Bill OBoyle: Help those who need your help
Oct. 29—It was refreshing to see that Wilkes-Barre City and Luzerne County legislators are taking the growing issue of homelessness seriously.
Two events last week will go a long way in addressing this issue — the new Innovation Center for Homeless & Poverty at the Thomas C. Thomas Building, 90 E Union St., and the groundbreaking for Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania's soon to be built Brian's Place.
Whether you want to admit it or not, homelessness exists in Luzerne County and the numbers are growing. Blame whomever you want, but the fact is these are human beings that need help and, as a society, we have to do all we can to help them.
As you walk along Public Square, or South Main Street or near the Susquehanna River, you can see the homeless. Some of them live in makeshift tents, while others seek shelter in abandoned buildings. Many just hang out — they are lost to a great extent. And when temperatures start to drop, they will be in peril.
Yes, many homeless drink too much. Many do drugs. Many have no motivation to better themselves.
That's why they need help. They need a community to care enough to do all it can to help them — to show it sincerely cares.
And far more needs to be done.
Every year, on the longest day/night of winter, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on South Franklin Street, holds a service, followed by a candlelight vigil/necrology to remember the homeless who have passed and have certainly been forgotten by most of the greater Wyoming Valley community.
The reality is that they were forgotten long before they passed away. And that is society's biggest failure of all.
Listen to what Clifton Hall, Outreach Case Manager for Give Hope, a program of Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, said on Thursday at the groundbreaking ceremony for Brian's Place.
"This will be much more than bricks and mortar," Hall said. "This will be a sanctuary of compassion. This will be for people facing challenges that are often insurmountable. The impact of Brian's Place will be to provide a safe haven where lives can be rebuilt. It will have a profound impact and it will be a symbol for hope, compassion and unity. Brian's place will extend a helping hand to those who need it most."
Read those comments again and again. Clifton Hall nailed it. His passionate words and his compassion need to be heard and felt by all of us — especially those in positions to be able to provide help, whether that be with funding or in making decisions that need to be made.
Jodina Hicks, president of Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, said Brian's Place will consist of five affordable one-bedroom, energy-efficient units for adults with mental health diagnoses who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
"Brian's Place will also provide a daytime space for persons experiencing homelessness who are medically fragile as an alternative to being exposed to harsh, outdoor conditions and offer supportive housing services," Hicks said.
Mayor George Brown and state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski spoke at both events on Thursday. At the grand opening of Keystone Mission's new Innovation Center for Homeless & Poverty at the Thomas C. Thomas Building, 90 E Union St., the Mayor said, "This process started four years ago when I first became mayor. And the dream finally came true. And now, people in need will have a place to go."
Danielle O. Keith-Alexandre, CEO and executive director of Keystone Mission, said the new center will act as an educational and hands-on facility for men and women experiencing homelessness in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The new facility will provide a place to receive meals, clothing, shower access and the ability to meet with community service providers to collaborate with to meet health needs — both physical and mental — plus housing, addictions counseling, job training and job placement.
"We are grateful for the opportunity and the ability to reach more of the homeless, hungry and hurting people in Wilkes-Barre," Keith-Alexandre said. "We look forward to forging more partnerships and inviting the community to join us as we seek to provide help and hope where it's needed in our community."
Keith-Alexandre also said the new center is being set up to host the seasonal Code Blue Emergency Shelter. She said 50 cots will be available for homeless men, women and families to sleep during the coldest days of winter.
This is Keystone Mission's second location in Wilkes-Barre, after opening their Male Transformation Center for homeless men last year on Parkview Circle.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the average life expectancy of a person experiencing homelessness is about two decades less than the general population.
At this time of the year, many people think about the holidays and what Santa might bring. They wonder what they will receive and contemplate what to get loved ones.
These days, we should all think about those who have never seen Santa — who never receive beautifully wrapped gifts. Those who have little joy in their lives.
The fact is, we all need to do more.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
