sensitive to suffering

sensitive to suffering He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given. Proverbs 19:17 Last year, I encountered a man experiencing homelessness during a routine trip to my local convenience store. The interaction was pretty standard; he asked for spare change, I gave him a few dollars after making my purchase, and carried on about my day. A few months later, I encountered the same man in the same place. We repeated the ritual, but this time I offered him my number. I’d been growing closer to God in the months prior, and He was beginning to soften my heart towards the less fortunate. I was starting to see the specters that so many in our society walk past without a second thought. Unfortunately, our relationship took a negative turn after he constantly broke my personal boundaries with phishing like cash requests and overcommunication, even after multiple warnings about his behavior. I realized that constantly sending money wasn’t the answer, and that submitting to his forceful requests only led to anger and resentment. I was no longer a cheerful giver, but a reluctant victim of the savior complex. I’ve since reconciled with him (with strict boundaries), but that situation forced me to consider a question I’ve pondered for years. How can I truly help a homeless person? Thanks to the solutions presented in When We Walk By, I know have an answer. Throughout this article, we’ll learn how to help the homeless! kicking kittens I never realized I was homeless when I lost my housing, only when I lost my family and friends. Adam Before we consider how to address homelessness, we must first investigate the reasons it exists and why it is such a relevant issue. We’ll begin by analyzing the individual behaviors and mindsets that breed and feed homelessness: Relational Poverty - Relational poverty, a profound lack of nurturing relationships combined with stigma (and often shame) that makes fostering social ties incredibly difficult, is a deadly form of poverty common among people experiencing homelessness, with associated health risks like those of material poverty (Adler 31). - Relational poverty can come in the form of network impoverishment, the experience of social networks that lack resources, or flexible capital to provide the necessary support to avoid or exit homelessness (Adler 32). Stigma, Stereotypes, and Shame - Stigma, a social phenomenon that consists of labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination, is a common experience of individuals experiencing homelessness (Adler 46). - People who are stigmatized develop a stigma consciousness, becoming aware of their stigma and the low expectations held by others. They expect negative outcomes such as social rejection, which fosters internalization of negative views and shame, a process that leads to a vicious cycle of strained social interactions, self-isolation, low self-esteem, decreased desire to seek help, and depression (Adler 46). Exclusion - We walk by those without homes, even when they are our family, as illustrated by the New York City Rescue Mission Experiment, an example of how, as a society, people experiencing homelessness are “out of sight, out of mind” (Adler 58). - Our neighbors experiencing homelessness are also excluded from our communities through hostile architecture, hostile design, and anti-homeless ordinances, all of which make the experience of homelessness even more dangerous and disconnected (Adler 59). Paternalism - Paternalism entails taking actions or making decisions for another person under the assumption that we know best. In reality, paternalism strips away self-determination and agency for people experiencing homelessness (Adler 64, 74). - Disdain and frustration resulting from our paternalism toward “the homeless” lead to hesitancy to help and compassion fatigue, a sense of doubting the real impact of assistance, which results in apathy and inaction that harms us all (Adler 75). Individualism - Homelessness is incorrectly branded as an individual failing due to American cultural ideals glorifying individual responsibility in determining life outcomes, but historical trends show homelessness is largely due to systemic forces (Adler 85). - Rampant hyperindividualism in the US, which presumes that everyone has the ability to succeed based on hard work and talent alone, regardless of circumstances, makes exiting (and ending) homelessness an individual responsibility rather than part of our collective duty (Adler 85). Godless governments Study after study has shown that costs associated with providing housing and services are substantially less than the costs that are incurred by not housing people. When We Walk By: Pg. 99 Next, we’ll evaluate a few systemic ordinances that contribute to the pervasiveness of homelessness. Not only are our unhoused neighbors being attacked by friends and family, but they’re also being assaulted from the top down by cruel politicians, unjust legislation, and broken economic systems: Housing - Homelessness is defined by a lack of stable housing and is highly correlated to high housing costs. As such, affordable housing is the key ingredient to ending homelessness (Adler 102). - Homeless shelters impose many paternalistic restrictions on their clients, split up families, and are often characterized by crowded and unsanitary living conditions, while unsanctioned tent cities offer few, if any, resources or utilities, are heavily surveilled, and result in the further criminalization and displacement of people experiencing homelessness (Adler 102). Work, Wages, and Health - Many people believe getting a job is an easy fix-all solution to homelessness, but in reality about half of all individuals experiencing homelessness are already working but do not make enough to afford housing, while the rest face significant barriers to employment such as the experience of homelessness itself, physical or mental health issues, reentry challenges from incarceration or hospitalization, lack of access to education and training, and discrimination (Adler 114). - America’s minimum wage, which is 50% less than what the living wage would need to be in every state in the US, is literally unlivable and in part responsible for the homelessness crisis (Adler 114). Healthcare (Physical & Mental) - The relationship between healthcare and homelessness is a vicious cycle: A diagnosis of a serious illness leads to homelessness for many people in the US, and having to endure a serious illness while experiencing homelessness greatly exacerbates symptoms and makes recovery an even more difficult task (Adler 127). - People experiencing homelessness with mental illness, including substance use disorders, face a slew of barriers in obtaining treatment, including high costs, lack of access to insurance, prescriptions, and