Profiling

So many times I see people with no homes portrayed as addicts, drunks, mentally ill people. However, here in my community a new face is being put to that. We have recently encountered & are helping a gentleman who is in his late fifties who has worked his entire life, who has a strong faith in God, who has no addictions or criminal record, he is now without a home & very bare essentials.

Our community has a 30% unemployment rate at this time. However, this will most likely increase in the very near future with more lay offs announced to happen by the end of the year. Alot of the people in this community have worked in the furniture factories most of their lives. All of our local jobs have been sent overseas now. The last of 4 major furniture manufacturer's will stop production in America at the end of this year. That's another 500 jobs gone.

After the unemployment benefits run out, then what? There is nothing else in our community. This will put a completely new face to the homeless in our area. This will put the face of entire families to homelessness. I realize that this is not something new, it has been happening for a long time. I just would like people to wake up & realize that babies will be living in the streets. NO ONE should have to live in the streets.

I am working with a group of people who have a large heart for people who are in this position. We are working to open a shelter. I realize this is a small step but it is the first step. There is not a shelter within an hour drive of our community & we believe this is the first step to helping those without a home. We are trusting God that eventually we will be able to expand the shelter into a Dream Center like the one in LA.

We need to stop the profiling & open our eyes to people who are right in front of us.