The Newly Homeless And The Ones Who Were There Before
Judy Ramsook
September 15, 2005
When the destructive forces of hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, the wake of that destruction left thousands of people who lived in affected areas without a place to call home. Thus rendering them homeless.
And when knowledge of what was taking place reached people the world over, help poured in from all corners of the globe. Help came in the form of financial aid, shelters in the US, quantities of food products, and medical personnel and supplies. All in the name of kindness.
But when we drove or passed by a homeless person on the street before Katrina attacked the Gulf Coast, was giving a dollar or two to that homeless person on the street sufficient? Especially now that so many have reached out to render aid to the newly homeless; Katrina’s victims.
Whatever aid was given by you to that person or persons on the street may seem pale in comparison to the quantity of help that has been given to the hurricane victims who received aid. The difference? The victims the forces of hurricane Katrina left homeless would not have been reduced to such a state of affairs had the storm fizzled out before hitting landfall, whereas the already homeless that you pass by on the street sometimes had been in that condition for a while.
So in the light of all the show of support the newly homeless have received, maybe it’s also a good time to render aid to those who were homeless long before Katrina’s forces of nature did such damage.
And that aid should not only be given because of the pre existing condition of some the homeless. But because some of them might be in need of some of the aid the Katrina evacuees received. Now it is known that the homeless are spread far and wide, and aid cannot or may not be able to reach each and every homeless person out there. But it is something to think about because no one should be forgotten.
Rendering aid to the evacuees is fine, but let us not forget the homeless ones who were there before a hurricane with a name no one will soon forget, Katrina, attacked and disrupted the lives of many. For just like those evacuees who do not want to be forgotten, so are the silent homeless who came before. They may have nothing but a cardboard box as a form of shelter, but they should not be forgotten either.
And when knowledge of what was taking place reached people the world over, help poured in from all corners of the globe. Help came in the form of financial aid, shelters in the US, quantities of food products, and medical personnel and supplies. All in the name of kindness.
But when we drove or passed by a homeless person on the street before Katrina attacked the Gulf Coast, was giving a dollar or two to that homeless person on the street sufficient? Especially now that so many have reached out to render aid to the newly homeless; Katrina’s victims.
Whatever aid was given by you to that person or persons on the street may seem pale in comparison to the quantity of help that has been given to the hurricane victims who received aid. The difference? The victims the forces of hurricane Katrina left homeless would not have been reduced to such a state of affairs had the storm fizzled out before hitting landfall, whereas the already homeless that you pass by on the street sometimes had been in that condition for a while.
So in the light of all the show of support the newly homeless have received, maybe it’s also a good time to render aid to those who were homeless long before Katrina’s forces of nature did such damage.
And that aid should not only be given because of the pre existing condition of some the homeless. But because some of them might be in need of some of the aid the Katrina evacuees received. Now it is known that the homeless are spread far and wide, and aid cannot or may not be able to reach each and every homeless person out there. But it is something to think about because no one should be forgotten.
Rendering aid to the evacuees is fine, but let us not forget the homeless ones who were there before a hurricane with a name no one will soon forget, Katrina, attacked and disrupted the lives of many. For just like those evacuees who do not want to be forgotten, so are the silent homeless who came before. They may have nothing but a cardboard box as a form of shelter, but they should not be forgotten either.
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