Abortion, gays, taxes & troops
In my inbox:
Dear Cara,
In 1996, as a pastor of a large church in the suburbs of Houston, I launched Vision America, a movement to recruit pastors and people of faith to honor their responsibility before God to participate in the process of shaping public policy…
Issues covered in the email: Reversal of Roe vs. Wade, Federal Marriage Amendment, Funding of Human Embryo Destruction, Signed AFTR Pledge to Not Raise Taxes, Immediate Removal of Troops from Iraq
Additional issues covered in the linked PDF: Gun Control, Education
So these are the issues of primary importance to “pastors and people of faith” who are concerned about “shaping public policy?”
What about health care? Affordable housing? Livable wages? Veterans’ needs? Job creation? Ethics?
[Sigh.]
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Gail coordinates the count
Jeri Rowe writes about Gail Haworth, the coordinator for Greensboro’s homeless count, sponsored by the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County. Joseph Rodriguez took some photos during the count. And JR asks, “Are we doing enough to help the homeless?”
Me? I missed the whole thing this year.* Home, sick. 
*But I’ve already heard concerns from people involved with the count who have problems with some of the methodology and question the implications for the final numbers. [Sigh.]
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Salvation Army Disaster Training
From Steve Still:
The Salvation Army of Greensboro is hosting a disaster training on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Salvation Army Church, 821 S. Aycock Street (map) in Greensboro. This is a free training and lunch is included.
If you would be interested in helping in the event of a disaster (either local or long distance), we encourage you to attend this training.
Want to go? Or ask questions? RSVP or submit your questions here.
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Glenwood: Two Views
Professor Wharton and Suzanne post about Glenwood. Dissonance.
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Think Before You Give: Donating Food
I was packing a box of donated food the other day, to give to a homeless couple who are currently staying in a hotel, and I couldn’t find a lot of the kinds of things they needed. And I realized that people who donate food are probably just thinking “canned” or “non-perishable.” Here are a few more things to think about when donating food to a food pantry or a homeless ministry:
- Not everyone has a can opener, so buy pop-top cans or other easy-open containers, if you can.
- Not everyone has milk or butter, so buy the macaroni and cheese that includes the cheese packet, or the just-add-water instant mashed potatoes with butter already in them.
- Buy other “complete” foods, too, like the spaghetti dinner that includes the sauce and cheese in the box.
- Don’t forget proteins. Canned tuna, chicken, and ham. Peanut butter, black beans, kidney beans, etc.
- Mix up your fruit and vegetable can sizes. Big families need the extra-large can size. Or single-serving cans for one person.
- Look for microwavable meals that don’t require refrigeration first. (Great for people in hotels!)
If you’d like to donate food for NightWatch, please contact us here. Greensboro Urban Ministry and Salvation Army also have food pantries.
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O’Reilly v. Edwards: The truth about homeless veterans
“They may be out there, but there’s not many of them out there… If you know where there’s a veteran sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately and we’ll make sure that man does not do it.”
– Bill O’Reilly, “The O’Reilly Factor,” Fox News
If anyone can give me Bill O’Reilly’s phone number, I’ll call him. If he’s serious about housing all the homeless vets sleeping under bridges (not to mention the ones camping in the woods or sleeping in cars or abandoned buildings or on the sidewalk), then I’d be happy for him to start right here in Greensboro, and I’ll personally drive him around to some bridges to meet a few of my homeless veteran friends.
O’Reilly’s words came after he challenged John Edwards’ public comments about the number of homeless veterans in the U.S. Edwards said there are 200,000, and stats by the VA back him up. O’Reilly’s response, that “there’s not many of them out there” is simply wrong, and I know this, not just from the VA’s numbers, but from my own experience serving homeless people.
O’Reilly has since changed his focus from “how many” to “why,” alleging that Edwards’ agenda in bringing up the subject of homeless veterans has to do with “class warfare,” and that homelessness among veterans is not about the economy, it’s about mental illness and substance abuse, “something politicians can do little about,” according to O’Reilly. But again, he’s wrong. Mental illness and substance abuse are significant factors contributing to homelessness, but they’re not the only factors, and politicians can and should do a lot to help.
The Veterans Administration offers services for both mental illness and substance abuse. For example, the programs offered at the VA hospital in Salisbury, NC include: psychiatric intensive care unit; mental health clinic; psychiatric emergency services; geropsychiatric unit; psychiatric community care team; residential substance abuse treatment program; post-traumatic stress disorder program; homeless veterans treatment program; sustained treatment and rehabilitation unit. The VA is a federal agency, and senators and congressmen (politicians!) set the funding and have the ultimate responsibility for the programs and services that the VA offers to homeless veterans.
The Social Security Administration, SAMHSA, and HUD all provide assistance for homeless veterans: disability benefits, supportive services, housing, etc. They are all federal agencies. The federal government is already in the business of helping homeless veterans, and advocates across the nation are working to increase funding and improve the system and the services. Politicians can and should do something to help mentally ill and addicted homeless veterans, and a number of those leaders already are.
And there’s more to the story. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans says:
Who are homeless veterans?
The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says the nation’s homeless veterans are mostly males (4 % are females). The vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities, 45% suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems.
Why are veterans homeless?
In addition to the complex set of factors affecting all homelessness — extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income, and access to health care — a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse, compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.
While mental illness and substance abuse are significant factors, so are the lack of family and social support networks, and the reality that many homeless veterans came out of poor communities to begin with. Affordable housing, livable income and access to health care are all issues that politicians can address, as well, and doing so would affect the lives of homeless veterans.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is directly related to veterans’ service to their country. And there is a strong correlation between PTSD and substance abuse. So the politicians who send troops into combat have a responsibility to address the issues that result from combat when the troops come home. And allowing veterans to become homeless is unacceptable.
It is both incorrect and insulting to say that politicians can do little to address the issues that lead to or exacerbate homelessness in the men and women who’ve served our country. Not only can they do something, but they have a responsibility to do something. And all of us who are living free in America because of the sacrifices of U.S. veterans have a responsibility to see that our elected leaders fight for those who’ve fought for us, and that they end homelessness among veterans. No one who has served this country should have to sleep on its streets when they return home. God bless America. Let’s hit up some bridges, O’Reilly.
Related videos:
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Homeless kids ask for blankets, not toys
For the past couple of weeks, the NightWatch team has been making a stop in the parking lot of a local hotel that is “home” for many folks who might otherwise be on the street. And a lot of them are back outside when their money — or someone else’s generosity — runs out. This week, the team saw a lot of kids at the hotel. We keep some toys on the truck to give to children, but last night, the kids didn’t ask for toys. Each of them had the same request:
“Can I have a blanket?”
I spoke to one of the team leaders today, and he was really touched by those kids. “We had toys, but they didn’t ask for toys, they didn’t ask for PlayStations. They just wanted a blanket,” he said. They got blankets. And toys. And the hearts of the team members, too.
There are a lot of homeless kids in this town. And there are ways that you can help, by giving or going. Contact NightWatch.
God bless the children.
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