CONTRADICTIONS by Ken Weinkauf

     So many times I hear volunteers say, "Well, I didn't do much this evening" or "We didn't do anything this evening except sit and talk." Well, it may be that you haven't done anything as far as the eye can see, but what actually was occurring cannot be judged by sight alone. What you were doing is what I call "providing a contradiction."
      In American society, people who are in the state of poverty and homelessness are largely looked upon with disdain. They are often shown to be incompetent, worthless, mentally ill, unproductive--useless drains upon the resources and patience of our society. Picture in your mind the common image of a homeless person. Unless you have had personal involvement with the homeless, the image you are thinking about probably came from "the Media," an amorphous collection of information providers--magazines, newspapers, television shows, internet sites, radio, etc. When a television show or a magazine is producing a weeklong exposé the problem of homelessness in America, what images are used? A woman dressed in rags pushing a shopping cart full of cans. A man huddled in front of a heater grate with a half-empty bottle of cheap wine in his coat pocket. Several rough-looking men and women encamped around a 55-gallon drum igniting garbage to stay warm. These images are used to incite our sympathy. They make us say in our hearts, "Oh, those poor people. Someone should try to help them." Yes, someone should. But there is an unfortunate side-effect to publishing these images. They negatively affect those in poverty by becoming the defining characteristics by which the poor and homeless identify themselves. The hidden message, if you will, that these images send is destructive to people in poverty.
      A common way that people define themselves is to pattern themselves after a popular movie star or music artist--someone that is thought to be attractive or famous. This tendency is not only in younger people. If it were not so, there would be no such thing as "fashion." We define ourselves, many times, by the models and images that we most identify with. What if your identity is "homeless person?" What if you are "poverty stricken?" What if you are "unemployed?" What images and examples do you have available to define yourself? Frequently, people define themselves according to those images that are generally accepted by the Media, portrayed in national television, magazines and on the Internet. There are few positive images or examples of homelessness because the intent of the Media is to engage our sympathy, not to inspire us to become homeless.
      Someone once said "If you say something long enough, and loud enough, people will believe it regardless of how outrageous the lie is." This is painfully true in the case of people who find themselves to be homeless. Because these images and messages often come from the Media in constant stream, homeless people begin to believe them. They feel trapped into this identity and it robs them of their energy and hope for the future. No matter what they were before they came to be without a home, they now see themselves as mentally ill, drug addicts, worthless, useless--according to society.
      Volunteers provide a contradiction to these messages. Just by being with the homeless, the volunteers send the contradictory messages "You are worthwhile, you are useful, you are good to be with." You, a volunteer, have chosen to be with the residents. No one made you come. No one twisted your arm--no one forced you. Whether a homeless resident acknowledges it or not, she asks herself the question, "Why did you come to this shelter?" The inescapable answer is: you came to be with the residents. You chose to spend your valuable time to hang out with homeless people. When you sit down with the household and enjoy a meal together, you are silently telling the residents, "You are no better or worse than I. We are equals." These empowering messages contradict the messages of despair and hopelessness the Media send. The residents are empowered by this and whether they are aware of it or not, it makes a difference. Your example fights against the negative messages the poor and homeless receive from society with messages of affirmation and hope.
      A great deal of the most wonderful, life-changing events that occur at Good Works are not visible. They are so far below our level of consciousness that it is quite easy to overlook them entirely. Let me quote from The Little Prince, a book that means a great deal to me. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."

Ken was homeless during 1990 and 1991 and was a resident of Timothy House during that time. He is currently Webmaster, Samaritan Projects Coordinator and Night Shift Supervisor.