Is There Really A Way To Prevent Poverty?

Why do people live in poverty and can anything be done about it?

I thought this article was interesting. I will just post the summary of the article. It is called, '5 Statistics Showing How Capitalism Solves Poverty'.

1. The number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide declined by 80% from 1970-2006
2. Poverty worldwide included 94% of the world's population in 1820. In 2011, it was only 17%
3. Globally, those in the lower and middle income brackets saw increases of pay of 40% from 1988 to 2008
4. The world is 120% times better off today than in 1800 as a result of capitalism
5. Mortality rates for children under the age of 5 declined by 49% from 1990 to 2013

http://www.dailywire.com/news/14525/5-statistics-showing-how-capitalism-solves-poverty-aaron-bandler

The other day, I was listening to Ben Shapiro. He was talking about poverty and mentioned the 3 rules for staying out of poverty. 

3 Rules For Staying Out Of Poverty

1. Graduating from high school

2. Waiting to get married until 21, and do not have children till after being married

3. Having a full time job

These rules are according to Brookings Institute, which has thoroughly studied the subject of poverty. 

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2012-01-27/story/three-rules-staying-out-poverty

Many homes are broken or dysfunctional today. Parents are not able to train or nurture their children. The children grow up and have no idea how to function in society. 

One other factor to consider as well is homes without fathers. Our culture does not value parental authority highly enough. I think many have heard of how moms are important, but our families need men to lead and provide. Men can impart something very important, very special to their children, that no one else can. 

Helping The Homeless In A Helpful Way

  I appreciate the compassion of the American people who want to help the homeless and poverty stricken people. I think we are a very compassionate people who really do want to help. But is there a downside to this?

   I have been reading a book called, 'When Helping Hurts' by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. It goes into a lot of detail of the proper ways to help homeless people. One of the things they discuss is that continual giving to homeless people can be harmful. While there are times we should be giving money and attention (such as a disaster like Hurricane Katrina), there are times when we help people better by providing jobs for them, etc. The goal is to not have people financially dependent upon others, but to be able to find work for them so they can support themselves and their families.

   It also goes into their dignity. The homeless person needs to have his or her dignity restored. Something about working for a living does this. When we try to do something for someone else that they need to do for themselves, then we are stepping into an area we should not be involved in.

   That brings up the subject of 'blessing bags'. Are they helpful or harmful? Are they helpful for some and at the same time harmful for others? I don't have an answer for this one, but, I had responded to an article someone wrote on this, explaining why these 'blessing bags' are not good. A lot of people have chimed in and responded to this article as well. Some are angry at the article. Some agree totally. To be honest, I am confused with the article. I think I read it originally while I was thinking in the context of the book, 'When Helping Hurts', so I probably originally agreed with the blogger.

   But as I read the comments that are coming in (I have it set up where any comments go into my email box), I am beginning to wonder if I read the original post correctly. Quite a few homeless people chimed in, or those who were formerly homeless but no longer are. Many of them are angry at the article, but for different reasons.

  I would just like for us to consider what is the best way to minister to these people without making them feel like they are less than human. They are just as human as we are. Or are there several different categories of people who are homeless, and each one needs a specific type of ministry and response from us?

  As the emails with the comments regularly come in, and as I read them, I seem to be more confused. Some say that you should give money, even if it pays for their drug habit because that is none of your business. Others are quite happy with getting toothbrushes and toiletry items. I have heard from a lot of commenters and friends that would say not to give any money to homeless people. Some of the former homeless people are tired of getting toothbrushes and feel like that offer is too generic and impersonal. I heard from a friend who was once homeless and she told me that the homeless even take the gift cards they are given, and sell them to have money to pay for drugs.

    With all these different angles on this subject, what is the best way or what ways can we best serve the homeless? How can we serve the poor and help restore their dignity? Can we provide for temporary needs, and if so, how long? Do the homeless find these 'blessing bags' offensive?

How can we help those who truly want to be helped?

An Observation On The Homeless And Poor

Today, I got a little insight into the lives of the homeless and the poor. We know a lot of people who live below the poverty level. We have tried to help these people get back on their feet. I was talking with a friend this morning when I realized that there is a common thread among many, but not all, of those who suffer from poverty.

I am, by no means, trying to judge anyone or make anyone feel ashamed. Please understand our goal is to help people, and to restore dignity to each person. We all know that sometimes we make bad choices, and we reap bad consequences. But, at the same time, there are those who seem to experience the consequences of actions done by others to them. Or, they have tried their best to make life work, yet it hasn't, for whatever reason.

