A HomeWalk To Remember
A few years ago, I traveled to Washington, DC with a team from the United Way of Greater LA to observe and participate with DC’s effort to address homelessness through their annual walk.
Thousands and thousands of people woke up on a Saturday morning to march the Capital Mall. Men and women. Teens and children. They flocked to the walk by bus, car, and the subway.
I remember standing at the starting line while a massive wave of humanity commenced the journey to awaken the conscience of a city. Groups were carrying signs proudly identifying their names. First Lutheran Church. Temple Isaiah. Fannie Mae.
The announcer on stage yelled out the names of the groups as they neared the beginning. Shouts and hand waves of acknowledgement followed.
It was a community experience that certainly brought a new voice into the work of addressing homelessness. Many today feel that voice is desperately needed.
The voice of the people. The voice of everyday folks saying plainly, “Enough is enough!” People, like you and me, should not be resorting to living on our streets. Someone has got to say something. Before we give up on homelessness, and allow it to simply be a “normal” backdrop on the urban and suburban landscapes of our country.
Next month, the Los Angeles’ version will commence its third annual walk. The United Way of Greater LA calls it, “HomeWalk.” It’s a play on homework. But instead of doing our homework, we are doing our homewalk. Walking to insure that people will find homes.
The voice of blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts are one thing. But these technological statements are minimal compared to thousands of people walking the streets to express their outrage that homelessness exists in the richest country on earth.
I, for one, need to walk the talk of this blog. So I’m going to walk. Will you join me on Saturday, November 7th at Los Angeles’ Exposition Park?
Join the PATH Partners HomeWalk team by signing up here: Yes, I will Walk.
I’m walking to physically and morally state, “Enough is enough!”
Thousands and thousands of people woke up on a Saturday morning to march the Capital Mall. Men and women. Teens and children. They flocked to the walk by bus, car, and the subway.
I remember standing at the starting line while a massive wave of humanity commenced the journey to awaken the conscience of a city. Groups were carrying signs proudly identifying their names. First Lutheran Church. Temple Isaiah. Fannie Mae.
The announcer on stage yelled out the names of the groups as they neared the beginning. Shouts and hand waves of acknowledgement followed.
It was a community experience that certainly brought a new voice into the work of addressing homelessness. Many today feel that voice is desperately needed.
The voice of the people. The voice of everyday folks saying plainly, “Enough is enough!” People, like you and me, should not be resorting to living on our streets. Someone has got to say something. Before we give up on homelessness, and allow it to simply be a “normal” backdrop on the urban and suburban landscapes of our country.
Next month, the Los Angeles’ version will commence its third annual walk. The United Way of Greater LA calls it, “HomeWalk.” It’s a play on homework. But instead of doing our homework, we are doing our homewalk. Walking to insure that people will find homes.
The voice of blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts are one thing. But these technological statements are minimal compared to thousands of people walking the streets to express their outrage that homelessness exists in the richest country on earth.
I, for one, need to walk the talk of this blog. So I’m going to walk. Will you join me on Saturday, November 7th at Los Angeles’ Exposition Park?
Join the PATH Partners HomeWalk team by signing up here: Yes, I will Walk.
I’m walking to physically and morally state, “Enough is enough!”
posted by LA's Homeless Blog at
9:13 AM
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