Homelessness is real here, too

To the editor:

I saw one of the strangest sights a few Sundays ago in downtown Memphis. People exited from the north side of a church greeting the pastor and talking to fellow members as their children played on the lawn. On the south end of the church were several homeless people on cardboard mattresses with tattered blankets. Did these church members know what is happening just out of their view, or have they become accustomed to such sights? Have we become too familiar to see a problem? I know I did not see the actual dilemma until I started working in the social-service field.

Homelessness in rural areas is often overlooked because we think it is just a large-city issue. The problem is assumed as only an urban phenomenon because the homeless seem more numerous, more geographically concentrated and more visible in municipal areas. Even though shelters are a rarity in rural locales, we do have a problem. Those without a fixed place of residence find shelter in places such as doubling-up with other families, living in abandoned homes or living in their vehicles at camping facilities. Studies also show that the homeless in our area do not fit the typical mold.

Recently I learned that those in our area without a permanent shelter are more likely to be white, female, married, currently working and homeless for the first time and on the streets for a shorter period.

Sometimes to see a problem we just have to look from a different angle.

JAY WHITE, Cape Girardeau