For some people, not just homeless either, the will to live is no longer there. It may be called, 'failure to thrive'. Something happened, and the course of the person's life changes drastically, and whatever energy left to live on, and whatever motivation to live on, is not there anymore.

Let me give a general synopsis of what I am talking about. This is also not an uncommon experience. Let's say, a man and woman have been married for many years. Then, the woman dies. Two weeks later, the man dies. There was no more reason for the man to live anymore, since his wife passed away.

 They have just lost the compass of their lives and they feel like there is really no purpose for their being here. And we come along and try to help them. but the help ends up being like a 'Money Pit' type of situation sometimes. We do everything for the person to get back on his or her feet, yet the person ends up staying in the same place or even reverting. What could the problem be? How can we help?

   The homeless and poor seem to experience this as well. A spouse may die. Maybe the person could never get work. One door after another gets shut. Life may just be too hard for someone to handle.

   We know the answer is the Gospel. But how do we get the Gospel to these people? How can they hear it and see it?

   I don't pretend to have any answers for this. We are to serve people where they are at. We are to demonstrate the Gospel to them. They need to see the love of God in us. They need to understand God's love for them and His provision for them to be saved.

   Maybe a little insight would be this; they need to know they are people created by God. We need to undo the lies of the Enemy that he has fed them all their lives. By getting to know them and making our communication personal, they will begin to understand that they are here for a reason, and that their lives are not a mistake or a product of evolution.

   Then we demonstrate the Gospel before them, and we declare the Gospel message to them. God will do the work in the hearts of those who are hearing His word. God will be the reason for them to have hope restored and they will have a vision for living again.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he who keeps the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18

Ministering Effectively To The Homeless - How to Help Without Harming Them

Here is an article I wrote this morning concerning the way we try to help homeless people, but we end up harming them instead. Let me give you a story of an incident that happened to the man who taught us the class at a seminar.

   Brian Fikkert* was telling the time when a homeless man knocked on his door wanting money. It had not happened to Brian yet, but apparently it happened to many in the neighborhood. Brian actually gave the man a little job in which he could earn some money with. This is very helpful to a person who is homeless, because it helps establish their dignity. Many homeless people were taught that they are a piece of trash or that they should not have ever been born, and they end up believing these lies and live like trash instead of living the way God intended them to. Many homeless people do not understand that they were created in God's image, and have been given the mandate to 'take dominion' over the things in the world. They simply have no idea of this, and many of them have not been trained to function in society. They have learned a way of living that is easy for them and helps fulfill our desires to show compassion to people, but in the end it keeps them in a perpetual state of homelessness.

   Back to Brian's story. Brian hires the man to rake his yard. As it gets dark, the homeless man stops and says he can't finish raking the lawn. Brian pays him for his work for that day, and tells him to come back tomorrow and finish the job.
Around midnight, there is a knock on the door, and it is the homeless man asking for money. Brian did not give him any money but told him to come back tomorrow and finish raking the yard, and he will pay him for that work. Brian goes on the internet and somehow is able to research this particular man and his activities in this subdivision. Apparently the man had been going to different houses in that neighborhood asking for money. Some gave the homeless man money. Others wouldn't. This man knew the homes where he would get the handouts. He made regular visits there. But when he visited Brian's house, he was not going to get a handout. He would be put to work and would earn his money. That is the way God intended for men and women to live. Anything less than this brings down our dignity as a human being.
This man will continue to go to those houses where he was given a handout. They feel sorry for the homeless man and are treating his situation as if it were a 'relief' situation rather than seeing a need for this man to become rehabilitated and to learn skills for job placement or a career. They are keeping this man from developing as a person.
This man will go to Brian's house for work. But he will also go to the homes where he is given a handout. We need to stop this trend and help this man to find his skills so he can function in society.

* Brian Fikkert is the co author of the book 'When Helping Hurts' and was the man who taught at the seminar by the same name.


Here is the article I wrote a little while ago. Hopefully, it will provide insight into helping people without harming them. The question I have, in the end, is how do we get homeless people from point A to point B?

