A lesson on the homeless

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has an interesting story today about a priest in Delevan posing as a homeless man outside of his church to see how his parishioners would react. The reactions were good and bad but overall urged Father William Myrick to take the lead in setting up a better shelter system for the homeless in the area.

Some of the parishioners were shocked at their own reactions. Indeed, it's easy to talk about doing good deeds and helping others but we often have to confront our own fears and misconceptions before we become good volunteers.

When I lived in Washington D.C., I volunteered at a church homeless shelter. My job was to check everyone in for the night, make sure everyone had cots and blankets and get everyone bus tokens and breakfast coupons in the morning. I will never forget the first night there. I was so shocked at the people that came in the door to sleep at the church that I will never forget it.

None of them "looked homeless" to me and I felt ashamed for having to see this first hand to get it. They weren't the people you typically see on the streets begging for money. In fact, they all had jobs and the bus tokens we gave them were to get them to work in the morning. That was the first time I realized that the homeless problem is much larger than most people realize. There is an entire population of people working hard at jobs that just don't pay them enough to afford housing. It should never happen in this country and it happens all too often.

Father Myrick has done a great service to his parishioners and I hope they repay him by staying involved in his efforts to combat homelessness in the area long after the image of him at the alter dressed as a homeless man fades from their mind.