I linked this blog to my post on Painted Black about two years ago, but I believe the post bears repeating and may not have been seen by my earlier followers. I am especially humbled to say that at least one person’s mind was changed by reading this post. One of the people referred to in the beginning of this piece let me know that reading it has changed the way she looks at the homeless she sees now.
No links today, or pictures, or plugs for my upcoming book Painted Black (okay, just that one). Today I just want to share a few thoughts on the homeless as inspired by a conversation I had yesterday.
It started when someone expressed being tired of all the homeless people. Some guy had decided an empty lot next door was a great place to get drunk off his ass and shout abuse at people day after day. I’d get pretty tired of that myself. What a pain.
But it’s not the guy being homeless that is a problem. What I’d get tired of is a drunk guy who’s being a loud asshole. If he sat in the lot every day reading a book and waving at everyone who walked by, he would still be homeless but would I be complaining about him? Probably not. If my neighbor with a mortgage and…
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Debra R. Borys 
It is easy for many to write off homeless people. Working on a Board that supported efforts to provide transitional and emergency housing to homeless families was a big eye opener for me. Most cases of homelessness are caused by circumstance and by the fact that our society does not do well with preventative support that could help keep someone from becoming homeless. Mental health is another issue that we do not support well. No insurance, no meds…..There are great people trying to change this dynamic, United Way is amazing in King County….just need more support and creative thinking on the front end.
Thank you for the work you do to help, Pam. And for spreading the word.
Thanks for your visit to my blog! I wanted to drop by and invite you to join in Project O which is a look into how opinions are formed around the world. If this interests you and if you have a social issue you might want to share with people, please consider joining! The post can be found at the top of my blog under Project O – The Original Project Idea and the template is the post next to it. Thanks again for taking the time to visit my blog! –OM