transportation, the competing priorities of meeting basic needs, and the increased privatization of treatment, all of which, in turn, worsen psychiatric symptoms and make it much more difficult to permanently exit homelessness (Adler 141). Criminal Justice - Individuals experiencing homelessness are criminalized for behaviors that they have no choice but to engage in, such as sleeping outside or in cars, panhandling, and setting up tent encampments (Adler 151). - Criminalizing homelessness abdicates society’s responsibility to solve a problem of its own creation. Harmful quality of life offenses attempt to move homelessness to the margins, out of sight, out of mind, and reinforce the fallacy that punishing “the homeless” is a justified consequence of their “bad behavior” (Adler 152). Youth Development - Childhood abuse, neglect, and other types of trauma greatly increase the risk of homelessness for youth and adults. As a society, we greatly underestimate the number of people experiencing homelessness who are children and youth; in fact, under the HUD definition, about 25% of the homeless population is under 25 years old (Adler 162). - The foster care system is a point-blank gateway to homelessness, wherein roughly ⅓ of aged-out former foster kids will experience homelessness by age 26 (Adler 163). this could be us When we walk by, we effectively accept the statues quo and sentiment that nothing can be done to help our neighbors experiencing homlessness. When We Walk By: Pg. 10 We understand now that homelessness is a two-pronged issue, one that must be addressed at both the macro and micro levels. On a microcosmic level, we all must become a little more sensitive to suffering. Even fixing something as simple as the verbiage we use to describe the homeless can go a long way in addressing the issue. Labeling all unhoused people under the moniker of homeless dehumanizes them and sends an unfavorable message that homeless people are impersonal problems to be solved instead of people to be loved. For those who’ve allowed their hearts to harden, here are some tips on healing your humanity: - Relational poverty: We begin to heal our humanity through relationships: by getting to know a person experiencing homelessness and listening to their story (Adler 234). - Stigma, Stereotypes, and Shame: Healing our humanity must also encompass unpacking years of learned biases and stereotypes. Simple ways we can do this include using person-first language, questioning our assumptions with data and stories, and engaging in our communities and networks to help change the narrative around homelessness (Adler 234). - Exclusion: We should aim to extend radical hospitality to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Simple actions such as making eye contact or sharing a meal, and larger movements, such as successfully protesting anti-homeless ordinances or hostile architecture, are vital to creating a more inclusive society (Adler 234). - Paternalism: Redirecting paternalistic beliefs begins with the acknowledgment that we do not know what’s best for someone whose shoes we have not walked in. Instead, we should approach issues around homelessness with curiosity and engage our unhoused neighbors with respect. Direct cash transfer programs are one of the most effective and empowering ways to invest in our neighbors experiencing homelessness (Adler 234). - Individualism: Times of crisis (such as disaster recovery after a major storm or wildfire) reveal what’s missing in today’s response to homelessness: a deep human care rooted in relationships and a distinct “we” mentality that urgently seeks to help those who are suffering (Adler 234). On a macrocosmic level, we must open our eyes to the invisible and be prepared to provide an account for the voiceless. We must internalize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to end homelessness, and that progress begins with the individual. We must learn to revere compassion over condemnation and embrace a mindset of deliverance over discipline. For those who’ve become disillusioned with society’s standards, here are some solutions for fixing broken systems: - Housing: Increase the supply of affordable and transitional or temporary housing, decrease the cost of construction, allocate more time and resources into keeping people in their homes, legislate a right to shelter or housing, and invest in community development (Adler 206). - Physical, Mental, and Behavioral Health: Expand healthcare programs that directly target the experience of homelessness, increase funding for low-income primary care clinics, utilize outreach teams that combine medical care with social services, increase use of diversion intervention programs, carefully develop involuntary treatment protocols and follow-up plans, and create more affordable and accessible substance use and mental health facilities (Adler 206). - Work & Financial Support: Create low-barrier, flexible work opportunities; increase the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour; create state programs to supplement federal benefits; provide a basic income to many individuals and families experiencing homelessness; and change the tax code to increase equity (Adler 207). - Criminal Justice: Eliminate and otherwise stop enforcing the various ordinances and statutes that criminalize homelessness, reduce penalties for minor offenses, improve police training and accountability, invest more time and resources in discharge planning, and decrease fines and legal fees (Adler 207). - Youth Development: Increase the age limit for aging out of foster care from 18 to 21, minimize school transfer for foster youth, promote homeless youth shelters and housing programs that center the needs of LGBTQ+ youth, and substantially increase the federal funding for McKinney-Vento to better provide programs for unhoused school-age children and youth (Adler 207). I personally plan to start small in my efforts to aid those experiencing homelessness, focusing solely on the man I met last year. I already met and had lunch with him, which will hopefully help alleviate his relational poverty, and I’m currently in the process of creating a personal recovery plan for him, centered around reunions with loved ones, utilization of federal aid programs (SNAP/WIC), and positive networking. I trust my readers with legal, political, and medical backgrounds will get the ball rolling on the systemic side. For a full guide on assisting our homeless neighbors, check out When We Walk By by Kevin F. Adler & Donald W. Burnes! Bye Chance! references Adler, Kevin F. When We Walk by: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America. Kevin F Adler. CELA, 2025. Title Image: The Proud Family — Season 1, Episode 11 https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/hunger-relief-programs/snap