"I Got You"

I am just thinking today about how unfair our society is. We claim to be the greatest nation on earth, but how can we do that when we have so many people who are homeless? How can we claim that, when we have so many people who cannot afford healthcare? And I know all about the people who say, “well, get a job!” Ok, but what about the people who cannot get a job?  What about the people who are disabled and cannot work?  Get on disability, right? Do you know how long that takes? A minimum of 6 months. That’s if everything goes smoothly. And what do you do during that time? Not everyone will have enough money saved up to sustain themselves for that amount of time. So what do they do if they suddenly become disabled and cannot work? Live with family? What if you have no family, or your family is unable or unwilling to help? And let’s take it a step further and say that they are able to get on social security disability in a reasonable amount of time. Then what? Do you think that social security disability is enough to live off of? Do you think that after that person pays their rent, their bills, and buys food that they will actually have money left?  They are lucky if they can just pay their rent with the amount of money that they will receive. Most likely, they will have to live with someone else. But again, what if they have no one?

And taking that a step further, families used to live together and help each other in big houses or on properties that they owned together on land that they worked together. Who does that now? Most houses aren’t even built big enough to hold large families. And if they are, the cost of those homes is out of range for most people who would need to live like that.

And what about if you lose your job? Get unemployment, right? What if you don’t qualify for whatever reason? And if you do qualify, there is a limit to how much you get from that, too.  Again, how can you live on such a small amount without help from someone else?  You hope that you have enough money saved up for emergencies. But the fact is, many people in America are one paycheck away from being homeless.

So let’s talk about homelessness. Many communities try to “control homelessness” by doing things like making it impossible for people to sleep under bridges, or cutting down treelines where homeless people tend to seek shelter, or not allowing them to put up tents. So then the homeless people move to other areas (they aren't gone, you just can't see them). Or they go hang out at businesses. Then eventually the police are called because they are loitering. Then they go to jail. Which gives them a record. Which makes it less likely that they can get a job.

And just for the heck of it, let’s talk about healthcare. Because if you are homeless or without a job, you likely don’t have healthcare. So, what if you get sick? I’m not talking about a cold. I’m talking like, really sick. Then what do you do? No job, no money, no home, and soon you have no respect.

And then there is more…I don’t consider myself a political person, but I keep hearing talk about doing away with the little amount of help that we get from the government.

So in America, if you are smart, have a good job, and a house, you are ok. People are happy to hang around you. But the very second that you start losing any of those things, everyone turns on you. “I can’t help everyone,” they say. No, you can’t. But maybe you can help some. Or if you can’t, maybe you can donate to an organization that you know is going to help people like that. Churches should do more if the government won’t, right? Which churches actually do that?  I know of a few. But not many. If something like that happened to you, would you know which churches you could depend on? Which government agencies? Which organizations? 

We need to do better. We are failing our population. We turn our heads away from those who need it most. “Not my problem,” right? Until it IS your problem. Then it’s too late. Because then YOU are the one who needs help. Stop closing your eyes to these problems. Be a part of the solution.