We posted this provocative video that puts the Gospel reading for Sunday, January 29, 2012 in dialogue with the response of the Fairview neighborhood in Camden, NJ to the recent opening of Joseph’s House overnight drop-in center for the homeless in Fairview.
Does it make you uncomfortable or defensive? Does it rally you against the folks who protest the drop-in center’s presence? Do you think it’s unfair to Fairview residents?
One friend of the Center had this to say:
“I do not think it is fair to view the neighbors there as having a total NIMBY, un-compassionate attitude. The video literally seems to demonize them and take too much of a black and white situation of one that is grey/gray—”rejected the gospel call….” A big part of the stated argument is that Fairview is not in an ideal place for a shelter; not near other available services, not where there is a concentration of homeless people already. Without a doubt other motives are there as well—including simple ignorance and fear. It seems to me that the fact that fellow human beings are outside in January ought to trump all other concerns. A couple neighbors volunteered at the shelter and expressed surprise about the peace and calm of the shelter and the normality of the “homeless people.” There is a healing. However, they still want the shelter downtown —or at St. Joe Pro, or at Cathedral.”Folks in Fairview have good reason to express concern about the drop-in center’s opening. At the same time, there are folks who are homeless in Camden who would would not be sleeping on the street if the drop-in center in Fairview remains open.
HOMELESSNESS IN CAMDEN:
This information was provided by John Klein, Executive Director of Joseph’s House of Camden. It is based on the report that CPAC (Community Planning and Advocacy Council), a state funded organization in NJ made in 2009.
This report is the result of asking every agency in Camden, on a specific winter day, to count every person they served on that given day.
Please note that the City of Camden is 9 square miles, with a population of 77,344. The total number of individuals affected by homelessness or at extreme risk of homelessness is 1,326. This number does not include the estimated 700 who did not participate in a program the day this report was made.
Participants of our Urban Challenge Program often take part in an activity called “Not Up My Street.” We ask participants to imagine that there’s a vacancy on the block where they live, and that the residents currently living on the street are allowed to determine who will move in. They are given a list of applicants for the vacancy (including an assistant principal, retired bank manager, immigrant from Mexico, practicing Muslim, mother of two from Camden), who they must rank in order of preferred neighbor.
After they finish their rankings, we invite participants to describe the criterion they used to rank their preferred neighbor. Almost without fail, participants say that they make the decision based on what they think would be in the best interest of their own family and the current residents of the street.
What’s so wrong with that? That decision is their own prerogative. They deserve a say in what’s best for their family and community. And so do the folks in Farview.
But how would we understand what’s best for our family and community if our criterion was Catholic Social Teaching’s Preferential Option for the Poor?
“A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring.
In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor,
our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs
us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.” (USCCB CST)
How would you react to the news that Joseph’s House was opening on your street if your guiding principle was to put the “needs of the poor and vulnerable first”?
It’s possible that it would actually be good for your family and neighborhood to host those who are most in need. It’s also possible that it would present too big a challenge to your family and community to be feasible. Our call is to hold what seem like opposing truths in tension with each other.
Take time to consider how you’d determine who could move onto your street if you had the choice. What are your guiding principles? Does the Preferential Option for the Poor play a role?