"When you know someone, you do everything you can to help them. When you're trying to help a friend, you're happy to see them move closer to you," writes Doug Wilkes, editor of the Deseret News, as he discusses homelessness. He ends his column by saying, "Turning someone we fear into someone we know is key to solving the problem of homelessness."
I see great wisdom in these words of his.
Maybe a partial answer to solving the problem, then, is to create programs where people work with the homeless, programs where they meet them, and listen to them, and learn to love them.
The programs could go beyond the traditional going to the shelters to help serve meals. How about a Homeless Persons' Night at Corner Canyon High School, where the homeless are asked to come and speak, telling their stories.
And, you could have a Sit With the Homeless Night at the shelter, where the visitors divide up to sit down and talk one-on-one with the homeless, allowing the street people tell them their stories.
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