Homeless Giving and Catholic Guilt

Julie D. over at Happy Catholic has an excellent post about giving to the homeless face-to-face as well as giving to those organizations and institutions that care for them. It's a debate that I have had with myself for many years.

I was 14 when the "Summer of Love" came to San Francisco. By September, Summer was over and the Love was dying. But the people who came were still here. I just started high school and part of my growing independence was learning to take the streetcar from the front of school to downtown with my friends. Back then, the homeless came in two primary varieties: old winos and young druggies. Most of the time we skirted the storefronts they lounged in and they never seemed to notice us. We held canned food drives and raised money for St. Anthony's Dining Room and collected clothing to donate to St. Vincent de Paul.

There were fewer old winos when I went to college but more young druggies. Local cafes had signs "No Heroin Dealing Allowed." The dopers were mellow but the heroin addicts were unpredictable and could be violent. My boyfriend at the time was a student at UC Santa Cruz. On one visit I thought I recognized one of the "street people" from Telegraph Avenue. Apparently, these folks commuted: summering in Santa Cruz, wintering in Berkeley, following the flow of money and tourists.

I had a job with the dorm food service, checking IDs. Occasionally, a street person would wander in, looking for food. I'd apologize for not letting him (or her) in and direct them up the street to either the University Lutheran Center or the Catholic Newman Center, which both had programs. I donated what I could to the Newman Center, but, frankly, most of the street people scared me. So I avoided them.

When I went to work in the City, it seemed as though there were homeless on every corner. There were those who quietly held a cup or a hand out, sometimes with a crude sign. And then there were the crazies, who would chase you down the street, shouting incoherent obscenities. The City was divided on how to handle them. Arrest them and medicate them? Build more shelters? Put them up in residence hotels? We were told not to give money directly. Not only would they spend it on booze and/or drugs, but those who didn't would be beaten and robbed of what little they collected. Better the government take care of them.

When ATM machines became popular, some homeless became bolder, standing right behind you as you retrieved your money. If you refused to share, they became violent. So a law prohibiting panhandling within x feet of an ATM was enacted and enforced. And the problem moved away.

It's been about five years since I returned to work in the City. The homeless men and women seem to have claimed certain corners or areas as their own. I see my "regulars" almost every day. Their methods are as different as they are, although most of them stick to a cup and a sign.
I rarely give directly, though. Usually it's because I don't carry much cash. And because I know that for these folks, homelessness is chronic. I would rather contribue to Catholic Charities or the Campaign for Human Development because they have programs that will help these folks--I hope--get off the streets permanently.

Julie suggested handing out granola bars and bottled water. So do I lay in a supply for the four to six people I see every day? Do I hand out water daily? Weekly? What do I do if someone new shows up? (Not to mention that I have to schlep this all about six blocks.)

My children collect food through school and Scouts for the Food Bank, for St. Vincent de Paul, for the Souper Kitchen. The 8th Graders take turns going to the Souper Kitchen once a month to make sandwiches and pass out food to the homeless and families in our neck of the woods. The 35 dinner baskets they make for Thanksgiving and Christmas go to local families. We bundle our clothes and donate them to different organizations who run thrift stores as well as St. Vincent de Paul. Last year my Junior Troop collected sports equipment for one of the local schools that didn't have any.

So why do I still feel that I'm not doing enough?

An old friend of mine blames it on "Catholic guilt," and there is that. Hubs (who is not Catholic, so doesn't bear that particular burden) reminds me that "Charity begins at home."

And so, I struggle with my moral obligation on a daily basis. Is this my particular cross to bear?