A bit of a different blog today, more on the serious side. As most of you know, I work as a mental health worker doing Street Outreach in the Greater Toronto Area. I love my job and I love being able to help but there are some days I can’t do anything but wonder if I should do something else.
Most days, I am able to feel positive about my contribution to my community by helping our most vulnerable but some days, it just makes me sad. It makes me angry that despite our best efforts, there are still thousands of people that believe homelessness is a choice or, worse yet, it doesn’t exist in our area. Give me a break, is your head really that far up your ass?
Sure, I have met people along the way that do choose to live outside; however, I can’t help but wonder what the underlying issue is (probably mental health related) and if it was treated, would that person still make that choice? Most the time I doubt it.
Anyway, the point of this post is to open up your minds and to provoke action from you. I know some people have already stopped reading and mumbled things about social activists and labeled me some sort of hippie but please, bare with me.
Is it really that hard to put yourself out there and help someone? Donate a few hours of your time? I am not asking anyone to give hundreds of dollars, no money at all if that’s not what you are interested in. Just think about it, think about what you could do to help someone in poverty in your community. It’s not just the dirty guy begging on the street corner either, it’s the child that is hungry at school, it’s the woman sitting beside you on the bus that can’t afford a new coat, it’s the man riding the elevator with you that has no heat in his house but most of all, it could easily be you. Seriously. Don’t shake your head and tell me you’ve heard it before. Think about it. If tomorrow you had a major home/car repair, a job loss, a family death, an accident could you afford the financial ramifications? Maybe, but maybe not.
Everyone that is living in poverty has a story, it isn’t always because of drugs and alcohol. That means, one day, it could easily be you or me. We live in a rich and glorious country and everyday I am thankful for that; however, as we all strive for more, better jobs, bigger houses, fancier clothes, more money, classy cars, there are many people out there that can’t think beyond where they might get food for their next meal, food for their child, where they will sleep, what the temperature is going to be tonight. I can’t even imagine the effect that those thoughts would have on my ability to dream, to cope or worse yet to survive.
