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archdiocese-of-miami-a-crisis-that-needs-an-urgent-solution


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.

Comments from readers

Maryann C. Hotchkiss - 11/19/2024 05:48 PM
My Confirmation class would love to make sandwiches to feed the homeless or give them "survival bags". Can you put me in touch with someone who can assist us?
Javier Lopez - 11/19/2024 03:15 PM
Many thanks for your article
Rey Bonachea - 11/19/2024 01:13 PM
I agree with the article but I am a bit disturbed by two aspects. One is the seeming equation between homeless and undocumented. What are the actual numbers? From prior experience I tend to believe that the majority of the people who are homeless are US citizens. I would welcome some statistics to convince me of the contrary. Secondly, while I agree that government can and should do a lot more to solve homelessness, I think we as voting citizens need to do our part to elect those in government instead of electing those who ignore or make worse the problem. I also think that we as Christians need to do more to eliminate the causes of homelessness. Years ago, while teaching a Bible class, I researched the number of people who were homeless in Dade County and the number of families that said they were Christians in the US Census. There were something like 7 Christian families for every person who was homeless. And yes, there are many who have illnesses like the article points out. But think about, if your blood brother or sister or child had that illness, would you let him or her roam the streets homeless or would you do something to deal with his or her illness? What would the Samaritan do? What would Jesus do?

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