Small Things Count

Homeless bum! Why does he choose that life?  This common gut-reaction comes from not knowing what actually puts people on the streets.  The Assn. of Bay Area Governments cited four major causes of homelessness: chronic drug/alcohol abuse (33%), serious mental illness (22%), domestic violence (18%), and youth (14% under age 18).  People get caught up in circumstances they can’t control and didn’t set out to be in. No, we can’t magically solve the complex problem of homelessness, but we can change our mind-set.  From our new perspective grows a different way of talking to others about the problem, thus changing their attitudes, as well–plus a new way of treating homeless people we encounter (warning: it will be harder to ignore them).  Contact an organization dealing with any of the root causes and, along with others who have had an “attitude transplant,” work toward reuniting our homeless brothers and sisters with the rest of our human family.