End Homelessness

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week: A Rant and A Revelation

by Shannon Moriarty

Published November 18, 2008 @ 05:33AM PST

Each November, one week is dedicated to raising awareness about the hungry and homeless among us. 

Call me cynical, but condensing such a systemic and devastating issue like homelessness into just one tiny week of "awareness" hardly seems like it's going to move us closer to any real solutions. I mean, where is our national conscious the other 51 weeks of the year? What's more, the week is shared with two other "national awareness weeks": bullying awareness and geography awareness (assuming we all have maps...).

If you ask me, every week going forward should be deemed National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week until each man, woman, teen, and child in this country is safely housed and financially independent. 

To be clear, it's not that I am undermining the value and importance of the awareness and service activities that are taking place this week. These lectures, sleep-outs, and can drives are extremely important. In fact, shelters and food pantries will probably get a much-needed boost in donations this week. That alone makes me pause and reconsider my rant... but only for a moment. 

Here's the big idea: housing plays a crucial role in our lives. We identify with the places we live. Housing keeps us safe, healthy, and rooted our communities. It's connected to our schooling, our social networks, and even our opportunities in life. And so the implications of NOT being housed, of not having a home, are devastating. 

We know that homelessness has increased dramatically across the country. We know that foreclosures are displacing people everyday, sometimes without notice. We know that homelessness disproportionately affects veterans, children, and minorities. We know that the gap between income and living expenses has become so vast, that millions of people are just one or two paychecks away from becoming homeless themselves.

But we also know that it doesn't have to be this way. We know that if we make eradicating homelessness and providing housing a national priority, then we can find the resources to achieve these goals. Consider the Iraq war and the $700 billion bailout... money (or credit, perhaps) is always available to fund our national priorities. 

Every week should be National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week because we all have a vested interest in ensuring that every person in this country is safely housed with food on the table. An interest that should extend beyond this one week in November. 

But then, one week is a good start. If just one person feels a call to action as a result of this week, we're making progress. If one person calls their elected representatives and asks for homelessness to be a priority, that's progress too. We must recognize that real progress in ending homelessness will require leaps and bounds. These small steps, however, are also moving us in the right direction.

Alas, my idea probably won't hit the floor of Congress for a vote anytime soon. So I will use this little corner of the interweb to capitalize on the good will of the masses this week. Who knows, perhaps we can spur a little grassroots activism while we're at it!

Stay tuned... five days, five ways to get involved each day. So don't just sit there... DO something! 

Comments

  1. Deborah Hobson

      Here are my views.  Change is coming to American let us not forget Written by Deborah Hobson-- Bradenton FL Before the election was near end millions of Americans was inspired by Senator Obama.   By his strong message of hope and bringing this country back to what America stands for, There was large crowds cheering on embracing the idea that we the people are one people we are the united states,  This message rang in our ears from state to state across the world,    Now that the election is over, The excitement of new found hope as arrive the signs come down the rally’s are over the dust as settle and President Obama is rolling up his sleeves to face the worst mess this country as ever seen in many years, Lets not forget those messages we all heard and accepted from the bottom of our hearts,  Lets not forget the homeless, The jobless, The families that have been cripple by this dark hole, May we all dig deep in our hearts and carry out the message the chance of a life time to fix the broken homes, Hearts of those most affected by this horror.  Leave the bitter feelings of hate towards all walks of life in the past, embrace those that come to this country to escape the horrors of their own land because of fail leaders. Freedom rings for all, No one is looking for a hand out but a chance to be part of what a great nation as to offer. Just place yourself in those with less. walk in their  shoes those with children wouldn’t you want a better future for your children a chance of happiness full of hope and dreams, So does those that brave the great danger to bring their families to better lands, Let us never forget the men and women that die for us and fought for us. President Obama can not do this alone we must all join helping hands and do all that we can to keep this hope and dream alive every single day, If you have been blessed with the opportunity to a good education and Job Just remember it is not socialist to share those same opportunities to others, Just remember if you have two loafs of bread and only need one why not share that with your neighbor that as none.         This is not consider socialist This is lending a helping hand in time of great need, people assume that a homeless person made their own bed and now must lay in, Have you ever stop and ask that person how they become homeless? You may be shocked. Women on the streets are women that was unable to get a good education lost there spouse not enough income to pay rent and the basic needs to have shelter. People with no families to lend a helping hand.   We as Americans do not leave a stray dog on the side of the road but yet we find it so easy to walk over a man or women, As we walk by to our home with all the comfort of a warm bed a good book snacks to eat.. We don’t consider how this happen to those people until we ourselves are all most faced with the same, You see I know this because I too our one of those people,  How could this have happen I ask myself how could people be so blinded by what was taking place, How did this country get like this?. Was we so busy or wrap up in our own success we fail to see not everyone was so blessed, Did we really believe we work harder then those with less, Were we smarter then those with less education?          Did we ever once stop and think about how and why we have been blessed. Maybe our parents or grandparents worked really hard and left it all to us, Gave us a chance they never had. Did we take that for granted?  What is Rich and well off anyway? Does rich mean my heart beats different then yours, Is my skin a different color,  My looks different then yours? Maybe true but went you need blood to save your life do you ask did this come from someone rich? If not why? Because you needed it to save your life or your Childs life?     Of course you didn’t ask because you didn’t care if that blood come from someone homeless, or someone without education or someone without food, None of that matter because you needed it, You took it without even thinking or caring, But you was blessed because someone cared and gave maybe  That was all they had to give at the time, So this year during the holidays and all year, each  and every year after that just remember we are all Americans that care. Want all the hopes and  dreams and needs just like you.  So if you can change just one person’s life.  Just give that one person just one small gift, Maybe a hug maybe a kind word, maybe some spare change, maybe just a little hope then you my friend have lived the American dream. End     

