"If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path." Buddhist saying
(Homeless Persons Memorial Day in Washington State-Photo from the Olympian)
Dear Friends,
The season of light. I like the fact that Christmas, Channukah, and Kwanzaa overlapped in 2005. Corny? Politically correct? Maybe. But what a great reminder of the commonality of these and other spiritual traditions. The image of light is a powerful one at this time, during the darkness of winter: the menorah, the Christmas star and Christmas lights, the Mishumaa saba candles lit at Kwanzaa. Each of these celebrations center around family and loved ones. Each conjures up images of light and gathering at home
. My friend, the scholar Brian Sokol, reminds us that "Channukah is about the re-dedication of the Temple, God's house. The Jewish people were forced out of the Temple (and when the people are in exile, God goes into exile), Channukah is a celebration of the
return to our spiritual home. How does one make light without oil? How does one survive without food, shelter, clothing?"
Speaking of survival, last month a team from Give Us Your Poor and UMass Boston, joined dozens of others participating in the City of Boston's annual homeless count. The census puts yearly numbers on who is homeless in the shelters and streets of Boston. But more importantly, for one night, a cross section of the city comes together to blanket it in teams. Meeting homeless people on the streets is striking. The night was cold. People that stay on the streets on a night like that usually hate the shelter options, are banned, or can't get it together to check in. When approached, many of the people (men and women) our team met were at
first guarded. Then, realizing what we were doing, showed a need to connect--to talk and be heard. The counting is important, but perhaps the moments of recognition are equally or more important--seeing the light in "their" eyes and in our own.
So 2006, "Another year over, a new one just begun" as John Lennon sang. Data is vital, but I'm tired of counting. I want to connect to people, I want to live in a country where falling below the safety net is not stood for. Conservative solutions, liberal solutions, true systems thinking approaches...I'm for it. There is reason for optimism, 2005 saw some welcome trends around systematic homelessness prevention, housing first solution models, unprecedented extensive data collection, and comprehensive planning across the nation. We're doing some planning ourselves at Give Us Your Poor and have some shifts in our thinking to be more
effective, more economical, and complementary to these trends--coming soon.
In the meantime, Happy New Year, and thank you for your support.
John McGah
Director, Give Us Your Poor
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