Here We Go Again

I heard this again today. Several times each month I hear something like this, usually from men who are retired and enjoying the fruits of their many years of hard work. Today, I was buying milk for the Rescue Mission. I had 30 gallons in my cart and was in the parking lot loading them into the truck. The gentleman who walked past me was surprised to see that much milk purchased by one customer, but when he saw me loading them into a truck with the Mission logo on the side, he knew the reason.

"I hope those men down there at the Mission appreciate that," he said kindly. "Oh, they do indeed," I replied. "I spent 20 years in [a particular branch of the armed forces], and I think those guys need to get a job and work for a living."

This reminded me of the time several years ago when two older gentlemen stopped by our display at the Canfield fair and handed me a $10.00 donation. The stipulation was that it should be used to help the women and children. "Don't use it for those bums who refuse to get a job," he added. This reminded me of several misconceptions that people have about the population we serve and what we do at the Mission.

Misunderstanding #1: People are homeless because they are lazy and refuse to work.
This misconception is that there is a large group of people who "work the system" and depend upon others to maintain them. Granted, this is true of some. It is not true of all, or even most. People are not at the Mission because they are lazy; they are there because they are broken. Substance abuse and broken relationships break people and their support systems. Until they begin to take responsibility for this brokenness, they cannot begin to heal.

Misunderstanding #2: The Mission shelters men who could be out working. The "out working" is addressed above, but some people are unaware that the Mission provides shelter for women and children. As of this writing, the Mission provides emergency shelter for 34 women and 18 children. That the Mission is a men's shelter likely stems from the fact that people who drive past the shelter mostly see the men outside smoking. The women use the back and side of our property while the men walk across the street. It's safer for the children and keeps fraternization at a minimum.

Misunderstanding #3: Rescue Missions feed the cycle of dependency that keeps victims at the mercy of agencies and programs. We cannot speak for every Rescue Mission in the country, but, at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, we have implemented intentional programs that work to break the cycle of dependency and promote self-reliance. We are seeing some success in this.

Knowledge is a dangerous thing. In the free marketplace of ideas, expressing informed ideas is not necessarily required.