Pretty is as pretty does
On October 31st, 2005 I took my children for a stroll just around sunset. Not a place was found for them to knock on a door. For kids experiencing homelessness and like mothers putting their Dapper Dans into baby halloween costumes, it requires a bus journey...unless you know the neighborhoods in the suburbs, hang it up.
The homeless lifestyle lived by thousands may have varying levels and directions, but there's also the the underground accepted community. Things disappear in the homeless community and businesses, just like any other business for profit or not. People will take advantage of situations if given the chance. The stereotypical example of grifting employees walking donations out a back door...course it never happens.
And of course agencies have policies regarding how someone can report such wrongdoing, and of course the agency will treat each and every lead confidentially.
That's all well and good 'if' the links in the chain at such agencies doesn't enable inappropriate activity, not necessarily by choice but by default of their own inaction or ignorance.
When an employee steals something, it's theft. When coworkers witness it, even without directly supporting or profitting from such, and do nothing...they've enabled. When clients see this they don't just lose trust in the thief...they lose trust in the coworkers and the system totally.
When a client becomes pregnant during her stay...and years later the child is brought proudly to the work site by the father who's been a staff member all it's life...ya gotta ask...which is worse?
The person doing wrong...the people blatantly letting it continue...or maybe it's the homeless person's fault for creating the situation.
1 comments:
I have really enjoyed reading your blog and I am learning a lot from it. I am from England and am currently trying to improve the homeless situation on the streets of central London.
The Olympics are being held in London in 2012 as I am sure you are aware of and as a result the government is trying to apparently 'clean up the streets' of central London as though it is somehow the homeless people who are making the streets dirty.
On a weekly basis I go down to the streets of London of my own accord and offer food to the homeless and I witness the way the authorities treat them. I myself am harrased for giving them food as though somehow kindness is now a crime.
Check out my blog please I would really be grateful for your insight and for any advice you can give me to help make things work in London.
http://nomorehomelessness.blogspot.com/
Thanks
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