I'm not sure how I feel about admitting this, but I don't think I know how to relate to someone who is homeless. I have never been in their shoes; I have always had a roof over my head and knew where my next meal was coming from. I have helped out in a food kitchen and given out blankets and sack lunches in the winter, but I realize this does not come close to bringing me into a world that seems so precarious.
In 2009, approximately 1.5 million people around the country were without permanent housing, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Even though I've felt crippled by my ignorance, I've searched for ways to help. About a year ago I came across a news program featuring a non-profit organization that combines support, mentoring and soccer. That's right: Soccer.
Lawrence Cann, an avid soccer player himself, founded Street Soccer USA in 2004 while working with the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, NC. He recognized the unique combination of teamwork and mentoring as a way to provide reintegration for someone who has lost his home.