    Posted by Deborah Hobson on 11/18/2008 @ 06:40AM PST

    • Report close

      You must be signed in to report content.
  2. Heather Koelle

    beautiful posts,Shannon and Deborah. HOmelessness is a disgrace in a country as rich as ours!The moeny has been spent on the wrong things,like Iraq.Now with our new man coming to the White House we have a chance to work with him to bring about cahnge in this area.He has the vision,compassion and intelligence to get the ball rolling.But like DEborah has said,he has inherited a ----load of probolems from the incompetence before in the last 8 years.so we must be patient,as things will not change in a day,but at least we will be moving in the right direction.In the meantime,let us all do our part to help the homeless in our own immediate areas. My church in Swarthmore,Pa is part of INterfiath Hospiutality Network,where several churches in the area take turns hosting homeless families for a week.WE provid breakfast lulnch and dinner,and during the day the IHN staff help the parents look for jobs and care for the younger children at a local ymca. The families have access to showers and a warm place during the day and then the churches provide a warm place for the night.IHN provides airbeds and we provide bedding,food and toiletries.WE work in shifts to share the meals and someone stays over night in case of any emergency that may happen. I am hoping this idea will take off in other areas.The churches ensure that these folks have a warm place to go and host on a rotating schedule.All the work from us at the churches is volunteer.
    LIving in a fairly well off area,I thank God every day for my blessings and believe they must be shared with those less fortunate."there but for the grace of God go I"
    I know Barack would support such a program.
    Heather Koelle,Wallingford,Pa

    Posted by Heather Koelle on 11/18/2008 @ 09:27AM PST

    • Report close

      You must be signed in to report content.
  3. leatrice brantley

    I live in Tampa, florida and I am doing what I can to help the Homeless.  I have offered my home as a resource for our Homeless Recovery Program.  I interviewed my first applicant several days ago.  She will move in a few days, just as soon as the county assistance program okays her paper work.   She is 40 years old, employed, not on drugs and has a clean criminal background.  She is part of the new breed of Homeless Americans.  The middle-class is suffering and I am doing something what I can to help.  We ALL are only 2 paychecks away from being Homeless in America! Our economic crisis in America is like what happened to the victims of Hurricane Katrina!  We are in the thralls of the Second Great Depression of 2008.  Thanks George Bush!  No BAIL-OUT for American Citizens.

    Posted by leatrice brantley on 11/18/2008 @ 10:40AM PST

    • Report close

      You must be signed in to report content.

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

Check Spelling

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Shannon Moriarty Shannon Moriarty
Boston, MA

Shannon traces her passion for the issue of homelessness back to the summer she worked in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco, which has the highest concentration of homelessness in the Bay Area. Since then, has worked in shelters in the Triangle region of North Carolina and now in the greater Boston area.

Related Blog Posts

Recommended Actions

close

This user's Profile page is not public. They have restricted it to only their friends.

Already a Member?

Create an Account

You must create a Change.org account to complete this action.
If you already have an account click here.

[X]

Attend the Presidential Inauguration!


The Case Foundation, a partner of Change.org, is running a campaign called "Change Begins With Me," which calls on citizens across the country to get involved by answering the question: how will YOU commit to bringing about change in your neighborhood, your community or your nation?

The winner will receive 2 tickets to the Presidential Inauguration and the Hawaii Inaugural Ball as well as flight and hotel accommodations in Washington, DC.

No idea is too big or too small. Everyone has a role to play.

To enter the competition, in 250 characters or less, complete this phrase:


Change begins with me.   I commit to...
 

160 characters left
 
 
 
 
I am 14 years or older and agree to the terms of service
I believe that Change Begins With Me. Please keep me informed about other Case Foundation initiatives.