IN YOUR OWN WORDS HOMELESSNESS AND HOMELESS PEOPLE: QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, AND OPINIONS! BY JOHN ALEXANDER, VOICE VENDOR Whatever you give is a gift from God – through you – to them. Whatever the person does with your gift is their thanks to God. God will not let you lose. Q: Why are so many homeless people drug addicts or alcoholics? A: Drugs are mood-altering chemicals. Alcohol is considered a drug. The purpose of drugs is to remove or help you escape reality. If you have a toothache or back pain, you might reach for Ibuprofen – which is a drug. If you are depressed, the doctor gives you drugs. That’s your reality. To be homeless, no place to stay or sleep, consumed by fear JOHN ALEXANDER. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN RECENTLY, I WAS INVITED to the home of Joyce Wagner to describe what it’s like to be homeless. Following are a few of the questions that came up and the discussions that followed: Q: How do I give cash donations to homeless people without worrying they’ll spend the money on drugs or alcohol? A: By understanding what you are doing when you give your money. You are presenting that person with a gift. A true gift from the heart. Once given, it is no longer your department. of never-ending poverty… these are the realities of a homeless person, and they, too, reach for drugs to relieve their pain. The only difference is the drugs you reach for are legal. The drugs the average homeless person takes are illegal. OPINION (FROM ONE OF THE GUESTS): I have seen and been around homeless people all my life. I have never seen or heard of a homeless person worth speaking to during his life, or after his death. They have no ambition. They have nothing. Never had anything, and will never want anything in life. Every person you see, today or opinions on their past and present, but only God knows their future. I am not the oldest person alive. I am nowhere near the youngest, but I, too, have been very aware of homeless people. Joseph and Mary, and the Children of Israel all were homeless once. Every year, people around the world commemorate the holidays by sharing best wishes, having dinner together, and exchanging gifts. All of this is to celebrate the birthday of the most famous homeless person that ever lived and walked on this earth – Jesus Christ. Q: Where do all of these homeless people come from? Why do so many people choose to be homeless? A: Homeless people come from right here on Earth. You show me a homeless person, past present, fictional or spiritual, and I will show you a person that was faced with circumstances beyond their control. People don’t settle for or choose to be homeless. There are as many circumstances that cause homelessness as there are people – natural catastrophes, wars, the economy, lost jobs, companies going out of business, health – all are circumstances that are beyond a person’s control. ■ tomorrow, homeless or housed, has a before, a now, and an after. We can all give our SELF, NO MATTER WHAT… BY RAELENE JOHNSON, VOICE VENDOR NO MATTER WHAT, you must care about what is around you! Self, you cannot sit back saying, “I wish things were different.” Self, you can’t change the whole world, but you can do something where you are. Just look around you. What can you do? Did you make someone’s day? Give someone something to make them feel better? Did you treat everyone with respect, no matter who they are? No matter what, you must treat others as you wish they would treat you back! RAELENE JOHNSON. CREDIT: CORTNEY TABERNA No matter what, speak up when you see someone being hurt by others. Self, put yourself in their place. You would want that kindness yourself! Self, at the end of the day, can you look yourself in the mirror, knowing you did your best? No matter what, if you do your best that day to care about others, you can be very happy with self. So, Self, no matter what, be your best Self. Self, share your heart for good! ■ Become a Denver VOICE subscriber and get the paper delivered directly to your mailbox every month. Both personal and business subscriptions are available. Your donation goes directly to support our program! 12 DENVER VOICE September 2021
13 Publizr Home