My grandparents owned a grocery store when I grew up. When neighbors were in need, they operated their store like more than a small business.
They were the local food pantry and bank, too, for those in need. They taught me at a young age we must lift our neighbors up when they are down.
They also taught me that giving back isn’t just something you do on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but something you should do all year long. The holiday season kicks off more than just a new year. It kicks off a season of bitter Wisconsin cold weather.
On December 21st, a 57-year-old homeless man in Milwaukee was found frozen to death in his car. Tonight, thousands of people are homeless in Milwaukee. Even more are going to bed hungry.
There is a high price to pay for homelessness. Some people even pay with their lives. Did you know that almost one-quarter of all homeless people in America are children? Our humanity is at stake.
I am excited about the work Milwaukee County is doing to end homelessness. Just last week, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele announced the county would receive $4.1 million from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to fight homelessness. That is an increase of almost $600,000 over last year.
The plan uses the Housing First philosophy which puts a roof over the head of the chronically homeless first. It doesn’t stop there. After they get into stable housing, the county provides wraparound case management services as part of the housing division’s existing partnerships with other agencies to ensure we are treating the whole person to help them break the cycle of homelessness. Homelessness is about more than just a roof over someone’s head.
It’s also about warm meals, health and mental health services, job readiness and job search assistance, education and much more.
If you think about it, homelessness isn’t that far off for any of us. Most Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. If you lose your job and fall behind on your rent or mortgage, it doesn’t take long to end up on the streets.
Our homeless population is filled with veterans, children and every other kind of person who just doesn’t deserve a life on the streets.
Government is great and can do great work. But government isn’t the answer to all our problems. Despite the great work of the county, there are dozens of soup kitchens and homeless shelters that need volunteers and donations every day, not just on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
There isn’t a better feeling in the world that the looks in someone’s eye when you give them a warm meal or make them up a bed for the night. There’s also no better lesson to teach a child then to give of themselves. If by now, I haven’t convinced you, remember your Bible. Acts 20:35 say, “In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