Should we give money to homeless people? I often hear of my friends giving some money to a guy standing in the middle of an intersection with a bucket. I have also heard that many homeless people use money to buy drugs with. They may even take a gift card and sell it for money to buy drugs with. So, how can we help them with what they need? What exactly do they need?
The condition of many homeless people would be considered 'chronic' meaning that it is an ongoing condition. When there is an immediate need, like when a natural disaster happens, we send immediate aid to help with immediate needs that require attention. This is called, 'relief' and is necessary for people to help out with money, skills, and manpower at that moment. But this is not the case with homeless people (most of the time). There are different reasons for being homeless, and the homeless people do not need 'relief'. They do not need your $5 for a hamburger at McDonald's. Many of them did not have a mom or dad who taught them the basic principles in life and they do not know how to fit into society as a result. They don't know how to write a check or look for a house, or even if they were to receive a home, they would not know how to take care of it. They need rehabilitation and development.
If you get to talk to a homeless person, ask them this question: "If I could take you to a homeless shelter, would you go?" Most of them will say 'no' and will give you some kind of plausible reason. One woman tried to tell me that the particular homeless shelter I recommended was closed down. But since I have a friend who works there, I know it isn't closed. Most of them know that if they were to go to a homeless shelter, they would be required to do something, like take a class, or learn some responsibilities. Many homeless shelters have training for jobs and careers. That is what these people need. But, most of them will never go there, and one reason is simply because they know they can stand in the middle of an intersection with a bucket and they will make enough money to live on, because people will show them compassion. Our compassion will keep them from ever seeing their need for being trained to do work. It will keep them in a perpetual state of begging. 

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Laws Could Be Passed To Ban Homeless People From Their Shelters

  Yes, even some states do not allow homeless people to live in the woods. Where do these people go then? How will they get help?

  The problem with many homeless people is that they don't know how to function in society. Many were never trained to live in civilization. Some are handicapped or retarded. Many have serious health problems, and many are on drugs or drink alcoholic beverages.

   It's not as easy as hollering at someone and telling them to get off their butt. Many of them were never taught how. Many would falter if they were placed in a job, even an easy one.

   The whole problem is, how did these people end up like they did? Is there anything we can do to help?

   This is a product of a broken society. People who are broken (I'm not talking about broken-hearted), do not know how to live a productive life. They feel safe in the woods where no one is there to threaten them.

   Is there the possibility of lazy people being homeless? Absolutely. Many lazy people will end up in the woods. But also, some of the homeless people are simply people who have lost their jobs and cannot pay rent because they have no income. As soon as they find a job again, they will be back on their feet, being productive at work.

   How does a person end up homeless anyway? Do they think that is a normal way of life? I don't know all the answers to this question, but I do have a little insight from a book written by David Wilkerson called, 'The Cross and The Switchblade' in which David tells of his journeys to the inner cities of New York and Brooklyn, ministering the Gospel to young men and women who were in the gangs of the streets of New York.

   In his book, he partially answers the question, and gives insight into other areas of homelessness. In the 1950s and 60s, teenage boys and girls made up these vicious gangs. The gangs were not purposeless though. They formed basically because the families lived in a tiny tenement room and the families were quite large. The scenario was almost always the same. The dad had no job and there was no money for food. Many times, both mom and dad were drunk. They kicked the children out and lived a hopeless life while they drank themselves to death.

   The children were kicked out with no place to live. So, they gathered together and formed these militant gangs. They set boundaries and had rules to which they followed strictly. They punished themselves when they failed.

    The children who formed these gangs were looking for love and security. They were looking for companionship. Although there were many gangs, and the gangs worked together well in teamwork, those who made up the gangs were lonely. What they were looking for did not come to them by being a gang member.

    These children were displaced. There was no place for them to go to. There was no soft bed (or hard one either) for them to sleep on. When it rained, they would go down the subway. They slept on the benches. There is very little order in their lives, and if they are hungry, they either rob someone for money or somehow find it. Most of the money they got though, went to drugs and liquor. Even though they never had enough money to buy the necessary food, somehow they always were able to buy liquor.

    Many ended up on drugs, particularly heroin. In order for them to provide for their addiction, they had to sell drugs. Drug pushing brings in money, but it only goes back to pay for their habit that cannot be broken unless they go to a detox center.

  Today, many adults are displaced, much like the gang members of NYC. For whatever reason, they cannot function in society, so they end up living in the woods. That is their territory.

   What do they need? The need the same thing everyone else needs-The Gospel. Many of them can actually parrot the Gospel, but do they understand or is there a disconnect?

   There are four areas in life that have to be restored. The first is the person's relationship to God. Second is the relationship to one another. Third, is the relationship one has with himself or herself, and fourth is the relationship the person has in society. These are all broken in the life of a homeless person.

   The authorities who make decisions concerning banning homeless people do not understand these principles. People used to think (and many still do) that if you have a problem, you are responsible for fixing it. Another way to put this is, since you are now homeless, it is due to something you did or did not do. It is your fault that you are homeless and no one is going to help you.

