Difficult day. Did some forward scouting for this weeks homeless street count. They have me working an area I am not overly familiar with, so I felt like I needed to show myself around. This is disturbing stuff, street work always is. Seeing entire encampments is depressing, because it speaks to how bad things have gotten in our allegedly improving economy - but seeing childrens items in those areas will completely rip your guts out. I find street count unsettling anyways. On one hand, I grasp the need for it, as so much program funding is wrapped up in the numbers. On the other hand, it is an activity that puts you in contact with people you cannot help, people who need homes and jobs, but all you have are questions and a gift card. It would be easier if those numbers led to full funding, but they dont. Sometimes they can lead to increased funding for larger or better programs, often they are simply a way to shield against large funding cuts. You walk the streets and the washes, you interact, you see whats real - but Congress makes the ultimate decisions, so in your heart you know it wont end well. It is what it is, but that doesnt make it right. I think part of me will always understand the mechanics of the thing, and the goals of the project; but part of me will always understand the people who have gone too long without help, and who are probably wholly sick of the system meddling in their lives without providing much in the way of help. I live with one foot in the non-profit social services world, and one foot on the street - the equations will always be more complicated for me.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 05:09:18 +0000
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