? $20...I spend more than that on coffee every month. Do you like sleeping with a pillow? One person could buy 8 pillows at Walmart for $24. Wouldn't it be nice to have a pillow? What a luxury that would be. One person could collect warm blankets from friends... It seems a crime that I have 4 extra blankets in my closet when people are outside in the cold and need them. Think about what you wouldn't have if you were homeless. What would you need the most? This past week has left me with a lot to think about. For sure, I'm going to do something about it. It's not hard to figure out where they live. I have extra money. I don't even need to go through an agency. I know how to do something. How I wish I were eloquent enough to write words that would stir even one person to care, to want to do something and then actually do it...even one person. If we don't care, God help us because we need more help than they do. If we don't care, surely we are poorer than they are. Donations can be sent to: PATH P.O. Box 315 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Visit PATH's website Contact Me Sign the Guestbook Back to the Home Page at www.redbluffismytown.com Sources: www.urban.org and Yahoo Reference |