Some are in hotels. Some, as part of the conditions of the encampment's closure, qualified for a year of free housing - and that year, mind you, is close to over. A few are still on the streets or elsewhere in the woods. I heard about one couple that has obtained housing and is now determined to give back by providing the homeless with propane and other supplies.
You'd think anyplace must be better than a tent in the woods. But when a community - a family of sorts - is torn asunder, any sense of victory is bittersweet at best.
I've been wondering - how do you gauge a homeless "success story?" Is it determined by housing alone, by employment, by their ability to give back? At what point do we ascertain that a once-homeless person is officially a productive member of society, or not counted among the "less fortunate?" And, if they're not progressing, or if they're backsliding, at what point do we draw a line in the sand between generosity and enabling?
There are no simple answers.
I firmly believe that, regardless of circumstances, no human being should have to go without food, clothing, or shelter. While self-reliance and autonomy are the ideal, there are some for whom it's either an excruciatingly long road or an altogether unattainable one. It doesn't matter if they are to blame for poor choices they've made, if they're the victims of a system that is stacked against the economically disadvantaged, or a combination of these things. And especially in the spirit of the holiday season, I don't feel it's my job to judge them.
The continental United States was hit by an arctic blast that resulted in record snowfall and freezing temperatures. At least one homeless person, who was living in a vacant home, has died as a result. No human being deserves that.
Tomorrow, they'll receive a reminder that wherever they happen to be on their life's journey, there are people who care about them enough to ensure that they have a warm meal on a cold night.
In the absence of their former community, it's the very least we can do.
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