I say that I don't judge others. But that's not true.
This morning, while on my way to work, I stopped for a red light and sitting on the corner was an unkempt man with a makeshift sign that read "Homeless, Please Help."
The ironic thing is that he was panhandling in front of a fast food restaurant that had a large help wanted sign on the building offering $15.00 an hour to start, plus a $1,000 bonus if the employee stayed for a certain period.
After I drove on I was wondering why there are so many homeless people when there are so many entry-level jobs available. But, after a while I realized that it was none of my business why they couldn't find a job and that it wasn't very spiritual of me to have an opinion about it.
The reasons for homelessness are many and quite complex, according to the few articles I've read on the subject. One lengthy article said that a majority of the homeless have either mental issues or drug addictions - or both. With those kind of issues it's quite difficult for homeless people to turn their lives around and reintegrate into the community.
For example, if we expect a homeless person to apply for work, he or she is going to need decent clothing and a place to shower, shave and become presentable. And that's a big hill to climb when someone doesn't even have the basics, such as a wardrobe and transportation. And judgement from people like me doesn't make a difference because I believe that most of the homeless don't really care what others think. They're simply trying to survive.
The city I live in has purchased an old 70 room motel on the edge of the city that is going to be used to house the homeless. Perhaps that will make a difference, though I'm not very optimistic about it making a dent in the large population of homeless we see in our community.
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