I spent a night with Fayetteville's homeless. Here is what I learned.
On Sunday night, in an effort to better understand the issues our city is experiencing with a growing unsheltered population, I slept outside the Day Resource Center located at 128 S. King St., alongside 10 other individuals who routinely live outdoors.
It was an eye-opening experience to say the least. Unnecessary government bureaucracy and responsibility avoidance has led to a homeless crisis within our city limits.
First off, a special thanks needs to be given to Ms. Quancidine Hinson-Gribble and Mr. Joseph Wheeler, who organized the Sleep Out Fayetteville event that was held.
I saw many folks out there in support of the homeless throughout the night, to include Carl Pringle, owner of Flip Flop BBQ sauce that is sold inside all our local Food Lions. He and his friend Michelle Ornelas, who was also present serving food, have a special calling to “do what you can where you can.”
Personally, I am still undecided on whether housing should be freely given to anyone who asks for it. This is a delicate issue where our government is dealing with a limited amount of resources and quite literally a growing problem.
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I understand that on one side of the issue, there are many community members who have worked hard to provide housing for their families. They have chosen to pay higher property taxes in order for their children to go to better schools. Some have raised themselves up out of difficult situations with no handouts.
They don't want to be here
The other side of the issue is what I personally experienced last night. Over the course of the night, I had the chance to speak to multiple individuals and hear lots of personal stories about how they ended up living on the streets. Over and over again, what I heard was they don’t want to be here. They did not ask to be homeless, and they need help.
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What absolutely broke my heart and made me realize their plight was when I saw a woman, 39 weeks pregnant, sleeping outside the center. At 11 p.m, her husband walks up after his shift at the grocery, all his belongings in hand.
He gets to hug her and speaks with her for five minutes. He does not get to spend much time with her because he must leave. He is working another eight hours at the gas station for his second job.
The crisis continues
When in need of services the Fayetteville homeless are typically directed towards nonprofit Cumberland HealthNET, which works with coordinated entry, a countywide program comprising numerous agencies. Representatives with Cumberland HealthNET and other organizations were at a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the Day Center Monday morning.
More: 'I'm doing what I can': How one Fayetteville man has battled homelessness for 16 months
Both Cumberland HealthNET and coordinated entry have a critical role to play in dealing with the many issues related to the homeless crisis in Fayetteville. Housing the unhoused is supposed to be the main focus.
Unfortunately, the Day Center will not house the unhoused. Instead of finding or providing housing, the Day Center is only providing daytime resources. In other words, the crisis continues.
We must not look to the government to solve every problem that exists in our society at the present time. The poor will always be with us. But it is also not a free pass to point fingers and do nothing. It is a call to action at the individual level.
What I do know is that the Bible is right. It says in Matthew 7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law ...”
This means to me that I need to be willing to give more of my time to helping the individuals on the street. It means I need to be willing to give more of my own money to keep families off the street. It does not mean the government needs to do more.
WE THE PEOPLE need to do more. Find compassion, open your eyes to the possibility that if you ended up on the streets how would you want others to treat you. Like trash or like a treasure? God sees us as a treasure worth sending his own Son to die on the Cross for. Because He did this for us, let us also be willing to lift up our brothers and sisters.
A wake-up call
Let us see the unsheltered population in Fayetteville through the same lens. The unsheltered are individuals who need a second chance: a hand up and not a hand out. Living a life without a shelter above our heads is much closer to reality than we may want to acknowledge.
The uncomfortable fact that many of us are living paycheck-to-paycheck is a wake-up call reminding us that we could be in the same place very quickly if our jobs were lost or our rent was raised to an exorbitant level. According to who you ask, there are between 500 to 1000 unsheltered individuals living on the streets in Fayetteville.
Unfortunately, it is going to get worse; tougher times are ahead. I want to encourage everyone in the community to go downtown, walk around, use the city services, and imagine yourself in the position of the unhoused for just one day and then ask yourself … How can I ‘Do what I can where I can?’
Justin Herbe is a candidate for City Council District 5. He lives in Fayetteville.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: I spent a night with Fayetteville's homeless. Here is what I learned.
