Is it time to restructure the edifice that creates homelessness?
“One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life’s highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
At last weeks signing of the Executive Order to establish an Interagency Council, Parable of the Good Samaritan was mentioned by several speakers. It is one that is common to many New Jersyans regardless of their faith.
We are reminded of the Parable of the Good Samaritan as interpreted by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In many ways we are on the Jericho Road. There are those who are too busy to notice the homeless even as they step over them. Many of us are the Good Samaritan’s who stop to help those who have fallen into the ditch on the side of the road.
Dr. King, often used this parable to explain the social problems of fifty years ago, He spoke eloquently about how we should feel after we have helped the same person again and again.
“One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life’s highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”
The Jericho Road is not merely in the Middle East. It is a road in Paterson, Salem, Atlantic City, Sparta, Pennsauken, Toms River, Newark and in every county and town in New Jersey.
It is time that we accept that our edifice that produces homelessness needs to be restructured.
We can no longer afford to simply manage homelessness. The costs of doing nothing are phenomenal. Hospitals in New Jersey face enormous financial burdens from the uninsured of which a significant number are homeless. This is a cost that we all pay for in increased taxes and health insurance premiums.
The increased cost is also borne by police and emergency services, treatment programs, the impact on the business climate among other significant costs.
It is time for us to restructure that road and move from managing the homeless to ending homelessness. By providing permanent, affordable and supportive housing we will build the foundation upon which the formerly homeless can become full citizens of our country.
The Interagency Council will add an important tool to assist us in our efforts to end homelessness in New Jersey. We encourage the Council to focus on restructure the edifice that produces and maintains homelessness.
