Is Lee really helping?

When I woke up this morning I thought, Crap, I don't know where else to visit that relates to my project. So, I walked outside and looked around at the beautiful campus before me. I had an epiphany. Lee University is the place I visited today.

Why Lee University, you ask? Sadness, hopelessness, poverty, homelessness, it exists everywhere. Even on a Christian campus. It exists the moment you step out your front door.

I wanted to find out how much charity work students think Lee University, as a whole, does. In simpler terms, add up all the service hours each Lee student does within a semester. What is that number? I asked 45 people this question and here are the percentages:

• 20,000- 30,000 Hours per Semester= 13%
• 31,000- 40,000 Hours per Semester= 19%
• 41,000- 50,000 Hours per Semester= 30%
• >50,000 Hours per Semester= 38%

The largest amount of people said that Lee as a whole does above 50,000 hours per semester. Lets look at the math:

There are 4,115 students at lee. 3,353 are full time, which means they have to complete 80 service hours in 4 years. That equals to around 10 a semester:

3,353x10= 33,530 Hours per Semester

Add in faculty service (about 140 people) and assume they do about 5 hours of service per semester:
33,530+ (140x5)= 34,230 Hours per Semester 

Now, I am no math major and this is just estimation. But, we here at Lee often times think we are doing more than we are. And in actuality, this applies not just to Lee, but most organizations and  communities in the USA.

My goal here is to get you thinking. Don't take someone's word on the subject of charity. Find out for yourself how much is actually being done. Your help is needed more than you know.

Day 22

As I walked through campus today, I saw a homeless woman sitting outside of the PCSU eating a Chickfila chicken sandwich. This wasn't what made me sad though. I mean, I love Chickfila and homeless people! What made me sad was that she was all alone.

Lee University is a Christian campus. Mission majors, pastoral majors, theology majors and many other types of religion majors make up a hefty percentage of our campus. These people are Christians (Note that I am generalizing the term Christian here. There are non-Christains at Lee, also.). There are also many non-religion majors here at Lee also that see themselves as Christians. 

At Lee University, home of the Flames, we strive to be the best Christians we can be. We take Bible classes, and ethics courses, and the ever-so-popular Benevolence class to enhance our spirituality. We are also required to take a cross-cultural trip (missions trip) before we graduate. We do everything right to be the perfect Christians. 

Daily, I hear so many students say this: " I can't wait to be on the mission field!", "I want to go to (Insert foreign country here)  and help people and minster to people!" Lately, my eyes have been opened. And when I saw that poor woman sitting there, alone, on a primarily Christian campus, I was struck. How can we say we are ready to go find people of another language, ethnicity, and culture and minster to them, if we can even see people of our own culture that God has put right in front of our faces? We can't. Missions starts here. Try seeing instead of just looking. 

Out of sight, out of mind.

Something I am beginning to discover about poverty is that there is not just one type. Go to the streets; you will see whites, blacks, hispanics, 10 year olds, 80 year olds. This is diverse problem and  there is no specific formula to cure it. 

Today's post is supposed to come from the Lee University library database, however I am having some major technical difficulties. Instead, I found a newsletter from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). This newsletter is titled Ending Rural Homelessness: Advice from Experts in the Field. USICH spoke with 2 sources: Dreama Shreve from the Appalachian Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, and Dr. Tom Simpatico of Pathways to Housing Vermont and the University of Vermont, on the nature of homelessness in rural areas and ways to improve services.

In the beginning of the article, Shreve says that due to transportation, homelessness in rural areas is more sprawled out rather than centralized. Being from a rural, Georgian town, I can attest to this. Rarely do we see homeless people because they are so spread out which makes them harder to spot. This can mean more extreme poverty and homelessness because the problem is hidden. Unfortunately, rural towns often fall subject to the saying, "out of sight, out of mind." 

"The nature of rural communities often obscures the homeless population.  Unlike urbanized areas, rural communities seldom have in place a formal social service network that would facilitate measuring the problem." 

