Out in the Cold

We’re so very fortunate, you and I.

Wherever you are, I can assume you’re reading this from the safety of your home or another location where you can watch the snow fall from a nearby window, or check the weather on your phone.

But tonight, my heart is heavy with the thought of those who are not so fortunate.
As we sit out the storm, four people were putting up tents in the middle of the woods, beset by the sleet, snow, and wind.

For two years, they’d made their home in an encampment in Toms River. Three months ago, just like several other homeless camps in the area, it was shut down by the local government with the notion in mind that the residents would be shuffled off to another town. With the help of Mike McNeil of STEPS (Solutions to End Poverty Soon) and Paul Hulse of HAVEN/Beat the Streets, they’d been placed in a hotel. Today, in the midst of the harsh winter weather, they were evicted from that hotel because their temporary housing term had ended, and they were left with no options. The female of the group, distraught and overwhelmed by the stress of relocating, dissolved into tears. Fortunately, they were assisted by other homeless who were living in woods nearby, who helped move their belongings and clear away ice and snow to make room for their makeshift homes.

I’m left wondering how many more tributes I need to dedicate to those who perish as a result of these faulty measures before someone in the political arena takes notice – and, more importantly, takes action.

I’m left wondering why so many of the poor and needy are caught in this seemingly endless cycle of band-aid solutions, and why so few politicians are willing to exercise compassion, address the core issues, and implement a more proactive and comprehensive approach. Why people in power are so unwilling to step up to the plate and change a broken system that would force people to resort to pitching tents in a snowstorm.

I’m left feeling helpless, frustrated, and angry, because our elected officials prefer to seek the easy way out to making just and moral decisions. Anti-homelessness laws are rampant throughout the country because they've chosen “out of sight, out of mind” over “love thy neighbor.” Ocean County, for example, adopted a policy of giving the homeless a one-way bus ticket to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission – which, incidentally, now no longer accepts homeless from outside Atlantic County. It is there that the politicians demonize the homeless and blame them for the ill fate of the city’s casinos.

You and I, friends, are so very fortunate. And perhaps upon reading this, you will take a moment to pray for the ones who are not.

But there’s more we can do. We need to tell the powers that be that yes, “we the people” care that people are being literally left out in the cold. There is power in numbers, and if enough of us care, and enough of us talk, they have to listen.

Because no matter what their circumstances, all lives matter.

Stay well, and stay warm, my friends. And let us be the change we wish to see.