April 14th – Homeless Day

I've often heard people say: drunkard, bum, he has only himself to blame, he didn't just destroy himself, but his entire family. We can hear such epithets from someone who doesn't know what homelessness is. That's why it's worth shedding light on this topic, especially today. Today, April 14th, is Homeless Persons' Day.

Three years ago, when I started working with homeless individuals, I was convinced I could help everyone. I thought a conversation, some information, and telling them it was worth changing their lives would be enough. I even wanted to evangelize the homeless, as I considered myself an exemplary Catholic. However, when I began my consultations and started getting to know the stories of my clients, entering their world – their fears, traumas, experiences, good and bad decisions, when they took me to their families and told me what they had lost – I understood that therapy and work are further steps in overcoming homelessness. First, love is needed.

Someone once said that love is presence. That's why the more time I spent with people experiencing homelessness, the more love I was able to show them. Yes! Selfless presence in another person's life can heal many wounds. And that's how I get to know the people I help.

Tomek, who is disabled, I met him on the street. A social worker he cooperates with told me about him. I visited him once, then a second time, then a third time. Sometimes he would talk, and sometimes he would be silent. One day, while sitting on the same bench, I told him to call me if he ended up in a sobering-up station. Then I would pick him up from the station and take him to therapy. Tomek, not believing I would actually do it, called when he ended up in a sobering-up station. After 15 minutes, I was outside the station. I took him for detox. Then he went to therapy. After that, I visited him, and we talked a lot. To this day, he doesn't drink.

I met Sebastian when he was already in the hospital. He wanted to get into the St. Lazarus Home. He has an amazing passion: he loves agriculture. He dreams of owning his own farm. He is also a qualified construction worker. He has a family, children. He had everything. A house, cars, a great job. He lost everything. He worked away from home on assignments. Further and further from family and God. He increasingly drank away his loneliness. He voluntarily reported for therapy himself. After finishing it, he came to our Home. He felt very good in our Home. And something broke. He went to meet his „ex” wife. And he relapsed. He couldn't handle the emotions and feelings. But he didn't hide, he didn't run away, he asked for help again. And from the beginning: detox, therapy, work... I dedicated time to help him again. Because everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a chance. Even if it's another chance. Today Sebastian is sober, he is the manager of one of our Homes. He works, continues therapy, has a great job and helps other... alcoholics.

One day the phone rang. Someone was calling all the way from the Tri-City area. "Mr. Maciej," I heard, "we need to help a homeless man. He's sitting in front of the church, we tried to help him, but nothing is working. What should we do?" I told him, step-by-step, what needed to be done to help him.

These are just a few stories. And there are infinitely more on the street. People who lost everything because something went wrong. Because they couldn't cope with life circumstances. Because their parents were alcoholics, because they lost their jobs themselves, because their family fell apart, because their company went bankrupt, because they made bad decisions, because... The reasons why someone ended up on the street can be multiplied. I can offer one piece of advice: when you see a homeless person on the street, think of them not as a drunk, a bum, or a vagrant, but think that they are a human being with their own story. Just like you and me. Because they are capable of making mistakes – just like you and me – and they are capable of love – but are you and I capable of that?

Developed by: Maciej Białka, maciej@dobrosieniesie.pl