Thought of the Day

According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we can't reach stages of esteem or self-actualization until our basic physical needs are met. In other words, theoretically someone must feel safe, feel loved, before they can begin to help others in the community.

How can we expect the world to advance when so many people still lack basic necessities?

Thought of the Day

An Unconventional Home
By Liz Arthur

One should note that the dictionary defines homeless as “without a permanent home”. Nowhere does it mention shopping carts, trench coats, or any other hype that is commonly associated with the condition of living on the streets.
In fact, much of Seattle’s homeless population does not, in fact, call the streets home.
Certainly not the residents of the Union Gospel Mission Women and Children’s Shelter on Kings Street.
The shelter only accepts women who apply for its programs and commit to completing them. “It’s not about us policing here,” said Johnni Olson, the program director. In fact, she goes on to say, the shelter’s focus is on second chances – providing the women with resources to put their lives back together after struggling with things like drugs/alcohol, poverty, and abuse. “They don’t want that life anymore,” said Olson.
The shelter has over 50 beds for adults and over 30 for children. Families and individuals enjoy their own room, complete with a sink and door that locks. Throughout the day the women attend classes while their children are at school. Classes range from discipleship and ministry to recovering from domestic violence, all with the intent of eventually giving the women the experience they need to live sufficiently on their own.
“There’s no limit to what they can do if we can just get them to dream,” Olson stated. Kristin*, homeless for eight years and a resident of the program since December, agreed. “We’re learning how to be women again.”
Statistically, the average mission has about 2-3% success; a good one may have more like 12-16%. The UGM Women and Children’s Shelter has over 70%. “These women want to be punished,” said Olson. “They are ready to turn to their lives around.”
The programs women go through are unique to them individually – this means a combination of classes and other resources specifically pinpointed to meet their exclusive needs. Eventually, they will either work or be in school full-time while living there.
Kristin is just one of many who will get a second chance because of the shelter and its mission. “We walk hand in hand here.”

*Name changed to protect individual
(Still frame taken from the 2005 film RENT)

Fast Fact

Top Causes of Homelessness

• unable to afford rent - 51.8%
• loss of job/alcohol or drug dependency - 33.9%
• lack of affordable housing - 30.4%
• family issues - 23.2%
• physical/mental disability - 17.9%
  

Numbers taken from the National Coalition for the Homeless
<http://www.nationalhomeless.org/civilrights/lawrence/lawrence.html>

Fast Fact

"On average, teens are homeless for nearly seven months before receiving stable housing and services. The longer youth stay on the streets, the harder it is for them to exit street life permanently."

-Youthcare.org

Thought of the Day

But where were their mothers?

By Liz Arthur

The teen drop-in center that I visited was really cool. I expected a lot less color, a lot more drab, and a good bit of dirt – and so I was surprised when I walked through the doors into what appeared to be the coolest clubhouse ever.
You just knew, immediately, that this was a place for kids. Space not devoted to the eating and locker areas held squashy sofas, pool tables, a piano, computers, and cupboards bursting with board games and craft supplies. Art hung on every wall, pieces they’d made but that looked almost professional. The kitchen gleamed; inspiring quotes added to the room’s already colorful voice.
And the kids themselves – like the room, alive with color, alive with voice. Eating and talking and flirting just like any teens do.
One boy thanked us again for the food before stepping out to light a cigarette. Kids came together and left alone, and vice-versa. Some had backpacks, bikes, an instrument or two. None seemed to me to be wearing enough to keep warm. I observed black eye shadow and ruddy cheeks and brightly-colored fingernails, jeans with holes at the knee and rock band t-shirts and purple hair and dangly jewelry. I wondered vaguely how many outfits I have in my possession, and if any could even compare in originality. Clothes are one of the few ways the world lets these kids express themselves.
During dinner many passed by the salad and bread; they appreciated the chocolate milk. They ate neatly, cleaned up after themselves, and left; just like that, another meal over. Just like that, an evening gone by. Back to the streets, and who knows what else.
We saw their art on the walls, heard them sing and play the piano beautifully and joke around with each other. Talents wasted on a world who doesn’t know who they are, and probably never will.
I wondered the whole time what my life would be like without a family to return to – without knowing that at least one person in the world cared to know where I was or what I was doing at a given time. To these kids, being loved wasn’t a given; it was a privilege. A privilege revoked due to events beyond their control.
But, for tonight, they could come and get a free meal and talk and laugh and be kids, with a roof over their heads and their bellies full of pizza. For a short time, those other things didn’t matter.
I wondered what it would be like to be fourteen years old and living on the streets.~

Quote

"These fierce psychological wars rage inside our unconcious minds. Fear of failure seeks to enslave us, prompting us to either face this terror or avoid it at all cost. As addicts, we often feel like either way we are stuck without a solution, and no matter what we do it will lead to a loss."

-Josh, 29