-Dr. Simpatico

Dr. Simpatico drew out his take on the 4-way stratification of homeless citizens:

• The Traditional Homeless: People living unsheltered on the street, the characteristics are similar to people experiencing chronic homelessness in urban areas. They often suffer from substance abuse, personal tragedy, or mental or physical disabilities.  They generally have had little recent attachment to the labor force and have trouble maintaining a permanent address or securing employment. 
• The Working Poor: Often driven by financial hardship, this group has been growing in recent years.  They are often one- and two-parent families with children.  They often double-up with friends/friendly acquaintances and/or move frequently in search of work.
• Displaced Farmers and Farm Workers: Farm foreclosures cause displacement for many who rely on farms for work and livelihood. Since it is often difficult to resell property after foreclosure, farmers are often permitted to stay on the land.  There is often despondency involved as farms have been in a family’s possession for generations; there is a sudden loss of personal identity as well as financial security. 
• Veterans: Veterans are more likely to live in rural areas than other households and Veterans in rural areas tend to be older and in worse health than Veterans in urban areas.  Because rural Veterans experiencing homelessness are not easily identifiable and not engaged in services

Throughout this newsletter, both Shreve and Simpatico emphasize the invisible problem rural communities face. Extreme poverty exists everywhere, not where we can see it. 

2 Corinthians 4:16–18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 

For more information on this newsletter, please visit this website:

http://www.usich.gov/issue/rural_homelessness/ending_rural_homelessness_advice_from_experts_in_the_field/

The Poverty Challenge

Can you survive in poverty? A lot of hidden rules are taken for granted by a particular class. We have the knowledge to survive in our class, but are probably woefully unprepared to survive in another class. How well would you do in another class? 

This is a survey to see if you could survive in any other class besides your own. It was taken from this site: Could You Survive in Wealth?

How many of these tasks do you know how to accomplish?

1. I know which churches and agencies provide free clothing.
2. I know which grocery stores’ garbage bins can be accessed for thrown-away food.
3. I know how to get someone out of jail.
4. I know how to fight and defend myself physically.
5. I know how to get a gun, even if I have a police record.
6. I know how to keep my clothes from being stolen at the laundromat.
7. I know how to get by without a chequing account.
8. I know how to live without electricity or a phone.
9. I know all the local bus routes and times.
10. I can entertain a group of friends with my personality and my stories.
11. I know how to move in half a day.
12. I know what to do when I don’t have money to pay the bills.
13. I am very good at trading and bartering.

COULD YOU SURVIVE IN THE MIDDLE CLASS?

How many of these tasks do you know how to accomplish?

1. I know how to get my kids into Little League, piano lessons, etc.
2. I know how to properly set a table.
3. I know which stores are likely to carry the clothing that my family likes to wear.
4. My children know the best name brands in clothing.
5. I know how to order in a nice restaurant.
6. I know how to use a credit card, chequing account and savings account. I understand term life insurance, disability insurance, house insurance, flood insurance and replacement insurance.
7. I talk to my children about going to university.
8. I know how to help my children with their homework and do not hesitate to call the school if I need additional information.
9. I know how to decorate the house for the different holidays and have decorations on hand.
10. I know how to get a library card.
11. I know how to use many of the tools in the basement or garage.
12. I repair broken items in my house almost immediately, or know a repair service and call it.

COULD YOU SURVIVE IN WEALTH?

How many of these tasks do you know how to accomplish?

1.  I can read a menu in French, English and another language.
2. I have several favourite restaurants in different countries of the world.
3. During the holidays , I know how to hire a decorator to identify the appropriate themes and items with which to decorate the house.
4. I know who my preferred financial advisor, legal service, designer and domestic-employment service are.
5. I have at least two residences that are staffed and maintained.
6. I know how to ensure confidentiality and loyalty from my domestic staff.
7. I have at least two or three “screens” that keep people whom I do not wish to see away from me.
8. I fly in my own plane, the company plane, or business class.
9. I know how to enroll my children in the preferred private schools.
10. I know how to host the parties that “key” people attend.
11. I am on the boards of at least two charities.
12. I know the hidden rules of the local exclusive women’s organization.
13. I support or buy the work of a particular artist.
14. I know how to read a corporate financial statement and analyze my own financial statements.

