In a column published in the Dallas Morning News two years ago I urged you, the readers, to volunteer to help us, at the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, conduct an annual count of our homeless population. I explained that beyond the obvious rationale for the annual count – it helps our community measure its progress in the fight to end homelessness – it reminded us of an important idea. Just like each of us, every person experiencing homelessness bears God’s image.
We, along with communities across the country, have wrestled with what to do about the annual count, this year. On the one hand, the data we collect through the count is extremely valuable, and the value of the awareness the count brings to the issue of homelessness is incalculable. On the other hand, gathering volunteers, even if just in small groups, and sending them out to interact with a medically fragile population, is a non-starter.
The solution we found is to carry out the count using outreach teams, exclusively. These professionals are deeply knowledgeable, experienced in interacting with those experiencing homelessness, and well-trained in COVID-19 infection prevention protocols. The Federal Government is allowing us to conduct the count over fourteen days. (Federal officials have also assured us that they understand that this year’s count, amid a global pandemic, will not allow for “apples to apples” comparisons with previous years.)
Abraham and the Three Angels. James Tissot 1836-1902, thejewishmuseum.org
What of the rest of us? Instead of gathering in deployment sites across Dallas and Collin Counties on the night of the count, we will gather online to kick off the count and wish good luck to outreach team members. We will also ask you to join us and our partners in the non-profit community, local government, and philanthropy, in 2021, in taking the fight to end homelessness to the next level.
An idea from the Ancient Rabbis takes the image of God idea I discussed two years ago to the next level: “A procession of angels passes before each person, and the heralds go before them, saying, ‘Make way for the image of God!’” Each person, from the richest to the poorest, is surrounded by these angels.
The practical implications of this idea regarding those experiencing homelessness are clear. If each of them is surrounded by angels, should we not do everything in our power to end their homelessness? If each of them is surrounded by angels, should we not ensure that there are effective systems to house them as quickly as possible? If each of them is surrounded by angels, should we not vie for the honor of making them our neighbors? It is time to answer these questions with a resounding yes throughout Dallas and Collin Counties.
To learn more about the 2021 COVID-19 Homeless Count and the virtual kickoff, go to: https://housingforwardntx.org/homeless-pit-count/
