Homelessness

Asheville, NC took away the benches in front of the library because homeless people sat there. My heart sank when I read this. I loved those benches, and the folks who sat there. (I am sure the woman on the right is heading to the library.)It got me thinking hard about homelessness.

Womanist Musings has a wonderful page about this.

As long as we live under a capitalist system we are always going to have a number of people who for various reasons are going to be homeless. It is time that we admit this very basic fact and work towards solutions that will provide permanent shelter and a decent amount of human dignity for all people. (my emphasis) There is no reason in a society as rich as ours for people to live in this kind of misery, especially when there are workable solutions available.

If we were to incorporate a community garden along with the communal kitchen and bathroom, at least some of the food would be self sustaining and healthy as well. There are viable options but (my emphasis) we cannot afford to pretend that this broken system is even marginally meeting the needs of those that it supposed to help. With a little ingenuity and a helping hand these homes could be just the beginning that a homeless person needs to regain the dignity that we socially strip from them because of their poverty. A small place to call ones own, a door that locks, and a place to lay ones head, says I matter in this world. If we can find money to wage war in Afghanistan, we can find money to build homes in Canada.

It is time to listen to women.