Feeding?

the Church is feeding "homeless" people in the park!

Are you kidding me?!!

Do you feed a stray dog and not expect it to come back?
How about the squirrels in your back yard, until they multiply and take over?
What about the sweet raccoons, then suddenly your cat is gutted on your doorstep?

I ask...are you an addict?
Are you homeless or monitarialy handicapped?
Do you know these "homeless" personally?

Well, I am all of the above.

Sure. If you truly believe these people to be homeless, than by all means help them. You are kind and generous, but invite them to your church to do it. Or at least in the church parking lot. But please, Please stop enabling them.
Hunger pangs in their stomachs go a long way to help them SEEK re-hab.
If your neighbour decided to open his home to these people and feed them how would you feel having them next door? How would you feel knowing each day they would be passed out in his yard? Sometimes yours because they got lost? WAtching your wife in the yard? Your kids riding their bikes? They would be passing your house every day. What would your guests think? Would they come over? This is what is happening downtown.
These are not truly homeless people.
They are crack heads/addicts that have been thrown out by loving parents that thought they were doing the best they could. Or they have left their homes, foster homes, wives/husbands because of their habit.
These are people that have made the choice to be this way. Its merely a symptom of what is really wrong with them. Maybe it was a one time thing that became a lifetime. Still only a symptom as to why they even started. Whatever their own personal reasons....they still have to WANT to make a choice to be clean. There are beds. There is re-hab.
Trouble being....it is being taken advantage of by the ones that are not serious about getting clean. They are using and abusing it. Ever wonder why there are no pay phones or public washrooms?
These are not people that work hard, have a job, and just don't make enough to make ends meet!
Is the the church the beginning and end of the problem? No, but they aren't helping it.
Re-hab will only work for a small few of them that WANT to be helped. But I am sorry to say, 3/4 of these people don't want to be helped! They don't know they have a problem!!!
So bring them into the loving arms of the church. Provide them with a cup of coffee and cheerios a muffin. Witness to them. You will slowly weed out the ones that really need you. Those are the ones you are truly helping. Educate yourselves in the ways of re-habilitation/resources so that you can help them further. You are doing God's work and absolutely should be! All that is being asked of you is to do it in a more constructive way.
But Please don't encourage them in the park.
They linger. They loiter. They stick around because they are comfortable. Then they spread out and break into your homes, your cars, our stores. They spend their days drinking on the streets, harrassing shoppers, panhandling, stealing, shoplifting. Only to come "home" again to the park. Cause if the church deems it okay.......it must be.
You can't honestly be that blind to not know the power of the church community in this town. The addicts sure aren't. They also know your hearts are too big for your own good sometimes.
Do I have an answer as to what to do about these scabby, slobbery, smelly humans that walk the downtown streets of Abbotsford like something out of Resident Evil?
No. Not a good one. Not one that is very nice anyhow. I do however know that enabling bad behaviour only makes it continue more and allow the individual to feel "okay" with their behaviour.
So we start where we can. Please don't encourage them.
In AA, you don't allow people in the group to show up drunk. You start back at day 1 sobriety. There is no such thing as a "little" drink. Its total accountability.
When your child behaves in an indecent manor, do you turn a blind eye.
How many of you will go back to the same shop because you once got a good deal there? Or shop at a certain vegetable stand because they have the best fruit in the valley? Maybe go back to a coffee shop because the girl that served you was so nice? People are habit forming creatures. Lets give these people a healthier habit.
Would you allow your children to play in that park and talk to those people? Would you allow them to teach your kids by their actions? I applaud your good will! However, you are not seeing the negative ripple effects of your actions.
I will repeat myself one more time.
These "homeless" don't need your help. 3/4 of them are using you and laughing at your gullibleness all the way to their next hit or their next deal. As a matter of fact, some of them aren't even homeless!!! They just look like they are. How in touch are you with what you are doing? Do you actaully KNOW any of these people?
As I began with - would you continue feeding the stray dog and honestly not expect it to hang around?
Help them by doing it in God's house. The ones that truly need it will come.
Better yet, donate your coffee and cheerios to the food bank. Volunteer your services and time to the Salvation Army. Abby house! Triangle! There are a number of services that could use some help.
Do we need cheaper housing?
Of course!! Absolutley. Than maybe as a church, purchase a large home to house some of these people. Maybe a few apartments. Pointing fingers at what is not being done is easy. My finger is out there right now. If you know what the community needs than maybe as a church family you can go about providing it since you feel the "city" is not.
Educate yourselves in the help that IS out there not what isn't.