   Many years ago, I took one of my children to a special class, twice a week. After I dropped her off, I would go to the downtown library to do genealogy research. Now I was already aware of the homeless people in that area, and always wanted to help them but never knew how. The first time I went to the library, an older looking homeless man approached me and asked me for something to eat. He wanted to know if I had anything that I could give him. I felt guilty, but I had nothing on me. I was not prepared to meet a homeless person that day. But I did prepare a plate of food after that incident.

   I was always running late to my child's class because I had to put a plate of food together and heat it up. Then I covered it up and we got in the car and left. I knew that just giving a plate of food to homeless people really doesn't make it. There had to be more that I could do, so one time I wrote a Bible verse under the paper plate.

   The reason I am telling this story is because what happened a couple of months down the road was surprising and disappointing. I was placing the paper plate on a concrete bench by the front door of the library. But one day when I went there, I noticed a sign which said, 'No food allowed in this area'. I know it was because of the paper plates I was leaving there, that some authority put the sign up. They didn't want homeless people that close to the library.

   This reminds me of a story told by Ray Comfort. One night, they were out evangelizing, and it was pouring down rain. The group was under a pavilion or some type of outside shelter. There were other people as well, and one of them was a homeless woman who didn't have any front teeth. Ray Comfort made sure the woman had something to eat, when the police showed up. The police ordered her out of there. One of the remarks as to why they ordered her out was, 'she stinks'. Can you imagine this situation? An authority figure who wants to get rid of a homeless woman.

    God will not listen to a person who is crying, if that person has turned away from those who are crying and helpless. "Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, Will also cry himself and not be heard." Proverbs 21:13 NASB95. We might be big and prosperous today, but there will come a day when we won't be. How will God treat us then? How did we treat others during our lifetime when we had resources available to help those in need? Did we turn a deaf ear to those who are suffering?

The Gospel is the cure for our brokenness. The Gospel is the cure for the homeless. The question is, what is the best way to reach them and work with them so they can once again fit into society, before homelessness is banned? What are some creative ways we can help?

  So, to recap. There are several reasons why people end up homeless. Some are permanently homeless, while others are just misfortunate because of a job loss and will return to home life as soon as they can get enough money to get their home back (or get another place to live in). Many are on drugs or are alcoholics, and cannot get off, or are unwilling to be free from their addictions. Some are mentally ill and are unable to work. There are even some homeless people who have lived in the woods most of their lives, and they don't seem to want change.

   There are shelters for homeless people which can be helpful. These are good for people who are just out of a job and have lost their homes. They are also good for people who are displaced as many of these shelters offer classes and career training opportunities. That still doesn't answer the problem of those who can't work or don't know how to function in society. Where do we go from here to help these people? That is the question at hand.

   Society can help those who are able to work. Rehabilitation classes can be effective. But for those who were either kicked out of their homes, or have no living relatives who can house them, what can we do? What do you think?

