A crisis that needs an urgent solution
Monday, November 18, 2024
*Victor Martell
Seeing homeless people on the streets is not new to the residents of Miami and surrounding areas, especially in the downtown area. In the past, it was usually men who spent the day on the streets, and many would show up at Camillus House for the night. In the morning, they would get a shower and receive a change of clothes.
As a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, I visited many of them and brought them breakfast on the weekends. Their lives are not easy. Many suffer from illnesses such as alcoholism or drug addiction, while others have become homeless due to the loss of their families. There are also people with mental health issues, and we used to made arrangements for them to be admitted to government institutions for their recovery.
Unfortunately, dear readers, things have changed for the worse. It is no longer a case of single men or single woman. These days, we find entire families that are homeless. The saddest thing is to find single mothers living with their children in parks and also out in the open in our neighborhoods. Others live in their cars and use the restrooms at gas stations or 24-hour businesses to wash up.
If this was one cause for sadness, it is now heartbreaking. Although many charities help the homeless with food and temporary housing, many of us have overlooked the fact that entire undocumented families, and in many cases unaccompanied children, are showing up at our borders every day. We must understand that these families have fallen into disgrace and face great dangers, such as theft, assault, rape, and often death.
Unfortunately, we have fallen into the trap of judging them for their misfortune. We criticize them for allegedly not wanting to work, when the truth is that it is difficult for an undocumented person to get a job. We say they are bad parents for bringing their children "to experience this miserable life." Yet we ignore the fact that they suffer persecution, jail and unemployment in their countries of origin. Many have accused them of bringing their children to sell them on the black market, an absurd argument because, in many cases, parents who are poor are more willing to make sacrifices to provide the best for their children. When I heard such accusations from people who seem to have no heart, I invite them to study the teachings of our Catholic Church, for ever since it was founded by Jesus Christ, it has served the sick and destitute not only spiritually but also in terms of material support.
Jesus always preached that we should help our brothers and sisters, especially when they are in need. As Catholics, it is our duty is to serve them. We cannot turn a blind eye. We must tell politicians to find solutions to homelessness as soon as possible. It is an outrage that our streets have become tent cities and that there are people who have to sleep on the streets or in parks, covering themselves with newspapers. We should not say that we will not welcome them into our churches "because they are houses of prayer, not shelters." We must demand of our authorities that, instead of allocating funds to less important things, resources be used to build homes for the homeless. Politicians must begin to work today to protect these brothers and sisters from the vices and dangers of our streets. And if the government allows undocumented immigrants to cross the borders, it should also be responsible for their expenses.
God needs us to be His hands, reaching out to do what He wants to do. God loves us, and He also loves our brothers and sisters because they are His children, just as we are. If we call ourselves Christians, we should not sit down to eat or lie down to sleep peacefully in our homes without doing something for the thousands who cannot enjoy the same.
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