by Corey J. Elder
I believe that prison can take many forms. One form of a prison is the issue of homelessness. Homelessness is a prison because it “locks up” human potential and creativity. And as a result the family, the community, and the society suffers.
Many of those homeless are women and children. And to have women and children homeless is a tragedy that we may never recover from. Homelessness is crippling and debilitating. It demeans and devalues the human spirit. It oppresses ones hopes and dreams. And the longer one is homeless, the more damaging the results. We not only have a “Mass Incarceration” problem, but we also have a “Mass Homeless” problem.
Homelessness is a big problem in our society because we see homeless people as “other” then who we are. But what if we viewed them as our neighbors, friends, and relatives? What if we viewed them as we view ourselves? Because we have allowed this problem to exist for so long, it no longer has the urgency it needs. Because we have allowed this as a society, our sensibilities, our empathy, for each other are strained. Anytime we can see somebody hurting and not have an urgency to help, I feel there is something wrong in the society, and in us.
Homelessness is a drain and a strain on the society and the individual. We all have value. Hopefully we can learn to see the value in other people.
If you happen to be homeless, know that you still have value and potential. Your condition doesn’t have to define you. You are somebody!