This grid provides an overview of some of the hidden rules among those living in poverty, the middle class, and wealth.

	POVERTY	MIDDLE CLASS	WEALTH
POSSESSIONS	People	Things	One-of-a-kind objects, pedigree pets and family
MONEY	To be used, spent	To be managed	To be conserved, invested.
PERSONALITY	Is for entertainment. Sense of humour highly valued.	Is for acquisition and stability. Achievement is highly valued.	Is for connections. Financial, political, social connections are highly valued.
SOCIAL EMPHASIS	Social inclusion of people they like.	Emphasis on self-management and self-sufficiency.	Emphasis on social exclusion.
FOOD	Key question: Did you have enough? Quantity important.	Key question: Did you like it? Quality important.	Key question: Was it presented well?  Presentation important.
CLOTHING	Clothing valued for individual style and expression of personality.	Clothing valued for quality and middle class acceptance. Label important.	Clothing valued for its artistic sense and expression.  Designer important.
TIME	Present most important. Decisions made for moment based on feelings or survival.	Future most important. Decisions made against future ramifications.	Traditions and history most important.  Decisions made partially on basis of tradition and decorum.
EDUCATION	Valued and revered as abstract but not as reality.	Crucial for climbing success ladder and making money.	Necessary tradition for making and maintaining  connections.
DESTINY	Believes in fate.  Cannot do much to mitigate chance.	Believes in choice. Can change future with good choices now.	Noblesse oblige: The wealthy have an obligation to conduct themselves nobly.
LANGUAGE	Casual register.  Language is about survival.	Formal register. Language is about negotiation.	Formal register.  Language is about networking.
FAMILY STRUCTURE	Tends to be a combination of matriarchal, and patriarchal, depending on the issue.	Tends to be patriarchal.	Patriarchal unless the woman has the money.
WORLD VIEW	Sees world in terms of local setting.	Sees world in terms of national setting.	Sees world in terms of international view.
LOVE	Love and acceptance conditional, based upon whether person is liked.	Love and acceptance conditional and based largely upon achievement.	Love and acceptance conditional and related to social standing connections.
DRIVING FORCE	Survival, relationships, entertainment.	Work, achievement.	Financial, political,         social connections.

I failed. I can't survive in any class other than college student. This was just a way for us to see that no class is better than another. We each have gifts, talents, and niches that we thrive in. Judgement shouldn't be given to any class because odds are, you couldn't do what they do. 

Stitches

Stitches 

Swaddling babe on a cold winter night

Lay on a front porch, under a light.

No body’d wanted me.  Nobody’d cared.

One thing protected me: a quilt someone shared.

Pieces of cotton though very low cost,

Kept me from dying right there in the frost.

The inside was warm, as soft as a dove,

But outside was strong, with a backing of love.

From “Stitch-In-The-Ditch” to “Freemotion” style,

Types of stitching go on mile after mile.

The waft of fried chicken and Georgia peach tarts,

The age of this quilt showed the age of their hearts.

A rainbow surrounds me, so vivid and true,

From fluorescent orange to robins egg blue.

Tea cakes and coffee, a crackling white fire,

A dwindling art form they would not retire.

Purposeful stitching.  Each one had shared.

Lives will be changed because my life was spared.

I wrote this poem to describe the need for help. So many people are begging for love, the underclass, the working class, even the upperclass citizens. When we truly sew into people's lives, It lasts. Their life can be renewed, along with yours. Both hearts will be warmed. This will ultimately result in a domino effect that can potentially shed light and love to other people who are hurting and longing for love and peace.  

The Working Poor

Today, I want to concentrate on the working poor. During my foodbank visit, I realized that many of the people that are blessed by this ministry are working poor, not underclass citizens. This social class is often times over looked and most definitely over-stereotyped. In the article Working Poor, Working Hard, by Katherine Newman, this economic class is discussed and defended. 

