What are we to become

What are we to become?

Who deserves our compassionate help? Do we only focus on the telethons celebrities declare provide aid to victims of major calamities? Do we support those government officials who want face time who invest in similar carnage?
There are so many avenues for the people of HAITI and rightly so, but we have a catastrophe of our own that is not receiving the notice it should and it is growing.

Here is a real life example of how our own country is quickly falling into a desperate struggle while whispers of pained agony nag at many of us, we wonder what may happen if we cannot find work when that last check or form of support arrives.

A young man was ushered into the freezing winter weather of Ohio from a warm grocery store. He was obviously homeless due to his unclean odor and appearance. His face had not felt the slide of a razor in weeks and his eyes told of incredible anguish of hunger, fear, desperation to be warm and he was scared.

A person made an effort to assist this young man, he did appear to be new to this environment as demonstrated by his exchange of five dollars for food. Cans of soup were on sail, a dollar each and other avenues of nourishment were comparably marked on sail.
He did not indicate he had any form of basic survival equipment like creating a fire for cooking, nor did he show he had the ability to understand how to prepare a can in the open environment.

He purchased two sandwiches that were meager for the quality they offered him for sustenance in this brutal weather. They failed to compare to the quantative value proposed by the soup, five for two and water or milk could be added; other ingredients could be added to increase their energy supply with a modest purchase.
He could have heated them over a makeshift campfire, using a fabricated steel platform for a stove. A small pot for cooking can easily be found for free quite easily. Unfortunately he did not indicate he had this ability at his disposal.

Due to the rules of any business, loiters are not to be present or must be removed immediately. Understandable when each is in place to produce an income for themselves and their staff.
But what do we do, when we see this occurring more and more often.
As the job market worsens more people are laid off. Millions have vanished from the unemployment listings and have not found work. Charitable organizations offer relief, but are limited to their resources and those that offer shelter appear to have time limitations. Perhaps in the larger cities like New York or Los Angeles time is regulated by who arrived first. In smaller communities like Akron Ohio, Canton Ohio, Wooster Ohio and so on this time is regulated by when you last registered.
A person who sought help for this young man discovered there would be no shelter provided for him, he had used up all his rights to a free roof, heat, bed and food.

Did I say - he used up all his rights to a free roof, heat, bed and food?
I must have.
So let’s look at this situation.

This young man did not ask to be laid off or what ever bad story came his way, but here is was nearing starvation. He obviously had reached a new level of understanding of his surroundings. He obviously couldn’t find a job, so many millions are in his situation. He no longer had access to housing of any kind. He no longer registered on any form of government listings for assistance or employment prospects. He simply exists before our eyes on the sidewalk, seeking a means to ensure he will live the next day.

For the moment he demonstrated he had the capacity to remain cooperative with our business society and our legal system. But this cooperation can be expected to diminish over time, how long does he have before he crosses over a new threshold for survival?

We are all human and we have basic instincts for survival, this has been proven over and over time. He is one of millions, who will snap first. The list of those who vanish from the government listings occur weekly and this is done by the hundred of thousands. Many were home owners with families, they went to church and supported their communities in varying fashions. Now such people as this are no better off than this one man, lost and desperate for survival.

Ahhh, but we are sending billions of dollars to HAITI!
True this nation did not ask for what happened. They did not prepare for an expected earthquake that would decimate the nation and its people. They had no idea it was about to happen, yet they were a poor nation. They had already received more than a billion dollars in aid from the United States before this catastrophe and there are people asking where it went.
So why should there be any concern where it went?
We seem to be more concerned where our tax dollars go among us and why one of our own citizens walks the streets. It might be safe to say a politician, a corporate CEO, an actor or musician or most people who have strong connections within our society may never experience such hardships, but it has happened from time to time. I’m sure one or more will discover this hellish lifestyle once more.

Will anyone care about them when they appear on the streets begging for hand outs and wondering how they will survive? Probably not after a few headlines from the tabloids and a notice from a newspaper. After awhile they will become another face and may find themselves shoved from a warm store into a freezing winter night, with nowhere to go or food to eat.

Perhaps we need to invest into some form of extension for our own people and their survival. Sure we will discover some bad apples along the way. The local police usually have these people on a watch list of some sort and perhaps they can be accommodated in a different fashion than those who would continue demonstrating a cooperative with society.
There are plenty of platforms that can be established for at least two levels of street living. A record of everyone can be created and maintained while support for these desperate people can continue. There are plenty of establishments in place who donate to these people, this is where the government can set up a safety net and still monitor everyone.

This position will not require a college degree to create a program. Just some simple know how for creating a written dialogue between the donating establishment, the local law enforcement, the Federal Government and the local government and any agencies that can offer guidance for job training, family support, and other forms of society within a lowered structure.

We must not forget the people who are vanishing from our neighborhoods, we must discover the means to help them stay one foot-hold from societical disaster. Our economy will recover one day, until then people and families are suffering horribly, many have never experienced such changes and each step down is one closer to a life that could become permanent. People who otherwise would never had considered taking measures they would be forced to consider as they are now.
One of these people or families can easily become one that I, you or we all know and respect.
They did not ask for this. There present situation has been thrust upon them by a devastated economy that continues to unravel itself.

Imagine.