The Homeless

The Homeless & beggars

My wife is getting her MPH at BYU. Last week she and her classmates went around Salt Lake City stopping at places like the Fourth Street Clinic, American Cancer Society, and the Utah Department of Health to learn how each organization's system worked. 

The Fourth Street Clinic provides health care to the homeless. The only requirement to receiving the care is that you're homeless. They determine your homelessness by asking where have you slept the past few nights. The only kind of health care they do not provide is bone setting and baby deliverance(but they will refer you to where you can go to have the free health care for these things).

Kylee was able to speak with one of the representatives at the clinic. One comment the rep. made was that "It would surprise you how busy homeless people are." When Kylee asked her what she meant, she told her how they have almost no free time in their day. When they wake up they have to go stand in a line to get food. This can take quite a while. Then they have to go stand in line at a shelter to secure a place to sleep for the night. This can take hours out of a day. Especially if one shelter is full and they end up having to walk to another one and stand in line again for another few hours. Then they have to stand in line again for more food. Often times they have some type of illness or injury that requires a visit with the doctor. They then have to go to the Fourth Street Clinic and stand in line for hours more. By the time they've taken care of their needs maybe they will then have some time left in the day to humiliate themselves asking perfect strangers for money on a freeway exit.

At work one day we were driving from Idaho back to Utah and we drove past a beggar. One of my co-workers whipped out his wallet like he had been in this situation a hundred times and pulled out a ten dollar bill. When he started rolling down the window another co-worker said "Don't give that to him". The first guy stopped, later explaining that he thought his co-worker knew of some policy that wouldn't allow firefighters to give out money or something. By the time he realized that wasn't the case, the car had started driving again and the beggar was left without relief. 

The guy who had told him to stop said "You're not helping him by giving him money. He is learning to be lazy, may go use the money to buy drugs or alcohol, and it won't motivate him to go get a job and take care of himself." 

The guy who was going to give money felt pretty bad. He told me that next time he is in that situation, consequences be damned, he is going to give relief to the beggar.

After having seen this play out at work and hearing what beggars and the homeless actually go through day to day, the worn and tired argument that  "they'll misuse the money" or "it teaches them to be lazy" doesn't seem so valid. Because giving them money can save them hours in a day by letting them buy a meal instead of having to stand in line for it. This way they can have time to look for a job. Or maybe it will help them find some clothes that would be suitable for a job interview that they wouldn't be able to buy otherwise.

After thinking about it for a while I thought, who cares what they do with the money anyways? Aren't we supposed to give to those who ask? Give our coat to him that sues for out cloak? Bless them that curse you? Not judge the beggar? 

Honestly, if the only relief this poor guy gets is buying a couple beers to take his mind off of stuff because it is the only thing he knows how to do to gain relief, then freak… Have some money brother. Maybe some day someone can teach him a better way. Or maybe showing compassion is the best way to teach and the beggar can think about that and let it change them.

Just something I have been thinking about.