United Way for Southeastern Michigan

In addition to this blog, I write about poverty (and the Christian faith, so fair warning) on JohnWritesStuff.wordpress.com. I re-posted my article about panhandling myths on that blog and received this comment on the post from an aquaintance I met at the Detroit Rescue Mission homeless shelter:

 "I know firsthand that Detroit's homeless, at least, are mostly in a vampiric state of consciousness that makes long-term success impossible. This is not a mere mental illness. But it is also true that the only honest work available for the homeless -- flyer distribution - barely pays $6 an hour, and that intermittently. Almost, but not quite enough to rent a room for the week. So if cash money can neither be earned nor given, what hope is there?"

I thought this was great insight straight from someone who has been homeless. I responded with raising the issue of all the available space for housing in Detroit, but all the politics and selfishness that cause that space to remain abandoned while people remain unhoused. My friend had this to say about it:

"Our system is currently Darwinian - its unspoken, unchallenged assumption is that competing for profit creates innovation and is therefore a good thing. Only problem is that, under this system, anything that doesn't generate a profit is optimized out of everyone's to-do list. "Affordable" means less profit: few developers truly want that; and "sustainable," usually means less profit for some entrenched gargantuan industry. All private employers, and all their employees, have a vested interest in keeping goodies scarce - even food, housing, and health if they can get away with it - because they are merchants, or in the old language, 'commoners,' and cannot be responsible for the general welfare. The solution? Those playing the role of 'lords' - our politicians, clergy, and strong heads of families - should take the lead again, after a century of greed, and boldly do those things that transcend a profit motive."

I think my friend has a point (as well as an interesting way of making his point). Our city is such a mess of greed and facades, positioning, battles for funding and misuse of that funding... It makes me wonder if we are at all capable of doing anything for the sake of others, void of such a high level of self interest.  

The flipside of my previous post on panhandling is that we are quick to call panhandlers lazy, and tell them to get a job, but slow to provide them any legal opportunities to work, as my friend mentioned above. I see time and time again people who do not want to be homeless a day longer, but can't for the life of them seem to catch a break! The barriers they face are not anything that more funding can fix, because the system receiving the funding is not working! We need people at the top to genuinely care for those at the bottom and cut themselves out of the picture.   

Just some thoughts... I don't have any answers, but I welcome everyone else's thoughts in the comment section.