[lead]Let’s work together to find solutions to poverty and homelessness.[/lead]
[lead]Check back each month for new ways to get involved.[/lead]

[lead]A Greater Appreciation[/lead]
“I have a greater appreciation of things after experiencing homelessness. What I view as important has changed. Now safety and shelter and warmth are important, not all the things we’re told are important in advertising.”

[lead]My Christian Faith[/lead]
“Ending poverty and homelessness is important to me for two reasons. First, as a Christian, I cannot stand by and not get involved when Christ says to love our neighbor. Second, I believe tackling the root causes of these issues will bring about dignity, compassion, and a better community for all.”

[lead]Homeless with a New Baby[/lead]
“We were homeless for three years. What was okay but still not acceptable for the two of us changed when there was a baby. It was okay for us to sleep in our car, but not okay to be in that car with our baby.”

[lead]Everyone’s Responsibility[/lead]
“It is heartbreaking to see so many homeless people in our County. The issue is not going away on its own and it can’t just be one entity’s responsibility to resolve. We need social service providers, government, faith communities AND residents of the community to get involved to help break the cycle. We cannot keep pretending that homelessness is someone else’s responsibility to ‘fix’.”

[lead]A Humbling Experience[/lead]
“Homelessness is humbling. It’s easy to get ‘down.’ Little things can break your morale. It’s easy to feel defeated.”

[lead]Everyone Deserves Dignity[/lead]
“Ending poverty would be a blessing to all, strengthening our personal dignity and well being. Humans deserve basic survival. I knew personal poverty. I used rubber bands to keep my shoes on and slept three to a bed.”

[lead]A Distribution Problem[/lead]
“Ending poverty and homelessness is important to me because it is the right thing to do. Because in our country we have the resources to do it. We don’t have a shortage of money, we have a distribution problem.”

[lead]A Compassionate Community[/lead]
“We have a different view of others who are homeless now that we have been homeless. We find great compassion within the community of those who are homeless. It seems like those who are the most down and out are the most willing to share.”

[lead]One Family, One Person at a Time[/lead]
“How can we not respond to such suffering? My life has been changed profoundly by special people responding to me in my times of need. By casting aside the “bigness” of the problem and noticing, then acting to lift up, those who are right in front of us, I believe it’s possible to have a profound impact ONE FAMILY, ONE PERSON at a time. Sometimes its just as simple as showing up.”