Warning to the Compassionate

   Years ago, while walking through a parking lot, a young man asked me for some money. He said he needed a bathing suit. Many years later, I parked downtown to go to the library, when being approached by a couple of boys asking for money. A couple of times, while in a parking lot, young women would ask me for some money. They were homeless. One lady promised me she wouldn't spend it on liquor while the liquor smell was on her breath. Another time, Steve and Theresa came up to us after my husband and I were on a date night, asking for money because of a strange story that Theresa needed to go to the hospital again and they needed money for the bus, even though my husband offered to take them to the hospital.
   You've probably met some of these people, or people just like them. I used to feel guilty if I didn't give money to a person who asked, because I felt like I was being very selfish with what I had. But, there may be another twist to this story that most people don't realize.
   Before I go any further, please understand that there are people who legitimately need money. Some are out on the streets because of a job loss. They have no intention of staying on the streets and as soon as they find employment, they will be back at work. Others are handicapped and can't work, and are very unfortunate in that there is no one to take them in, nor do they know how to apply for unemployment or disability.
  Those in this category of losing a job or being handicapped could get help if they knew where to go and how to apply. These people do not have to be roaming the streets begging for money, although some of them might be desperate. They just need someone to show them where they can get help.
  The other category is probably what makes up most of the homeless population, unfortunately. I have even heard of people who are perfectly fine, collecting money at intersections, while they hold up a sign saying 'need food' or 'need money'.
  What is this breakdown in society about? Sadly, much of it has to do with taking drugs. We hear so much about the subject of drugs that we have tuned it out of our thinking. But the drug problem is much more serious than what we think. It affects people who are wealthy as well as the homeless.
   I remember talking with a man who was homeless and very angry. It started when I offered him a tract that looks like a hundred dollar bill. The thought of my giving money to a homeless person was repulsive to him. It obviously triggered some bad memories for him. I spent a while listening to his story, and what I got out of it was that he was angry with Christians in particular, because they were always giving money to the homeless. The homeless people would use the money and buy their drugs, then sometimes they would die or someone else died because of their drug taking. This man lived with the homeless day in and day out, and knew the ropes.
   I was explaining the situation of Steve and Theresa to my friends on Facebook, and one replied to me and told me that she was homeless for a while. She said to never give money to a homeless person, or even anything else, because they use it on drugs, and they take the gift cards and sell them to buy drugs with.
  As we look back at Steve and Theresa, it became clear that Theresa was most likely suffering from drug withdrawal because she didn't have access to her drug. So, the $20 we gave her, plus the other money they probably collected from other sympathetic onlookers helped to pay the money for her next fix.
  We used to go downtown to feed the homeless and share the Gospel with those who would listen. It was a very good time for us, for the most part. The man who led the ministry to feed the homeless, was skilled in dealing with homeless people. He advised us to not even bring our wallets with us. We were to give the homeless people NO money. At first, this might seem cruel. You have to understand though, the man leading this ministry was miraculously saved from drug addiction and used his ministry, with everything he had, to serve these people with. Giving the homeless people money was not going to serve them. It would probably bring harm to them. In fact, we really enjoyed talking with these people and serving them food, yet, one of them stole a young man's wallet while he was playing in the band. The goal would be to serve the people, minister the Gospel, and become friends with the people, and teach them how to live. Their temptations will be to go back to drugs, or to look for money to pay for the next fix. It is not judging these people, but knowing what the culture is like in order to ultimately serve them.
  The goal of helping the homeless is not just to give them a meal so they can survive one more day. We have to break into their culture and get to know them, in order to serve them effectively.
  Every Christian should be filled with the compassion of Christ, but many times, that compassion is misdirected. It takes a lot of wisdom from above to know how to help homeless people the right way. We can do more harm by having compassion on them, but using it the wrong way.
  Next time you see a homeless person asking for money, please consider the best way you can help them. To give money out could perpetuate the problem. Let them know about the homeless shelters available to them. If they seem resistant to that idea, then you know that the person can't be helped. It's a good indication that they don't really want to be helped, but just want the money they can suck out of you because of your compassion. Don't be fooled.

Homeless People Are Being Shipped Off To A Camp

    Here is a situation happening right now in South Carolina. I want to make people aware of this so we can pray, and look for opportunities to minister. This may be the time when the church could take the initiative and come up with ideas and plans to help and serve the homeless.
http://truthia.com/its-now-illegal-to-be-homeless/
   We need to be aware of 2 things:
       1. To pray for this situation
       2. To take action
  Taking care of the homeless should be the responsibility of the church, but since that hasn't happened, the government is stepping in and taking responsibility. The government's idea of helping this situation is to take the homeless people who live in this area of South Carolina, and send them to camps. I am not sure what these camps are supposed to do, but, it is illegal for people to be homeless there. So, when the camps are filled, which should happen immediately, there will be leftover people who won't have a place to go to. Will they be arrested? Sent to prison? Where are they supposed to go? How can we help?
   There are different reasons for people being homeless. Many are just out of a job and have lost their homes. Some are too sick to work. Others are retarded or handicapped and have no one to care for them. And yet, there are those who are either lazy or don't want to work because of some philosophy they have bought into.
   In Orlando, there is a place called, 'Orlando Rescue Mission' where homeless people can stay for a period of time. While they are there, there are classes which help them develop careers. You will be ministered to while staying at this place. It does have boundaries though, and sadly many homeless people do not understand about boundaries, possibly because they never had boundaries placed around them as children. Many homeless do not want to go to this place, because they do not want to be responsible for themselves and would rather stay in the woods.
  I personally think that much of our homelessness comes as a result of the broken down home unit. Marriage is not an option for many, and much of the homeless society consists of moms with children from different fathers. This is why marriage should be held in high honor. People are surprised today to learn that the act of lusting after another person sexually is like committing adultery of the heart. Much of the homeless society, as well as society in general, has no clue of what is right an wrong. Perhaps this is do to the fact that the 10 Commandments were taken out of the schools and are continually being weeded out of the government under the guise of 'separation of church and state' which is a modern day man-made idea of something that is supposedly in the Constitution, but it really isn't.

     Whatever the reason, we need to be praying for the homeless and looking for ways we can serve and minister. Who knows. Maybe we could be the ones building shelters and having classes for people who are displaced so they can become woven back into society. As the homeless hear the Gospel, they can be changed and perhaps they could be the ones to pave the way for other homeless men, women, and children to hear the Gospel and be discipled. Who knows what God will do when we pray?