#InspireADifference I have a few more thoughts from todays Q&A with #DiscoveryIDs #IDA_Chat session on Twitter regarding #HelpUSA HELP USA QUESTION 1: What prompted you to become involved with your respective organizations? Well, theres a long answer and a short answer:) The short answer is three words: Maria Cuomo Cole. She is the heart behind HELPUSA, and she brings the issues and challenges of the homeless right to our hearts - which is of course right where it belongs; In the hearts of the community. We’ll chat a little more about Maria in a minute… but the other driving reason I had to get involved with HelpUSA - the long answer in other words :), was moving to New York City where the reality of the homeless is right in your face. There is no hiding the fact of people living on the streets, or in train stations, or under bridges. You see it in a lot of major cities, but New York City is a walking town, and so you are literally interacting with, and stepping over… people. So you get interested in just WHO they are… and you start asking questions, and the simplest answer is: they are our neighbors. That old saying “there but for the Grace of God go I “ is true. You realize that one person is a Veteran who served our country, and came home with PTSD, and is now, homeless. Or another woman was escaping from a violent home situation, and now she and her kids are living under a bridge somewhere. Some of the homeless are mentally ill, some are people who just fell on hard times and got evicted. Many have tried to find shelter, but when I first moved to New York, the shelters were full, and a lot of people were on the streets. In the winter it is especially mind boggling - and you can only go so long ignoring the problem before you have to DO something. I remember one New Years Eve it was freezing. I was a bit tipsy, and feeling a little sorry for myself that I hadn’t booked any film or plays or TV and that I was a waitress and I was moaning about “when would I ever get a break?” I stopped to sit on a curb, and have a wee cry, and sip from my bottle, and I met a homeless man who joined me. He proposed a toast to better times, and he told me to be grateful for what I had - three very important things: shelter, family, and a purpose. He was a Vet who had lost his family, and his home, and was struggling to find hope and purpose in his future. Thats when I met Maria… and the work and approach of HELPUSA just made good sense. They viewed each homeless person as an individual, and the purpose and goal of HELPUSA is not to just provide shelter, but to get the citizen back on their feet, contributing to their families and to their communities in valuable ways.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 18:36:52 +0000
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