A Practical way to Help the Homeless – Right Now

By: Motormensch

Believe me, I’m not the social conscious of Trash Vent… I think even Stiffler (our head honcho/writer) could picture me laughing at most misfortune. Yup, indeed I do. Alas, that’s what writing affords people like me – a chance to be the bastard they always wanted to be.

Truth be told, practicality is usually my mantra. When I was growing up in Los Angeles, I saw many homeless living out of their cars. I had little pity for car dwellers and had no idea that they were towed often (it was like a joke for the local constabulary – it still is). Once the vehicle was towed, the homeless became shelter-less.

When I started working at my family’s wrecking yards, several cars came in (daily) that once belonged to homeless people and homeless families. It was practical I thought: cars left unlicensed, unused and creating an eyesore are now easy revenue for the city and my family. I mean, you don’t want a nasty old van cluttering up your neighborhood – right?

This sucked and I knew it…

In time, I wore blinders to the problem and became so callus that I looked at homelessness as a plight on society. Honestly, I had no idea I could be such a cold-hearted putz. In time, and with maturity and my sweet socially conscious wife, I began to see homeless people as humans rather than objects and remembered the multitude of vehicles we crushed at my family’s business.

Those vehicles used to be people’s homes.     

My pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law did something remarkable. She began working for a group that provides mobile shelters for the homeless. This is a quick, practical solution. Basically, it’s kind of like a shopping cart that transforms into a comfortable, secure sleeping place/shelter for one person.

Think of it as a tent on wheels. There are external storage compartments and a locking system for security. Plastic windows and a door are part of this simple and elegant system. The robust skin of the EDAR tent protects the occupant in foul weather and is quite spacious.

To me, it addresses an issue immediately that others (read: fat-head politicians) would drag through the mud – slowly. This is to say that people who need help (like: right now) get something quickly. I’ve seen several mass group shelters, they are not ideal for many homeless who (for one reason or another) are transient.    

The people from EDAR (Everyone Deserves a Roof) say: “Each year, more than 3 million people experience homelessness in the United States, including 1.3 million children.” That statistic always gets me… and it is a sad truth.

This is by no means a permanent solution for the homeless in our country. Still, this is a great way to immediately make a dent into their misfortune and start the preverbal wheels turning in the right direction. Word of mouth can truly help.

So, if you have a moment, drop by the website or check out one of the links below. I think simply mentioning this idea to a few people can help. If nothing else, there’s always some pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law (or the equivalent) that one of us has who means well and wants a good cause to volunteer for. Take it from me and MY pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law; this is a damn good, practical cause.

Happy holidays!

 Photos via EDAR.org

XO Motormensch

www.edar.org

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6549327

http://www.latimes.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3219562

http://www.ktla.com/pages/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3221047

Similar Posts:

• RESTORER: BEWARE!
• “I thought you said BIRD not BULL!”
• when is it ok to say no at work