The Ostrich Principle at Work

I have a radical idea – let’s just do away with all the organizations helping our poor and homeless people and then we wouldn’t have a problem anymore. No more poor.  No more homeless.  Makes sense doesn’t it?

After all isn’t the fact that there are those services that there are poor and homeless people?

That’s what Mayor Eric Bever of Costa Mesa, California thinks. He’d like to limit the work and scope of organizations serving the poor and homeless in his community.  He believes that they would solve (eliminate)  the complaints about vagrants in public parks and facilities “if we managed to put the soup kitchens out of business.”

It’s true he’s a heartless Republican but this type of thinking isn’t limited to a particular political party. The solutions to big problems like homelessness and the poor aren’t quick fixes.

Jesus said that “the poor you will always have with you.” That’s true but do we have to treat them poorly?

When we go out and help the poor and homeless, we’re not creating a problem, we’re reacting to a problem. It’s the opposite of the “Field of Dreams” approach to solving a problem – if you get rid of it they will leave.

It’s not going to happen. At least not in Costa Mesa. Its Mediterranean climate is ideal for people to live outdoors most of the year. Why wouldn’t you want to live here if you’re homeless? It beats the heck out of living in Chicago or Buffalo.

Some cities have taken to warehousing the homeless in a single, out-of-the-way location so that no one has to see them.  I understand this quite well.  I’m often in Chicago and have been known to pull the Bill Murray routine on the homeless person as I’m walking to the theatre or the symphony. We hide from the ugliness of our communities or our situations.  Not sure what I’m talking about?

There’s a scene where, in the early part of the movie, Groundhog Day, when Bill Murray’s character comes upon a homeless man and instead of helping with a donation, he pats his overcoat like he doesn’t have a dime on him and walks on.

As his character develops through the movie, he progresses from giving him money to actually taking him into a diner and feeding him soup.  I love that progression from ignorance to casual impact to hands-on, down and dirty involvement.

Instead of blaming the folks that are serving the poor and homeless, perhaps we should focus more of our efforts on providing long-term solutions. Organizations such as Star of Hope, Nashville Rescue Mission, Detroit Rescue Mission and Cherry Street Mission Ministries are all seeking to provide long-term solutions to immediate problems.

Perhaps it’s time we all got on board with this approach.