Some of us have been poor in our lives, but most of us have never been homeless. As Christians, we have a very personal stake in eradicating homeless and in working to destroy all social conditions that cause human beings not to flourish. God intends for all of God’s children to thrive. We are called to obey the command of our Lord, "Love your neighbor as yourself." We are called to reflect upon and to work for the flourishing of all people as part of our own development as children of God.

Back to the poem: "Did you bless me with this wealth? Did you gift me? Was I chosen? Chosen because of my righteousness? Chosen because of my heritage? Did my ancestors rack up credit for me? Can I rack up credit for my children? Are they chosen? Blessed?

What about God’s children in this great, rich country of ours -- the poor in spirit, the broken ones, those who mourn and lament? In 2000 that homelessness in America was up dramatically since the late 1980's. Two trends in the past twenty years are primarily responsible for homelessness -- a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a concurrent increase in extreme poverty. Almost 20 percent of homeless persons are employed, but wages earned are insufficient to meet the expense of rental housing. By 1997, more than 13.3 percent of the U.S. population (35.6 million people) was living in poverty. While the number of poor people has not changed very much since then, the number of people living in extreme poverty has increased. In 1997, 14.6 million people (41 percent of the poor) had incomes of less than one-half the poverty level, an increase of over 500,000 from 1995. Forty percent of persons living in poverty are children.

One of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population is families with children. In 1998, children accounted for 25 percent of the homeless population in a survey of 30 large cities. These proportions are likely to be higher in rural areas, where families, single mothers, and children make up the largest group of homeless people. Requests for emergency shelter by families with children in cities increased by an average of 15 percent in a one-year period and 32 percent of requests for shelter by homeless families were denied because there were no resources to shelter them. Furthermore, 88 percent of the cities surveyed expected an increase in the number of requests by families with children in 1999. Domestic violence contributes to homelessness among families. Between 40 and 50 percent of homeless women and children are fleeing domestic violence.

The poet writes, "I meet mothers with mouths to feed; clothes to rinse in the sink, hang in the window; holes to stuff with newspapers against the icy night; buses to catch; losses to mourn; uniforms to mend; floors to mop; who love when they should kick, who comfort when they might burst, whose faith dances lightly around them, blessing everyone they touch."

Homeless youth are individuals under age eighteen who lack parental, foster, or institutional care. The homeless youth population is about 300,000 young people each year. Youth become homeless because of family problems (violence and sexual abuse); economic problems (they become homeless with their families in a crisis, but are later separated from them by shelter, transitional housing, or child welfare policies); and residential instability (a history of foster care has been found to be correlated with becoming homeless at an earlier age and remaining homeless for a longer period of time). Homeless youth have greater challenges on the streets than homeless adults do. Because of their age, they have few legal ways to earn money to meet their basic needs. Many homeless adolescents find that exchanging sex for food, clothing, and shelter is their only chance for survival. In turn, they are at a greater risk of contracting AIDS or HIV-related illnesses. Homeless adolescents often suffer from severe anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome, poor health and nutrition, and low self esteem.

More poetry: "Chosen? Blessed? Do I know "Blessed"? If I take more Blessing than my share, will somebody get less? Blessed with life and food; savor, consecrate, a miracle! Blessed with life, food, health, family, friends, clothes, cars, designer labels, pets, gardens, gold hoop earrings, appliances, good looks, nice furniture, hair spray, video games, garage door openers, automatic toothbrushes, cleaning ladies, word processors, sterling silver toothpicks, personal secretary . . .the Blessing fades."

Education is another major problem for the homeless. Homeless children and youth face tremendous barriers to public education. There are barriers to enrollment, such as guardianship and immunization requirements, transportation problems, and school fees. Barriers to success in school include family mobility, poor health, and lack of food, clothing, and school supplies. Homeless children experience difficulties in being evaluated for special education programs and services, getting counseling and psychological services, accessing before- and after-school care programs, and participating in after-school events.

Many homeless people have multiple health problems. Homelessness precludes adequate nutrition, good personal hygiene, and basic first aid. Frostbite, leg ulcers, and upper respiratory infections are frequent, as is an increased incidence of antibiotic resistant tuberculosis. Homeless people are at greater risk of trauma from beatings, muggings, and rape. About half of America’s homeless suffer from a major illness or health problem. Homeless children also experience numerous health problems that can have devastating consequences if not treated early. Many do not get their proper immunizations, and greater numbers of children living in shelters have asthma and middle ear infections.

What does the poet say? "Possessed! Oppressed! Chosen! Blessed! the poor, meek, hungry, weeping. poverty. Chosen to act. Chosen to shed all of my possession. Chosen to leave den and nest behind. Chosen to let dead bury dead. Chosen to plow forward; don't look back. Chosen to visit the shelter; searching, faltering into the sorrowful fear. Chosen to hand out food at the center; letting the grateful hate hang between. Chosen to watch and listen and find; pieces of them touching pieces of me."

The arrogance and greed of the powerful and privileged have intentionally create a false belief that the poor and homeless are at fault for their condition, and therefore are not worthy or deserving of assistance. We must reject that attitude. The economic vulnerability of the poor and homeless prevents them from having the ability to advocate effectively for themselves. If Christians do not seek to assure justice for them, they will not have justice.

The poem ends: "Chosen! I turn back. Unfit! Oppressed! Possessed! The Saving God will bring us out of our oppression. The Redeemer will deliver us from our possession. poverty the poor, meek, hungry, weeping. Blessed."* . . . . Blessed.

*The Reverend Gretchen M. B. Pickeral, "Confession of Possession,"Women’s Uncommon Prayers: Our Lives Revealed, Nurtured, Celebrated," Elizabeth Rankin Geitz, et al., eds. (Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing, 2000), p. 266 (line spacing altered).