Malcolm Potts March 13th 2016 ~ What should I do?

People often ask me, "What should I do when.....?" Questions.One of the common ones is, “What should I do when I confront a homeless person?”Your stories often concern people, mainly men, who appear near your homes.  It is often women who talk to me, wondering what they can do.At St Philips we have homeless people who, from time to time, make a temporary place on the church steps.  Our regular friend is not keen to talk to people and may leave some clothing which he picks up after a day or two.He is welcome, as far as I am concerned.In bible times, caring for the traveller, displaced and alien was a mark of being God's person.  There was no social safety net and the needy person could be you one day. Job sees it as a mark of his righteousness: "I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger" [Job 29:16]. Messiah’s mark of recognition is, 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 [Matthew 25:35].  (Pam spoke about this last week - jump on the Podcast.) Our challenge may well be very different.A few things about homelessness.  It is complicated.  There are endless reasons why people are homeless and, interestingly, for many it is a choice, or becomes a choice over time.  Homelessness is often connected to drug use, alcohol use and mental health problems.  Serious domestic and social dysfunction are frequently intertwined with substance abuse and the chosen or imposed vagrancy the person who turns up on the church steps is experiencing.If you catch trains in to the city, it is evident that there is an increasing homeless community gathering and begging in and around the train station.  These people are not doing well but neither are they looking for your pity. They have been living like this for some time. They are very very resourceful. They have systems. There is a pecking order. Their dependence is well thought out and for many there is a strategy. (I don't say this to be unkind or uncaring.)Do not think, when a person appears on your stoop, that this is a brand new situation and they have gotten there overnight.  Don't think they are without resource or responsibility.  Don't overlay your issues on to their lives.It does not mean that we should do nothing but if you want to make a difference in the lives of the homeless, contact St Barnabas House [stbarts.org.au] and learn about homelessness.  There is a ‘Volunteer’ tab on the website. Don't be ignorant and dangerous, dangerous to yourself particularly; dangerous by making unfounded assumptions based on pity or guilt.If a homeless person turns up and you do feel led to do something, you can either ask the person if they need food, drink or warmth, or offer a drink and some food. As Jesus said, I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink.  Beyond that, get educated to ensure you are part of the solution not just part of a dysfunctional system.Sometimes I give to people who beg; mostly I don't. I don't do the guilt thing. I do do the prayer thing. If I have time, I do the engage thing. Sometimes I am led to buy a burger and Coke and do the hungry and thirsty thing.If I really wanted to make a difference, I would count the cost and get on the St Barts House website and click on ‘Volunteer’.BlessingsMalcolm