Newman, who has written or co-authored 12 books, has focused much of her scholarly work on the lives of the working poor and mobility up and down the economic ladder. 

"Conservatives insist that poor adults got where they are because they haven't the brains to do better, lack the moral fiber to restrain their sexual urges, or have succumbed to the easy out-of-state support that, we are told, puts people on the federal payroll for having children out of wedlock. What fails to register in the national imagination is the fact that the vast majority of poor people do work for a living."

If I asked you how many times you have made a joke about never working at McDonalds, what would your answer be? My answer would be....a lot. But these people hold jobs that no one else wants, yet we all depend on. 

"The ones [jobs] that pay with minimum wage try the strength and patience of anyone who has ever tried to hold them and subject their incumbents to a lingering stigma. Hamburger flippers, bed-makers, bedpan cleaners."

According to Newman, there are around 30 million  people in the US that fit the description of working poor. 

"They are as far from the shiftless stereotype as one can imagine. Their full-time, year-round earnings are so meager that despite their best efforts they can't afford decent housing, diets, health care or child care. Apart from the Earned Income Tax Credit--perhaps the most important antipoverty program of the past twenty years, now threatened with dismemberment--we've devoted precious little attention to support of the working poor."

I realize I am quoting a lot in this blog today, but Newman is really hitting the nail on the head. The working poor are hard workers. And we as a society, don't give this class enough credit why? Because of the small percentage that sheds bad light among this class. Let's open our eyes and mind to the true life of the working poor, not the stereotype. 

Foodbank

Lately, I have had a heard time broadening my views on this project. I can't seem to think of creative places to go, or creative questions, or even creative insights on homelessness. However, this all changed when I visited the Cleveland Foodbank. 

Here is some contact info just to start off:

Cleveland Foodbank, Inc.
15500 South Waterloo Road
Cleveland, OH 44110
Phone: 216.738.2265
Fax: 216.738.1604

I visited the foodbank because of 2 reason: 1) I have never been to a foodbank before, and 2) I wanted to  experience a wider range of people in different economic classes. I have been so solely concentrated on the lowest economic class, homelessness, I hadn't broadened my view to include the underclass or the working poor.

As I observed the foodbank ministry I saw not only homeless people come in and eat, I saw people with work clothes on. People with Jobs. I saw kids with bookbags on doing their homework. I was astonished! 

I approached one woman who was wearing her hotel maid attire and asked her a series of questions. Because It took me forever to type all those questions a few blogs ago, I am just going to summarize what she told me.  

Her name is Alaina. She is 43 years old and works at a hotel in Ooltewah. She has 2 kids: Jane, who is 15, and Andrew, who is 10. She has been a single mom since her husband abandoned her and her kids 7 years ago. As I talked to her and learned her story I realized I couldn't do what she does. 

Throughout the time I was at the foodank, I was able to ask most of the people there if they had a job or not. Out of the 100 people who entered and left, 45 had jobs and 32 didn't (the remaining 23 were kids). 

I began to think and reflect and realize how close minded our society is. We think of a foodbank and automatically assume everyone there is homeless. But how wrong we are. I haven't figured out what this discovery truly means yet, but as I contemplate on it, I have some interesting thoughts that I will share on my October 27 post. 

Matthew 25:35-36

Today I want to talk about religion. My religion is Christianity, however I recognize that there are numerous other religions. Throughout this experiment, I've seen people helping the homeless and others not. I wanted to find out what religious group "gives" the most. 

Giving is a complex word because it is full of variables. What is "giving" to one person may not be "giving" to the next. An example? Yesterday, I gave a homeless man a chocolate milk. To me that was giving. Someone else may think that giving him chocolate milk was pointless, and that I should have given him money so that he could buy what he actually needed. This is a difference of opinion ultimately resulting from the different teachings we received on what giving truly means. 

