Building The Beacon Begins With Understanding Homelessness: A Shift In Perspective
By Xiao Liu, Volunteer Blog Writer at Mentor A Promise Photo Credit: P - stock.adobe.com Before we discuss homelessness as a social issue, I’d like to share two personal stories. The Man At The Traffic Light: What We Don’t See About Homelessness One day, my husband and I were driving — I was in the passenger seat — when we stopped at a red light. He pointed to the rearview mirror and said, “Did you see that? A man just got out of that beautiful red muscle car with a sign saying he needs money.” I followed his gaze, but the man quickly disappeared from the mirror. “See?” my husband continued. “He’s over there now, standing on the traffic island, panhandling.” I saw the man, wearing a leather jacket that wasn’t tattered, holding and shaking his sign. From time to time, he pulled the jacket tighter—it looked like it once had a zipper, but the pull was missing. “This guy’s lying,” my husband muttered. “He’s pretending to be homeless.” “Hey,” I said, “do you know what couch surfing is...