First we form our communities and then they form us.
The direct work I was doing with the homeless was powerful, and beautiful. So why complicate things by introducing Essential Hygiene Kits?
I lived without engaging with homelessness. When I finally touched it, it touched me back. In addition to providing hygiene, these kits awaken consciousness in the giver.
A word about the word community. The world we live in was built by us. The humanitarian crisis in Los Angeles was also made by us —and since it was made by us, can be unmade by us. These kits are a way for individuals and groups to connect by direct engagement. While these kits aren’t a panacea, they help those they are given to, and in the act of giving, strengthen community.
They are designed for the person who is not comfortable giving cash.
They are designed for the person who is comfortable giving cash, but not comfortable that the money may be used to purchase intoxicants.
They are designed for teachers, parents and religious organizations.
They are designed to be easily carried and given out as a regular practice.
They are designed to demonstrate an approach based on principles that make individual impact and can create societal change.
They are designed to inspire people to start their own initiatives based on:
Understanding that you can’t solve social problems while harming the environment.
Healthier communities will lead to a healthier society.
A word about the word homeless. People aren’t poor because they are homeless they are homeless because they are poor. We don’t have a homeless problem, we have a poverty problem, i.e. a broken community problem.
A word about what we owe the poor. There has always been poverty. There has never been this much poverty around this much abundance, around this much waste. Never. Never in Los Angeles. Never in America. Never in human history. Never. When we see tents today, we think of homelessness not wilderness. We don’t remember when land was public, natural resources were abundant, and the ocean was teaming with life. When we think of poverty we don’t think of a world transformed by privatization and commodification. Even water which is needed for life has been turned into a product for sale. The world used to and no longer provides basic sustenance. This is what has been taken from all of us, and what we must be willing to provide: basic human needs. This is the minimum the poor are owed.