Addressing the Root Cause of Homelessness
I love all people, including the
homeless. I have worked, by God’s grace,
4 plus years in homeless ministry services.
Though I love them, I have also come to some important conclusions about
them. Mostly, homeless ministry services
temporarily help individuals for a brief time in their lives, but it does not
solve homelessness in any manner. Let me
explain why I believe this.
First off, I separate homeless
people into two main groups: average middle class Americans who temporarily lost
their way in life, and the perpetual homeless who cause trouble to those around
them. The root cause of temporary homelessness comes
from being born into poverty, or a series of bad choices which they soon
rectify. I was homeless for three months
in 2013, and it was caused by choosing a school major (psychology) which led to
no jobs after graduation.
Of the perpetual homeless
population, the root cause of their homelessness comes from a selfish pride
against God Almighty. That selfish pride
manifests itself into an inflated ego.
This inflated ego is fueled by hatred toward the general population of
wherever they live.
The homeless continually foster
this prideful ego by telling themselves, “I am the best person on the
planet. All other people suck compared
to me.” Because the average perpetual homeless
person believes they are the best person in the world, they believe that other
people should serve them.
Unfortunately, they disdain the thought
of serving other people for they are below them in every way. Because they view themself as the only right
person in the world, they fail at serving others. This means that they cannot hold down a job,
for the very nature of a job is to serve your fellow man/woman.
Because they cannot hold down a
job, for that would be giving in to the idea that they are not the most
important person in the universe, they cannot pay rent. They feed off of other’s good works and
income until in a fit of pride they attack the hand that feeds them. Then they get booted out to “the streets.”
“The streets” is a place to live
where people do not have to love or serve other people. There does exist a freedom in that: freedom
to travel, freedom from caregiving others, freedom to explore, etc. It is the true definition of free dumb.
For in their free dumb, they live
off of everyone else who is, at that time, being a better person than
they. They live off of those free
handouts of food and housing until they get denied their free handout. Then they spurn the very person who once
helped them, including all of humanity.
Until the selfish homeless person
repents and makes themself right with God, an act that most assuredly demands
serving others, the person will perpetually remain in homelessness. A handout more so helps the church or
business to gain donations. It makes the
benefactors look good.
Almost everyone who gives handouts
to the homeless shortly realizes that their handouts do not actually solve
anything. Yet the handouts continue
because people donate to charity organizations that affect the community positively. They donate even if it solves no root issue.
That being said, handouts that
require some sort of giving back – some sort of work by those who receive them,
tend to do well. Will work for food is a
good motto. Not only do work-for-handout
programs work well, but it also solves the only issue that benefactors can
solve: to help one who truly desires to help themself.
All other works tend to steer into
the realm of vanity. Like scooping water
out of a sinking boat, getting handouts once usually spurs the desire to depend
on more handouts. However grim, the plus
side is that free handouts do help a church raise funds.
Jesus Christ came to heal the sick,
but not those who denied having a sickness.
The perpetual homeless deny any attempt at confronting their pride. Jesus Christ moved on; I think the world
would do well to be like him.
He looked for those thirsty for
God, not those in self-denial.
Occasionally God will overlook someone’s pride and spurn others toward
compassionate giving, but this is rare.
In general, a handout to the homeless helps to raise funds, but solves nothing
ultimately.
Should people still give? Yes, but only when God floods them with compassion. Otherwise, it becomes selfish giving. Something like, “I give to homeless because I
can tell myself that I’m a better person for it.”
The lack of discernment here leads
to vanity - the sustainment of
homelessness, not the solution. The
homeless will always ask for handouts, and richer people will always be giving
them, some for absolute selfish reasons.
Regardless, we must pray for the homeless, for prayer moves mountains.
Two things I would like to see homeless
ministry leaders do in the future: A) ALWAYS pair a handout with the
requirement to attend religious services.
B) Move homeless services away from downtown areas.
Concerning the religious services mandate,
handouts get people’s attention but does not kill pride. But God, in the form of the Holy Spirit will
change pride in someone when they attend a religious service. Remember that Jesus Christ healed spiritual
sickness first by bringing those who wanted repentance closer to God.
To the prideful, Jesus Christ condemned
them because he could not miracles around them.
This also applies to the homeless.
Jesus Christ warns us to sow seeds of hope, faith and love with
discretion.
Foolish farmers sow seeds on rocky
soil. People who care should till the
soil, thus seeing who really wants their handout. Require some sort of work, and the people
will separate themselves into two groups: the willing, and the prideful.
Remember, God says that “though you
grind him with mortar and pestle among the wheat, yet you still will not remove
a fool from their folly.” Handouts do
not improve pride; in fact, they can fuel it.
Free handouts can catalyze a sense of entitlement.
Concerning moving homeless services
to rural areas, homeless camps have taken over many areas of downtown
Salem. They thrive because benefactors
support them. If we who help the homeless
would move our services away from downtown and into rural areas, away from low
crime communities, then the homeless will be forced to thrive and multiply elsewhere.
Until this happens, I do not see
the homeless problem being solved in downtown Salem. It is like putting a band aid on an infected
wound. It helps but doesn’t cure.
Instead fix the problem – fix the
pride. This will be like giving a
life-saving antibiotic. Bring the prideful
people to God and let Yahweh fix what only God can fix.
Your brother in the beloved grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Christopher Allen Comer
www.anointedforChrist.com
