What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Perhaps it involves days of careful preparation for loved ones who will be traveling long distances to be with you. Or maybe you are the traveler, who has chosen the perfect recipe to contribute to the feast. For many, it’s a much needed moment of rest, an important time to catch one’s breath and reflect on the past year—particularly true of boomers, who lead very active lives.
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For some of America’s aging population, the holiday is not so bright, as it represents merely another harsh day on the streets. A 2005 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau reported that nearly 10% of the nation’s citizens 65 and older live below the poverty line. Many of these older adults are homeless, or remain continually at risk of losing housing. Moreover, they tend to be more vulnerable to assault on the street. In 2006, 27% of the homeless victims who had endured violent crimes were between 50-59 years of age according to the NCH Hate Crimes Report, 2007. Homeless older adults, most of whom are single men, suffer in unspeakable ways.
Picture for one moment that every old, disheveled homeless person you see curled up in a street corner, or sprawled out over a vent is a small newborn. They were after all, someone’s newborn once. Thousands of babies out on the pavement. We would shudder to watch others pass them by.
So the message here is a simple one, which does not involve how to capture boomer dollars or understand their attitudes/psychology. It’s about taking up their sword—even for just an hour—in the continual fight for social justice, in this case justice for the homeless elderly.
Whatever your own struggles and strains may be, they’ll quickly be framed by healthy perspective as you offer up an hour of your time to help an elder who lives on the street. Gandhi once wrote, “The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.” Light the candles on your table, count your many blessings, say thanks, and give a rose. Contact The National Coalition for the Homeless at (202) 462-4822.
Happy holiday from FH Boom. We’ll resume publication next Monday.
Amanda Sobanet