Whether you live in a rural small town, a major urban area, or anywhere in between there is homelessness. Minneapolis and many cities around the nation are facing an epidemic of homelessness. With the recent Hiawatha Homeless Encampment, that emerged in Minneapolis late last summer heightened awareness around the issue, and many are asking the question “What can we do?”
Hear from North Central Social Work faculty member Beth Brown, LICSW, as she responds to the Hiawatha Homeless Encampment from her experience, and offers takeaways for how we can engage with the homeless community in a helpful way.
What is homelessness?
There is technically more than one definition of homelessness. The NHCHC and most widely used defines homelessness as, “An individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family). This includes an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility (e.g., shelters) that provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing.”
What can we do?
The first, and sometimes hardest, thing we can do is to be a good listener. As mentioned in a previous blog, Understanding the Hiawatha Homeless Encampment, Brown encouraged her students, who encouraged their peers, to listen rather than beginning with immediate action. “We have only a limited knowledge of knowing who needs what, but by listening we are better equipped to be more helpful with our efforts,” Brown stated. She wanted her students to focus on just being there, smiling and listening. “We can do this, not by going in and saying, ‘This is what I know, this is what I can do for you,’ but instead sending the message, ‘I don’t know if I can help at all, but you are God’s creation, and you are my brother, my sister, my neighbor, and I want to hear.’”
Brown emphasizes that there exists a delicate line between bringing awareness and being exploitative. “As Christians, we should be participating, we should be the hands and feet [of Christ], we should be going and saying, ‘How can I serve?’” Something that Brown learned during this process was the goal was not to go in there and convert, the first goal was to go in and meet physical needs. “So let’s go in, let’s feed, let’s shelter, let’s do those things and come along them as partners, neighbors and friends, not as me over them. Through these actions, I believe that God can do some very cool things and He could bring about incredible relational discipleship, but we have to start with the basics.”
Practical steps to being a good neighbor:
With such a large problem, it can be hard to know how to help or where to start. So here are some practical first steps:
- Meet practical needs such as food, clothing, and hygiene supplies. This seems simple and temporary but is incredibly necessary.
- Connect with local organizations to find ways to serve. Getting connected with a local organization will better serve you and the people you are serving because they have been there creating connections and know exactly what needs to be done.
- Be a good listener!
