One Response to “A Bottle of Water, Some Helpful Information and a Sympathetic Ear: Voices From the Field”
Enjoyed every bit of your article post.Much thanks again.
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A Bottle of Water, Some Helpful Information and a Sympathetic Ear: Voices From the Field
Our obligation to do our part to repair the world means we need to look out for those not only in faraway places but also those who are part of our community.
Recently I spent an evening with the Ve’ahavta Homeless Outreach Van along with my wife and twelve year old son. There is no obvious or easy solution to the problem of homelessness. Well-informed and well-intentioned people may have different perspectives as to how to respond to circumstances that lead people to live on the streets. Public policies, social backgrounds, health issues and expectations of personal responsibility both inform and reflect how we respond to homelessness.
But while we continue to try to identify the best way for a community to respond to the problems of homelessness, there are many people on the street who have immediate and sometimes urgent needs. The needs may vary but one that is common to all is the need to not be forgotten. The Ve’ahavta Homeless Outreach Van provided warmth and support in both tangible and intangible ways. A fresh pair of socks, a bottle of water, some helpful information, a sympathetic ear – this is some of what the Outreach Van had to offer. The driver of the Outreach Van, Perry, had obviously earned the trust and respect of many of the people the van encountered. It was clear that many were pleased to see him not only to receive something specific but also to know that here was another person who cared about their well being.
Generally speaking the responses from those who received what Ve’ahavta had to offer were
underpinned by soft spoken but profound expressions of gratitude. Such quiet dignity reinforced the most important and enduring part of the effort- that though circumstances can lead to people finding themselves in starkly different situations, the recognition of our common humanity with its corresponding obligations is something that should not fade into the background.
The Ve’ahavta Homeless Outreach Van helps ensure that some who are facing difficult
circumstances do not fade into the background.
- Randy Hahn, MJRH Volunteer