In my last post, we discovered that religious groups are more likely to be generous and prosocial than non-religious groups. Now, I am trying to find out which religious group gives the most. To be honest, I have been researching for two hours and have discovered....ZIP! I did find statistics talking about charitable giving in general:

• Total giving in 2011 was 11% below giving in 2007, before the charitable sector felt the effects of the recession. 
• Historically, religious groups have received the largest share of charitable donations. While this is still true in 2011, the percentage dropped by 2% from 2010.
• 32% of all donations, or $95.88 billion, went to religious organizations (down 1.7%). Much of these contributions can be attributed to people giving to their local place of worship.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=42

As you can see, giving has decreased in recent year. Also, a majority of giving is through tithing in religious churches. Does this constitute as giving to the poor? In a way, yes. But let's not forget that God has called us to act: 

Matthew 25:35-36

New International Version (NIV)

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Prosocial?

Do Christians practice what they preach? Some do, some don't. According to Does Religious Belief Promote Prosociality? A Critical Examination, written by Luke W. Galen, they do. 

"There are numerous studies supporting that the association between religiosity and prosociality as conceptualized by greater charitable giving and social engagement such as volunteering and community participation." 

This article also suggests specific reasons why giving is usually seen in religious people: 

1. Participation in a religious group ("religiously-based social networking")
2. Religious institutions and rituals
3. Religious concepts
4. Desire for meaning, purpose, and wellbeing
5. Action is important to God
6. Morals 
7. Higher being is watching
8. More action means higher position

Though some of these reasonings are false, they are all important to be aware of. What prompts religious people, specifically Christians, to be proactive and prosocial?

This article was of specific interest to me because it asks the question "Do religious people help more than non-religious people?" I think this question is important to answer because as Christians, we should stand out. And if we aren't, something needs to change.

The Underclass

This week, I decided to interview someone who is associated with a nonprofit organization based out of Atlanta, GA. This interviewee asked to be unnamed, so I will respect his wish. I decided to interview this man because he has been involved with ministry for about 20 years and has a countless amount of knowledge on the subject of poverty. His concentration now is on the at-risk youth of Atlanta. He is helping them break the poverty cycle. 

In this interview he told me many great facts about poverty and homeless. He also told me stories of his experiences ranging from gang interaction to prayer for homeless children. So far, in my blog, I haven't mentioned specific types of people who are homeless. 

Here are some statistics taken from

National Coalition for the Homeless:

AGE

In 2003, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population; 42% of these children were under the age of five (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2004). This same study found that unaccompanied minors comprised 5% of the urban homeless population. However, in other cities and especially in rural areas, the numbers of children experiencing homelessness are much higher.  According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, in 2004, 25% of homeless were ages 25 to 34; the same study found percentages of homeless persons aged 55 to 64 at 6%.

GENDER

Most studies show that single homeless adults are more likely to be male than female. In 2007, a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that of the population surveyed 35% of the homeless people who are members of households with children are male while 65% of these people are females. However, 67.5% of the single homeless population is male, and it is this single population that makes up 76% of the homeless populations surveyed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007).

FAMILIES

The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade.  Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. In its 2007 survey of 23 American cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that families with children comprised 23% of the homeless population (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007).

Throughout our interview, he continued to mention that people are losing sight. 

"We see the rich, we notice the middle class, we try to ignore the working class, but the working poor and underclass are unseen." 

Take a ook at these statistics. It hurts me that they even exist honestly. My challenge to all of us is to help just one person this week. Notice the change. These facts could soon be nonexistent. 

Intrinsic Fulfillment

I was looking forward to an experiment I was planning on doing today, but I woke up with a headache and opted out of it for health sake. However, I am trying to replan the experiment for next Sunday. 

Today I returned to Lee University after a much needed fall break. While I was at home, I got to talk to my grandma about this experiment. She made this point: Give what God tells you to give and don't hold back. If God tells you to give $5, give $5. Our society tends to stay in bounds with their giving. They only give as much as they want. Well have you thought about this? We serve the father of the universe, money, and the father time, so there is never a good excuse not to give as the Lord has blessed. 

