A few years ago a comedian of some national notoriety noted that the problem of homelessness wouldn’t be solved until someone figured out a way to make money off of it.
The moment somebody can turn a profit on curing the problem, the problem will go away, he said.
So far that hasn’t happened, obviously. If anything, the problem has grown more acute.
Consider these numbers compiled by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development:
On any given night, nearly 300,000 people in the nation sleep on the streets or in homeless camps.
One in every 500 Americans is homeless, according to 2023 figures.
In Louisville, the Coalition for the Homeless says that more than 12,000 people sought homeless services from the city or agencies trying to help last year. The coalition says that on any given night, about 600 people in the city are “unsheltered.”
It’s not just a problem locally and in the United States, either. Worldwide, homelessness reaches into countries in all sectors of the globe. And the ubiquitous nature of unhoused people weighs on the mind of Pope Francis. It has for years.
Back in the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016, the pope spoke to more than 6,000 homeless pilgrims and other marginalized Europeans in Rome and asked for their forgiveness.
“I ask your forgiveness if I have ever offended you with my words or for not having said something I should have,” he said that November. “I ask your forgiveness for all the times that we Christians stand before a poor person or a situation of poverty and look the other way.”
In more recent weeks, the pope’s concern for the homeless and poor emerged again during his trip to Belgium. Pope Francis changed his schedule to meet with about a dozen homeless people at the Church of St. Gilles in Brussels. Over coffee and croissants, he talked with them about the challenges they face on the street.
The conversation was important, said Father Benjamin Kabongo, a Franciscan friar who works with the homeless at the church. It was a strong gesture, he said, for the pope to “listen to these people that the world does not pay attention to.”
People are paying attention to the problem in Louisville, though.
Last month Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced grants of $1.1 million to eight local nonprofit organizations that work with the homeless. The funds will allow them to hire additional caseworkers and expand emergency homeless shelter operations in the city.
Among the agencies receiving the funds are the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and St. John Center for Homeless Men.
And the city has officially begun construction of a new Community Care Campus on East Breckinridge Street in Smoketown.
The campus is being built with funds approved by the Kentucky General Assembly and with the cooperation of the Volunteers of America. The first phase of construction will involve converting the old Vu Hotel into a 29-unit shelter for families. That building will also include a kitchen, dining area, laundry room and a playroom for children.
By the time the Community Care Campus is completed in 2027, it will have cost $58 million and will include transitional housing for young adults, permanent housing for people who experience chronic homelessness, and a medical and behavioral health clinic. There will also be a Louisville Metro Police Department office on the grounds.
Its construction represents a firm commitment from local government and agencies, and it’s a wonderful step in the right direction. It’s also a large drop into the very large bucket that homelessness and poverty represents not only here, but all over the country.
It’s tempting to throw up our collective hands and say “what the heck, doesn’t the Bible say the poor will always be with us?” Yes, it does. But it also said that we are our brothers’ keepers, that we should care for those who need our help the most.
We all know this much: We can’t pretend the problem of people sleeping on the streets doesn’t exist. We can’t just look the other way when we see them and all the ills of society they represent.
We need to support the parishes, the agencies — and the people — who are working to get people off the streets and into housing. We need to take the words of Pope Francis to heart.
“Mercy shows the way to hope,” the pope said in Brussels. “Every time we let ourselves be involved in the dynamics of solidarity and mutual care, we realize that we receive much more than what we give.”
Editorial — The poor are with us; let’s help them
A few years ago a comedian of some national notoriety noted that the problem of homelessness wouldn’t be solved until someone figured out a way to make money off of it.
The moment somebody can turn a profit on curing the problem, the problem will go away, he said.
So far that hasn’t happened, obviously. If anything, the problem has grown more acute.
Consider these numbers compiled by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development:
In Louisville, the Coalition for the Homeless says that more than 12,000 people sought homeless services from the city or agencies trying to help last year. The coalition says that on any given night, about 600 people in the city are “unsheltered.”
It’s not just a problem locally and in the United States, either. Worldwide, homelessness reaches into countries in all sectors of the globe. And the ubiquitous nature of unhoused people weighs on the mind of Pope Francis. It has for years.
Back in the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016, the pope spoke to more than 6,000 homeless pilgrims and other marginalized Europeans in Rome and asked for their forgiveness.
“I ask your forgiveness if I have ever offended you with my words or for not having said something I should have,” he said that November. “I ask your forgiveness for all the times that we Christians stand before a poor person or a situation of poverty and look the other way.”
In more recent weeks, the pope’s concern for the homeless and poor emerged again during his trip to Belgium. Pope Francis changed his schedule to meet with about a dozen homeless people at the Church of St. Gilles in Brussels. Over coffee and croissants, he talked with them about the challenges they face on the street.
The conversation was important, said Father Benjamin Kabongo, a Franciscan friar who works with the homeless at the church. It was a strong gesture, he said, for the pope to “listen to these people that the world does not pay attention to.”
People are paying attention to the problem in Louisville, though.
Last month Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced grants of $1.1 million to eight local nonprofit organizations that work with the homeless. The funds will allow them to hire additional caseworkers and expand emergency homeless shelter operations in the city.
Among the agencies receiving the funds are the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and St. John Center for Homeless Men.
And the city has officially begun construction of a new Community Care Campus on East Breckinridge Street in Smoketown.
The campus is being built with funds approved by the Kentucky General Assembly and with the cooperation of the Volunteers of America. The first phase of construction will involve converting the old Vu Hotel into a 29-unit shelter for families. That building will also include a kitchen, dining area, laundry room and a playroom for children.
By the time the Community Care Campus is completed in 2027, it will have cost $58 million and will include transitional housing for young adults, permanent housing for people who experience chronic homelessness, and a medical and behavioral health clinic. There will also be a Louisville Metro Police Department office on the grounds.
Its construction represents a firm commitment from local government and agencies, and it’s a wonderful step in the right direction. It’s also a large drop into the very large bucket that homelessness and poverty represents not only here, but all over the country.
It’s tempting to throw up our collective hands and say “what the heck, doesn’t the Bible say the poor will always be with us?” Yes, it does. But it also said that we are our brothers’ keepers, that we should care for those who need our help the most.
We all know this much: We can’t pretend the problem of people sleeping on the streets doesn’t exist. We can’t just look the other way when we see them and all the ills of society they represent.
We need to support the parishes, the agencies — and the people — who are working to get people off the streets and into housing. We need to take the words of Pope Francis to heart.
“Mercy shows the way to hope,” the pope said in Brussels. “Every time we let ourselves be involved in the dynamics of solidarity and mutual care, we realize that we receive much more than what we give.”
GLENN RUTHERFORD
Record Editor Emeritus
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