"I'm heading to jail tonight"

"I am heading to the jail tonight," James said to me. He had to report to the jail by the end of the day --- a warrant had been issued because he missed a critical meeting with his parole officer and didn't meet some of his requirements. He works sporadically --- a general laborer on construction sites. He can earn about $200 a week. A hundred goes for rent each week, $50 for child support and he lives on the rest. That is, if he earns the $200.

James history is complicated. Married once and had a son. Got himself in trouble with the law and found himself in prison. Made some other poor choices that kept him in prison for 12 years. Today, he has some work clothes, a pair of boots, a leather jacket, pots and pans and an old van that currently has no brakes.

James is bi-polar and currently has no access to medication. If he isn't working, he is figuring out just how to survive. His friend, who stood nearby in the vacant lot, told James he was going to watch over his van and work on his brakes while he was in prison. James thought he would be back anywhere from 10 - 90 days.

James would be the first to tell you he made some bad decisions. He doesn't want anyone to view him as a victim. He isn't bitter. He wasn't asking for money. But his reality and story is not an isolated one.

James was the last person I met yesterday. I spent the afternoon with two of United Way's 211 associates, John and Nick, listening to and linking community resources with individuals who are homeless or just on the edge.

The time was spent hearing the stories of several individuals who find a way to survive without a permanent address and lifting up on "on ramp" to help. Many were not aware of 211 --- a network of over 7,000 services in SE Michigan. Identifying the barriers buster help is the work that the 211 associates are on. They are mobile resource centers --- feet on the street and wheels on the ground--- connecting helping networks to eliminate barriers for individuals.

There is not enough room to write all the thoughts that cross my mind as I reflect on the afternoon....but suffice to say....the issue of homelessness is complicated. Every individual has a story --- their own journey.

I was struck by a quote I read last night from Nelson Mandela: "Massive poverty and obscene inequality are such terrible scourges of our times -- times in which the world boasts breathtaking advances in science, technology, industry and wealth accumulation -- that they have to rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social evils."

As we left James, we suggested that as soon as he gets out of jail, he should call 211. James pulled a pocket bible out and said, "I am going to write that in here. They can't take this away from me when I go in." He opened the front cover and wrote down --- "211 Nick".

I recognize society does not have much compassion for individuals like James: prison, mental illness, and a collection of bad decisions. The term homeless and working poor are terms that do not illicit wide response. But, when you move from a term to the person, a different light is placed upon the circumstance.

Today's response to these issues is not so dissimilar to 40 -50 years ago. Shelter, bed, food, and some other services. As a leader to an organization that carries in its mission the words "mobilize" and "improve lives", we must seek different ways to address complex social issues. That is our work at United Way-- to find the willing that want to create powerful solutions to complex issues that can improve lives ---- like James.

If you would like to join our 211 Associates on their journey in seeking new solutions, just let me know. We can arrange for you to walk along with them.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on.