Throughout the duration of this project, I have tried to give my time, resources, and heart to others. I have spent about $75 on homeless and needy people within the last 13 days. So, when I went home and my dad asked to see my budget, I was a little nervous. Of course, he wasn't upset and he told me to continue to bless others. 2 hours later, he told me that him and my mom had added $100 to my account just because they wanted to. Whoa! God had just replaced that $75 and added $25! 2 days later, my papa came up to me and slipped me a check for...wait for it...$100! The money I had spent on others was not just replaced, but was doubled! 

When we serve God wholly and hold nothing back, he will bless us. However, less and less people are being generous and giving like the Bible commands. This decline in giving seems to mean there is a decline in people seeking intrinsic fulfillment.   

Love as God Loves

Can We Love as God Loves, by Pamela Sue Anderson, supports my recent findings. Can we always serve? God commands us to love. That means we 'ought' to love. But, does 'ought' always imply can?

"If we 'ought' to love as God does, and if 'ought' implies can, then according to the deontological reasoning, we can- and at least certain people do- love as God loves."

According to Anderson, we have no reason not to love as God has commanded. But when I read this, doubts creep in to my mind. What about this, what about that? These are natural because, obviously, I am human. But think about this:  If God said it, we should try our hardest to do it. God called us to serve an love the poor. He is all knowing. Therefore, would an all knowing God, give us humans a command that we can't fulfill? No, because if we couldn't fulfill it, he wouldn't have given it to us. 

Can we love the poor as God loves the poor? can we love as God loves? The answer is yes. Do we strive to fulfill this all the time? The answer is no. I believe we should. If we did, there could be less homeless and broken people. I think it's worth it!

Charity Suffices, Love Transforms

     A year ago, I read a book called The Irresistible Revolution, written by Shane Claiborne. This book is hard for me to describe. It basically tells you how to "live as an ordinary radical".  Shane gave up a nice, warm, dorm room in order to go sleep on the streets with the poor. He wanted to know how they felt, he wanted to join them. 

"Tithes, tax-exempt donations, and short-term mission trips, while they accomplish some good, can also function as outlets that allow us to appease our consciousness and still remain a safe distance from the poor."

This quote from Claiborne is risky, but I completely agree with it. "Charity can be a dangerous insulator". Giving money or canned foods is easier and it does help, don't get me wrong, but the change comes when we get our hands dirty. When we act! 

"Rich and poor are kept in separate worlds, and inequality is carefully managed, but not dismantled."

Change will not come from just managing the amount of poor and homeless people, it will come from breaking the barriers of society and dismantling it. 

"The church becomes a distribution center, a place where the poor come to get stuff and the rich comes to dump stuff. Both go away satisfied, but no one leaves transformed."

If we think about Jesus and how he touched the lives of the poor, we don't see him giving charity, we see him giving love through touch, through breath, and through life. Love is in no way the same as charity. Charity suffices, love transforms. 

I am human too.

Day 10. 

     Today, I want to address a conviction of mine. Since I have started my project, I have been telling people what they are doing wrong and what they can do to make it better. I have rarely included myself in these posts. Why do I do that? For a second I wondered if it was pride. Then I realized it wasn't pride, but a passion for action.

     Though I don't always include myself in my posts, while I write them I continually ask myself, are you doing enough? Do you always help when you see people in need? The answer is no, I don't. I am human, just as much as everyone else. In fact, I was riding home from Steak and Shake Sunday night and saw a woman in the side of the road with a "help me" sign. My friend asked if I wanted to stop, and I said,

"No, I don't have time, they are way over there, and I don't have anything to give them."

     Could I have stopped? Easily. Did I have time? I had plenty. Did I really not have anything to give? I had my debit card, which at that point had more than enough money on it to go buy the woman a burger.

     I am human, and so are you. I failed. But instead of just ignoring it, I let it teach me something. None of us can do the right thing ALL the time. We can try, but in the end, we aren't Jesus. My parents tell me all the time that I can't judge the condition of someone's heart, and they can't judge mine. I understand that the probability of us helping every homeless person we see is extremely low, and that's ok! I'm not doing this project to condemn, I'm doing it to get us to question the condition of our hearts. What is the true reason we may not help someone? Maybe it's because we really don't have the time or money. Maybe it's because we just don't care. Maybe it's because we feel something else is more important. I encourage you to search your heart and find out the true reason.

