Our country has a deep and rich heritage of all sorts of values. We became the nation we are today after a few centuries of carving out a unique identity based on how we would separate ourselves from other countries. It's interesting (to me, at least) to see how far we have evolved as a society. Many of the problems and issues the original settlers faced have been eliminated and long-solved. I'm not sure of the last time anyone died of survey and, to my knowledge, today's log cabins are a bit sturdier than the Jamestown versions.
We've waged wars and grown industry. We've cultivated democracy and invented the Snuggie. As Americans, we have addressed and solved numerous issues that plagued or disrupted our lives at one point or another. But there are some issues that have baffled and confounded us since the near beginning. One of these problems is homelessness, which was first mentioned in written documents in 1640 (136 years BEFORE we became our own nation). There was a story about a family in the northeast who was rendered without a dwelling habitat due to natural disaster. So there you have it... homelessness has been just as much a part of our history as Manifest Destiny and the Articles of Confederation.
In the earliest years of our nation's history, it was believed that if a person was homeless, then it was God's will as a punishment for a life that was most likely morally reprehensible. There was not a great deal of compassion in many circles because the person homeless was simply reaping what they sowed. I like to think these attitudes have changed but I still encounter the occasional person who is condescending toward the homeless for this same reason. They believe it is inconceivable that a person who is homeless did not "do something" or make some poor decisions along the way that resulted in their condition.
Never mind the fire or flood.
Or medical bills.
Or sudden loss of employment.
Death in the family.
Fortunately, I think we have evolved enough as a society to move on from this archaic and socially Darwinistc perspective. There are numerous reasons a person can find them self without a fixed or permanent address and Celestial Retribution is not the answer. So, what is the solution?
Since homelessness has been around since before the inception of the United States, is there any reason to think we can find a permanent solution? I mean, if its been around this long then doesn't that mean that we need to accept it and just try to do what we can to regulate it?
Not even close. At Samaritan House, we are working on a five year plan to end homelessness in Kalispell and we believe that this not only can be done, but it must be done. We are hoping to write a new page in this country's history.
In the earliest years of our nation's history, it was believed that if a person was homeless, then it was God's will as a punishment for a life that was most likely morally reprehensible. There was not a great deal of compassion in many circles because the person homeless was simply reaping what they sowed. I like to think these attitudes have changed but I still encounter the occasional person who is condescending toward the homeless for this same reason. They believe it is inconceivable that a person who is homeless did not "do something" or make some poor decisions along the way that resulted in their condition.
Never mind the fire or flood.
Or medical bills.
Or sudden loss of employment.
Death in the family.
Fortunately, I think we have evolved enough as a society to move on from this archaic and socially Darwinistc perspective. There are numerous reasons a person can find them self without a fixed or permanent address and Celestial Retribution is not the answer. So, what is the solution?
Since homelessness has been around since before the inception of the United States, is there any reason to think we can find a permanent solution? I mean, if its been around this long then doesn't that mean that we need to accept it and just try to do what we can to regulate it?
Not even close. At Samaritan House, we are working on a five year plan to end homelessness in Kalispell and we believe that this not only can be done, but it must be done. We are hoping to write a new page in this country's history.
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