Pride In The Midst of Despair

I work in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. My office is located in the center of the city, next to our county library. Since I began working here I have encountered many beggars in the area. I have heard every sob story in the book. Usually they regale tales of homelessness and being hungry. At first I would hand them a couple of bucks because I am gullible like that. After several weeks of believing the sad stories I thought that this was probably not helping them at all. I began to wonder the true purpose of the money I had so freely given. Yet I was unable to deny them altogether. I decided at this point to offer them something to eat instead. When they told me that they were so hungry that their blood sugar was dropping and they risked passing out, I informed them that I would take them to a local take-out joint for a meal. Some took me up on the offer and some did not. I simply could not turn away another human being in need of food.

I have since noticed a few true homeless men who wander the downtown streets, carrying all of their worldly possessions in makeshift luggage. One man sits in a doorway of a long ago abandoned storefront watching businessmen and women rushing from one appointment to the next. I always look at him, smile and offer a greeting. Another homeless man hangs out on the steps of the public library. He is usually listening to music through his earphones and seems to be enjoying his own world. He also makes his rounds; digging through every trash can along each street. The third man walks along the sidewalks in wholly shoes searching for cigarette butts to stockpile and smoke later. I have never witnessed any of these men begging for money or food. I suspect that they have too much pride to ask for help. Maybe they prefer to be looked at in disdain than to beg for assistance. I respect these men. They are after all still human beings; not people to be pitied or loathed. Just before this past Christmas I tried to give one of these men fifty dollars as a gift. He refused, saying that he had money. After he walked away I feared that I had embarrassed him. I pray that he realizes the respect I honestly have for him. It simply broke my heart to watch him dig through trash cans for half eaten morsels of food.


CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The number of homeless people increased in West Virginia between January 2005 and January 2007 more quickly than almost anywhere in the nation, according to a study released Monday by a Washington, D.C.-based group.
Homelessness in the Mountain State rose by 58 percent, according to the new report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Only Kentucky had a higher rate, with a 63 percent increase.
The state had 2,409 homeless people in January 2007, according to the report. West Virginia was one of 18 states where the number of homeless increased. (excerpt from The Gazette Newspaper)