The Homeless

Yesterday, I passed another homless man on the street, while driving in my nice new Kia. I had just received 5 bucks from a book a sold, and I was compelled to give it to this man, so I rolled down my window and handed him the 5 dollar bill. His hands were absolutley filthy and he began telling me about people in the sky and some other nonsense, so I just smiled and nodded because I was sure he was schizophrenic. The light changed and he said good-bye to me. I turned the corner and saw another man dancing as he walked down the street. The violation of social norm led me to wonder if this man too, was schizophrenic, and this led me to a thought.

Firstly, I am in the process of creating a myspace page with my boyfriend called The Absolute Love Project. It is a site where people can ask theological questions, find resources and read our testimonies. It has long been a dream of mine, for the Absolute Love Project to expand into a non-profit organization. My first expansion is simple, and I hope to turn into a movement, the other will take some time.

I want to have a stockpile of 5 dollar bills in my car at all times. Everytime I pass a homeless person on the street with a sign, I will hand them one of these bills in an envelope, but the envelope will also contain a short letter. The letter (which I have yet to write) will basically tell them that God loves them, I hope they use this money for food, and will be a short synopsis of my story and the story of Jesus. In this way, no matter whether they read the letter or not, I am helping them, but if they chose, they can also recieve the gospel. I find too often that help for others in contingent on whether we have shared the gospel with them or not. I was outraged as a teenager (and a non-christian) that missionaries would only give aid in return for help in building their churches. Why should help not be free? Jesus never asked anything in return for his miracles. In this way, the homeless person gets help regardless of whether they are interested in what I have to say. I hope that I can start a movement where all people do this on behalf of the Absolute Love Project which operates on behalf of Christ.

Secondly, seeing these two men on the street reminded me of the greater picture. 1/3 of all homeless people are Schizophrenic. They have no way to recieve medication or phychiatric treatment. Here I am driving in my nice car, myself having a mental disorder (which for a minute plagued me with OCD thoughts about the man's filthy hands). However, I am lucky enough to have been given free counseling while at Western, to have afforded medication (which I am now off of) and to have been provided with a wonderful Christian counselor that lets me pay her next to nothing. I am lucky to have been able to have all that, but these men, have a condition far worse than OCD. They have such a hard time distinguishing reality that often times they slip further and further into disability so that they cannot hold a job or take care of themselves. They are stuck homeless, thereafter, and not only that, but are plagued by the ills of their mind.

One day I want the Absolute Love Project to be able to give a scholarship of sorts to homeless schizophrenics to pay for medications, stays in state or private hospitals and ongoing therapy. No one thinks twice about helping someone with medical conditions we can see, but illnesses of the mind can be far worse, but no one helps them. If they had care, they could hold a job and get off the streets (if they accept the help that is). The homeless shelters would not be overrun. This is my dream, and I pray they God brings people into my life that can help me to do this because it seems so big, so daunting that I have no idea how I would go about it. One day. One day.