Reasons Why

     "By including a sense of time it becomes evident that rooflessness is a process, rather than a single one-off event, and that this process begins earlier than existing studies suggest." Megan Ravenhill, author of Culture of Homelessness, says this in response to an earlier study that suggests that homelessness comes from a specific decision made that is made in the latter parts of someone's life. In Ravenhill's response, she uses the term route-map to describe the "interrelated circumstances that lead to homelessness". She also states that "the importance of time and the age the person first experiances homelessness becomes evident." With young homeless people, the route is usually simple, while with older it is usually very complex.
   

*This is an example of a route-map taken from Ravenhill's research*

     There are also predictors to homelessness. For example, being bullied or lack of friends. The importance comes from the accumulation of triggers. 

     This proves to me and everyone I interviewed in Chattanooga wrong. I thought single factors resulted in homelessness, but in actuality it is a gathering and accumulation of multiple factors usually depending on age. This was an eye opener to me and I hope it was for you too. 

Pedestrian Thoughts

      Alright, so if you read the last post, you heard about my new friend Zach, the aspiring musician. Here is a quick recap: I went to Chattanooga on Monday and talked to about 12 homeless people, all of which call downtown Chattanooga their home. They all shared their stories and opinions with me and my friend who accompanied me. 

     Ok! So, before I struck up conversations with these homeless residents, I sat on Broad Street for about 45 minutes and interviewed pedestrians who walked by (and would actually stop and talk to me).   This is the list of my questions:

1. Are you in downtown Chattanooga a lot? 
2. Give me an estimate of the number of homeless people you see when you go through downtown.
3. Do you interact with homeless people a lot?
4. How do you think a majority of homeless people become homeless? 
5. Do you think pedestrians should help homeless people?
6. How do you think they should help?
7. Why do you think most pedestrians won't help homeless people? 
8. What is your religion?
9. Do you see other people within your religion helping the homeless?
10. What religion do you think the majority of the people who help the homeless belong to?

      Of the 27 pedestrians I asked to interview, 15 stopped. I tallied the answers I received into percentages:

1. Are you in downtown Chattanooga a lot? 

    90%-Yes

    10%-No

2. Give me an estimate of the number of homeless people you see when you go through downtown.

     20%- >20

     35%- 10-19

     35%- 5-9

     10%- <4

3. Have you ever interacted with a homeless person on the streets?

     40%-Yes

     60%-No

4. How do you think a majority of homeless people become homeless?

     40%- Want to be homeless (no responsibilities)

     25%- Economy

     20%- Drugs

     15%- No choice
5. Do you think pedestrians should help homeless people?

     65%- Yes

     35%- No

6. How do you think they should help?

     80%- Food

     10%- Conversation

     10%- Money

7. Why do you think most pedestrians won't help homeless people? 

     6%- Scared

     6%- They don't have anything to give

     6%- In a hurry

     30%- They stereotype (Drugs)

     50%- Why should I give my hard-earned money to people who don't even try to work hard?

8. What is your religion?

      70%- Christian

      15%- Islam

      15%- No religion
9. Do you see other people within your religion helping the homeless?

     Christians: 50%- Yes

                       50%- No

      Islam: 60%- Yes

                 40%- No

10. What religion do you think the majority of the people who help the homeless belong to?

       50%- Christians

       35%- Islam

       15%- Mormons

       

While reflecting upon this data, I am astonished by most of the answers. However, 1 stands out:

4. How do you think a majority of homeless people become homeless?

     40%- Want to be homeless (no responsibilities)

     25%- Economy

     20%- Drugs

     15%- No choice

I assumed that the most popular answer would be drugs. As you see, I was wrong. 6 out of the 15 people said it was because they wanted to be "bums". Do I agree with this? Well, from my conversation with Zach the musician, no. Some may choose to be homeless, but some don't.

Zack the Musician.

