It tells part of the life story of five people who have struggled with homelessness for many years. Some have been on the streets of Dallas for years. All of these people are becoming our friends, all have been regular attendees at our monthly Urban Engagement Book Club.
At present, we are working to secure permanent housing for each of them. Their words are more than worth your time.
If you experience difficulty playing the video here, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N616cwdxAoE
Remember our friends today.
Thanks to Justin Malone and Malone Media for their devotion to CDM, and for the many hours that they spent on this project.
11 comments:
Wow.... I was rushing out the door this morning, when I decided to make time to watch this video. I am now struggling with why I am in such a hurry to get to a job that has no impact on people like this.
Larry, you are doing God's work.
How can suburbanites like me help you? Obviously donations (which I keep telling myself I will send in... forgive the delay). But what else can we do?
Larry - what a great video! I am a senior sociology major at a Christian university, and this video spoke truth to me. Even though we discuss the homeless and are required to volunteer at homeless shelters, it's videos like this one that show reality to comfortable Americans. The men and women shown in the video are speaking of the way they must live - our society loves to shut out their voices. Thanks for posting this video and giving those who listen something to think about.
I have a feeling this video will be utilized in classrooms across the state to demonstrate that homeless people are real.
i've always been one to struggle with the subject of the homeless. Part of me says that it's their fault for the their position. They could simply work hard and their situation would improve. But as i've grown older i've begun to understand that there are many more factors to leading a "successfull" life than simply hard work. I'm ashamed that i have put such blame on the homeless and less fortunate when ultimately the fault lies on our society. In essence, the fault is mine. Continue the fight larry, maybe more people will wise up and follow your example.
It's funny how people love to see Dallas as this great and lively city that everyone in the South wants to experience at least once in their lives. I am guilty of the same thing, I love Dallas so much that I tend to look over the homeless and drown out their voices, we have all been guilty of putting our wants in front of the needs of the hoemless that are crying out in every urban area around the world, this is our sin, but what can we do to make restitution for quieting their crys?
Larry,
First of all I want to thank you for all the work you and your minitry does for the poor and voiceless. This video gave a voice to the voiceless of Dallas. We talk about homelessness all the time, and we make our own conclusions about it from our own points of view. It is great to hear from the people that are usually just stats and easily forgotten. It is interesting to see that they are like us, but life has just been rougher for them. We are quick to blame the homeless for their problems, but most of the time it is life that happens to them. In America we like to cover up the problem of homelessness like many other problems. We shift blame onto the victims to justify our inaction. It is truly a blessing to see a ministry that does not shift blame or ask questions, but it just loves people. Jesus calls us to a new life and to make life better for others. Thank you for your work and for not letting us forget about the people that Jesus calls us to help.
Jeffrey, thanks for the post.
How can you help?
1) Become a monthly donor at whatever level you can afford. Money matters.
2) Consider contacting us in late summer to consider becoming involved in community groups we intend to create around our outreach to homeless persons.
3) Spread the word about our work among those you influence.
Thanks for asking!
Larry, I thank you for your response. And thank you for being honest about the need for money. I feel that many charities apologize for this. The need is real.
Are these five people in the video within your housing units?
Jeffrey, good question. No, not yet. But all five could be by June 1 when our first 50 units come on line. We are interviewing people now.
These 5 folks are friends we know who are chronically homeless and who wanted to help us tell their story.
FYI, this was a nice mention of your blog:
http://smwang.vox.com/library/post/the-dallas-no-one-wants-to-see.html
This DMN article was intersting, too:
Will southern sector finally see positive change?
JG
Great moderates in American history...
Post a Comment