Dear Family Member of homeless Individual,

Everyone rallies around the homeless, the addict, the friendless, but who rallies around Family Members of this person? Please I beg you.. Do not giver up on this person.

I have more faith in you than I do any mission or homeless program. They can only maintain your loved one’s situation. You, however, can change it… if you don’t give up.

You probably never noticed that with most major homeless missions, when someone Loved one checks in as homeless, the majority of those people are still homeless after they leave. I am also concerned that in large homeless missions and programs, they think more about funding than actually helping your loved one. I’ve seen that those programs Like to hold on to their homeless clients and keep their bed space full so they can honestly come to their private donors and say “look folks, we’re full and need money to operate!”

But the question remains, who rallies around you when he or she come home to you again? With many homeless, they have an addiction to alcohol or drugs, or have stopped taking their psychotic meds because of their past addictions. They ARE going to require time because of the rate of recidivism, and during this stressful time, I suggest you attend Al-Anon and A.A. meetings with your loved one. It may take a month or a Life-time, so I ask you not to give up.

I would also suggest if he does anything illegal in your home, that you call the police on your own. Many families are scared not to involve the legal system because of the embarrassment of being a failure or the sight of your loved one in hand cuffs or in jail. However if what your skills in helping him / her is not working, wouldn’t it be better than for your loved one to be put into the system, rather than for him to be homeless again and practicing the same behaviors?

I know it is easy for me to say this, and much harder for you to implement, but when you meet your Maker in the end, what would you like to tell him about the one you loved and your success or failure’s.

Please don’t give up on him, but change his life for his better.

Thank you so very much,

David Owen

Homeless Come Home