Most of us are not social workers, case managers or substance abuse counselors. We have little crisis or suicide prevention knowledge and no real expertise in dealing with anger management issues or de-escalation tactics. On issues of abuse and trauma, we hardly know what to say. On most mental health issues, we hardly know what to think.
Job training and placement, as well as housing, are not typically within our bailiwick. In short, we have no training in addressing the vast issues that face many people experiencing homelessness.
Without these skills, most of us don’t believe we can make a difference, and because of it, we have become spectators of an ever-increasing humanitarian crisis.
When I first met Joseph, it was winter. He was in a wheelchair, playing his guitar and singing “People are Strange” by The Doors.
Joseph uses a wheelchair because his big toes have been amputated, making it difficult to keep his balance. Despite this, just before I met him, he climbed to the top of the 600-foot KIRO tower on Queen Anne Hill, creating a media sensation. Joseph and I became fast friends.
Several years later, he came into my architecture office and said, “I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate our friendship and to say goodbye.” He told me he had a gun and that he was going to kill himself. I’d never seen him so depressed. After talking for a short bit, he let me call his case manager, who then called the police. After they arrived and scribbled some notes, one officer gently bent down to take Joseph’s arm and said, “Come on, buddy, we’re gonna get you some help.”
Joseph looked up and said, “I don’t need help. I need love.”
There is no reason for us to be spectators in the face of homelessness when we hold the most important tool for healing, and that is loving.
There is no reason for us to be spectators in the face of homelessness when we hold the most important tool for healing, and that is loving.
So, why aren’t we reaching out more to those suffering?
When we discuss homelessness, so often our thoughts are consumed by issues of mental health, drug abuse, criminal behavior, safety, poverty, housing and more. No wonder we have become spectators. It is extremely overwhelming and complicated. But what we often forget is that in the middle of that complexity stands a human being, alone and in need. What if we didn’t have to make it so complicated? What if we didn’t have to fix the person or solve their problems? What if our job is just to love, and we allow services to be provided by service professionals? Everyone functions better when they feel loved.
We can begin by first seeing the homelessness crisis as a symptom of a larger crisis — a community crisis. This is an important distinction. When we say “homelessness crisis,” we look at those people over there as the “other,” as something needing to be “fixed.”
When we say “community crisis,” we include ourselves. This fundamentally changes our relationship to the issue. It now involves us.
We must also remove the barriers around homelessness. Not those that the homeless experience in their struggles, but rather our own. When we say “she is lazy” or “he is choosing to be homeless” or any number of other negative stereotypes without getting to know that person, we are hearing our own barriers. Looking there first is the hard work of ending homelessness. Perhaps this is why it has been so difficult to accomplish. But we can change that.
The barriers we place between us and those suffering are of our own construction, which means we can also deconstruct them. We can begin by knowing that every person is beautiful and worth loving, regardless of what has happened to them and regardless of how it challenges us.
The barriers we place between us and those suffering are of our own construction, which means we can also deconstruct them.
As we begin to come closer to those in need, beautiful new pathways naturally open. Solutions we could not see before, hidden behind our barriers, suddenly become obvious and achievable. When we “Just Say Hello,” we become less overwhelmed by the larger issue and more understanding, more genuinely loving, of the individual. In this moment of seeing the person, we join the solution for ending homelessness.
Rex Hohlbein is the founder and creative director for the nonprofit Facing Homelessness and co-principal of BLOCK Architects.
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