Angela
Posted by invisiblepeople | Filed under face and voice of homelessness, road trip
Since last year, I have been documenting the stories of the homeless. For the past months, I have traveled from coast-to-coast talking to people living in the streets, in shelters, in weekly-rate hotels, and under bridges.
Nearly one hundred interviews (and thousands of pairs of donated socks) later, my perspective on homelessness has changed dramatically. For me, Angela’s story resonated. For you, it might be Willy or Drew or Donna’s story that strikes a chord.
But regardless of how you get the message, I hope you get the message.
Homelessness is a complex problem. Although everyone has a different story and different reasons for being homeless, there are similarities in these stories. Although these videos are not often about solutions to homelessness, I hope one thing has become clear: if we want to solve homelessness, we need to stop focusing on band-aid solutions.
As advocates from coast to coast have screamed and shouted for years, it’s okay to feed people in the park, but we have to focus on getting them out of the park and into safe, decent, and affordable housing.
Please watch this short video. If it affects you, do something. Embed it video on your blog, send a link to all your friends, do whatever it takes to help keep people like Angela from dying under a bridge in America
September 8th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
[...] were happy to help Mark and have followed his every step on his Invisible People blog. Stories like Angela’s and daily photos like these continue to inspire us and we’re lucky to have been introduced to [...]
November 1st, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I have been donating time to soup kitchens in New York.Before doing this I thought I would be able to recognize poverty and homelessness.After serving for quite some time I realize that often we can't tell.We equate homelessness with dirt and grime and never realize the ramifications.The people who come to the soup kitchens aren't always homeless but many of them are.They are served with a smile and dignity.After they leave so does the dignity.My heart breaks for anyone who is in this position.
Thank You for the work you do.
Lynn
November 1st, 2009 at 10:42 pm
I have been donating time to soup kitchens in New York.Before doing this I thought I would be able to recognize poverty and homelessness.After serving for quite some time I realize that often we can't tell.We equate homelessness with dirt and grime and never realize the ramifications.The people who come to the soup kitchens aren't always homeless but many of them are.They are served with a smile and dignity.After they leave so does the dignity.My heart breaks for anyone who is in this position.
Thank You for the work you do.
Lynn
April 8th, 2010 at 1:35 am
Homelessness feels like an indictment on our hard hearts and failure to follow Jesus. I spent the past 4 days praying and working to get a homeless friend and member of our church a safe place to stay. God provided but…
July 14th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
[...] walked under a bridge in Atlanta and met Angela. She’s dying under that bridge, and the best I could do is give her a sandwich. Food is not [...]