It’s a month of thanks.
Thanks for food, for good health, for warmth, shelter and comfort. For family and friends.
However, not everyone has these things.
When I walk around the city, I can see it. I can see the people who are in need of the very thing so many of us take for granted.
Some of those in need are neighbors. Others are people passing by.
My travels bring me face to face with poverty of all configurations. It’s all types, styles, colors and ages of people. While sometimes I can attempt to assume why such and such person is so deprived, the truth is I don’t know everyone’s stories of ailment and hard luck.
I do know some stories, though. I have conversations with residents and talk to them about what it means to struggle financially and not to be able to provide the most basic human needs for themselves or their families.
When I hear their stories, I remember when my own family struggled and required assistance. I recall feeling the shame of our need and the anxiety of day-to-day worries about seemingly simple things like food and shelter.
Need, poverty and homelessness are said to be society’s invisible banes, yet, if your eyes are opened in the City of Harrisburg, it’s evident that they’re not invisible.
As a city, there are greater concentrations of poverty and need typical to urban areas. In Harrisburg, this is further intensified by the fact that it’s also the county seat for services and programs.
According to the most recent U.S. census numbers, of Harrisburg’s 50,000 residents, 31.7 percent live at or below the national poverty line. That’s compared to 13.1 percent statewide.
This past summer, the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness conducted its annual “Point-in-Time Survey,” which measures homelessness in the city. Of the 530 surveys administered, 297 people who responded were homeless. Of those individuals, 49 were veterans. Ninety-nine children were documented as homeless, too.
Twenty-five percent of the people who were homeless were employed. In fact, if you listen to the stories of poverty and need in the city—or anywhere for that matter— you will find that they are not “bums” as society used to so arrogantly label them.
They are people like you and I. They are challenged with illnesses, disabilities, domestic abuse, addiction, divorce and job loss.
Their plights could be any one’s plight. It could be anyone of us impoverished and in need. And it could happen at any time.
For those of us fortunate not to struggle with acquiring the most basic needs, this month of thanks is an especially good time to consider what poverty and need are. It’s an appropriate time to ponder ways to help combat it.
First and foremost—and this bears repeating—keep in mind that people who are living in poverty and homelessness are people, too. They do not necessarily ask to be pitied. They certainly don’t deserve to be patronized or ignored.
When my husband and I first moved to the city, there was an apparently homeless man who lived directly behind our home in the alley. Every morning, he packed his belongings into a shopping cart and walked around the neighborhood, always keeping to himself. He never spoke to anyone and kept his head down when passing by. Every evening, he unpacked his things and laid them out in neat piles surrounding his sleeping bag. He was perfectly nestled right outside of our back gate.
At first, we were concerned for our safety, as were our family and friends. A couple of days after moving in, we called the police. An officer came to our front door, and we proceeded to tell him we didn’t want police action—the man was truly doing no harm. But we did want to make a record of the situation.
We asked if there was an agency we could call for assistance, but the officer shrugged, saying, if the man wanted help, he probably would seek it.
“Just move his things when he’s not there,” the officer suggested.
My husband shook his head no. “Then I’ll be the one accused of doing wrong,” he joked. “Those are his things. I won’t touch them.”
It was our view that the man was a person with rights, too.
One day, we walked back with food in hand, but he was no longer there, and we never saw him again.
At the time, I didn’t know all of the resources I know today. Now, if that gentleman were living behind my house, I would know whom to call.
It’s something we should all become familiar with—the resources and options in Harrisburg.
A key to combatting poverty and homelessness is becoming aware of the network of local people, organizations and information. One of the most useful things we can do as citizens is help fellow citizens connect to resources.
Of course, this is a season of giving, so give your donations and time to those places.
While far too many of us have a tendency to turn away from poverty and homelessness, probably the most significant thing you can do is look someone in the eye, smile, and ask, “How are you?”
Because, like you, they are people, too.
Tara Leo Auchey is creator and editor of today’s the day Harrisburg. www.todaysthedayhbg.com
