07/18/2021
Safely Home is a dream I have. It's a program to help the homeless re-home. Why do some people choose to live on the streets? What went wrong with these individuals is a question I imagine we all have. Was there domestic violence in the home? Were their life dreams crushed, or did they just fall into company that encouraged them to try some addictive substance.
One boy I talked to said he was at a party and there were drugs there, and he thought he would just give it a go. Everyone else was. His addiction was immediate and he became so addicted he stole from his family and friends to support his habit. He got kicked out of his home and nearly ran over his mother one evening when she wouldn't give him money. He said nothing else in life was so important to him as the drugs. He almost died from an overdose one evening and decided to ask his mom for help. He is on a good track now. It's good to hear recovery stories like this.
This tells me that the homeless all have a story. What can we do to help? One idea I have is that each city could provide jobs like park and street clean up, bike trail construction and maintenance, and planting and watering flowers along our main streets. Our cities could be a thing of beauty. A destination city. A place where people want to come to visit for shopping, dining and recreation.
One city had a van that drove up to homeless encampments and asked if anyone wanted a job. On the van was printed "If There's a Will There's a Way" They solved 80% of their homeless problem.
This is a super low cost solution. Add your ideas you have thought about in the comments below. Like and share. Together we can change the way our cities help people.