Today was a view changer. I went to Downtown Chattanooga in hopes of finding someone to interview. Someone that is homeless. My findings were...much more interesting than I expected. Also, if my parents are reading this, I went with a male friend, not alone! I was safe! Back to the Story. I went to Chattanooga expecting it to be difficult to get people to openly talk to me. I thought they would see me and assume I didn't want to have an actual conversation with them, like most pedestrians that walk by. It's safe to say that I was COMPLETELY WRONG.

As soon as i struck up a conversation with a 35 year old woman, Jackie, the other homeless people around flocked to us. I asked a question, they all answered me! They laughed at my jokes. They told me stories. They responded to me. I was shocked. 

Out of the ten people that joined the conversation, one guy stood out to me, Zack. Zack is an 18 year old, biracial adolescent, who began living on the streets when he was just 16 years old. He is an aspiring musician whose dreams and future career plan was despised by his mom. 

"My mom loved me...I thought. She told me music was a useless pass-time and that I would never get anywhere with my dream. That I was good at other stuff, but not music. That was the day I realized I couldn't stay there and accomplish my dreams." 

I sat there listening to Zack's story; thinking about the well-known stereotypes of people who live on the streets: Drug addicts, prostitutes, dead beats, criminals, gangs, scammers. But, this guy isn't any of these things.  He is a person who did nothing but follow his dreams. I always hear complaints about those who "do nothing with their lives", or who "steal the governments money through well-fair". Oh, and this is my favorite, "They are poor because they don't try." Hello! This isn't the case for every homeless person! Sure, there will be those who do, indeed, fit the stereotype. But we can't discredit the ones who ARE trying to accomplish thief dream because they reside in the same place as those who aren't. 

Zack was an awesome guy! My friend and I listened to him for a little over an hour. We tried to encourage him the best we could. My last question I asked him was a risky one. I knew I would either get a good answer, or that he would throw it back in my face: "Are you a Christian?"

"No! I have seen those Christians. They give money to us thinking that they are "helping" us. Money doesn't do crap! We hurt. Charity makes us feel even poorer."

My second question to him was this: "What is the best way to help?"

"Do what y'all are doing. We are people. We need conversation, not heartless charity."

Next time, don't assume things about a person's life. Find out. 

QUOTE:

"If you dont stop and enjoy the view, it may just pass you by"

-Zack

Inspiration

Today, I read a magazine article called A New Kind of Urban Ministry by Andy Crouch. In this article, Crouch, references Bible stories found in Exodus. I wont type out in entire article, that would take too long. But, in a nutshell, he is starting up a project called This Is Our City. This project will be based in 6 different cities that can be found on their website, ThisIsOurCity.org. Throughout this article he talks about flourishing cities. When Jesus entered Jerusalem with his disciples, he saw prosperity. Like Christ, Andy Crouch sees prosperity in the down-trotten cities in America. They are praying and interceding for these cities as they go out and make an impact for the Kingdom of God. They are reaching out to others in need and while doing that, increasing the name of Jesus in America.

 I love Andy's view and heart. He should be an inspiration to us all. 

Reason to Believe.

       As I was driving to Chattanooga yesterday, I was thinking about possible topics for today's post. Suddenly, a song began to blare through my speakers: The Lost Get Found by Britt Nicole. As I listened to the words, this section hit me:

So when you get the chance
Are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it
There's a girl on the streets, she's cryin'
There's a man whose faith is dyin'
Love is calling you

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
'cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

      As humans, we all have bad days. They are inevitable! However, it is during these days that we build character. You may be the only light someone sees that day. So, if you have no other reason to remain strong, do it just because your strength could give someone else a reason to believe. 

     Through this next couple of weeks I am going to be looking at statistics, articles, and persona; interviews in reference to stereotypical Christians. How do they think we treat the less fortunate? I think this question will reveal a lot about homelessness, poverty, equality and Christians. Also, be looking forward to my post on Sunday, October 21. It will be a shocker. 

QUOTE:

This is the dark before the dawn
The storm before the peace
Don't be afraid 'cause seasons change and
God is watching over you
He hears you

-Britt Nicole