The Solidarity Sleepout - organized by HHH on May 1, 2009 to draw attention to the need for mre year-round shelter beds - was a great success. Below, three HHH Members write their perspective on the event.
Shot Heard Around the World By Rollon WashingtonOne of the greatest things that has ever come to Charlotte was that night for me to see so many homeless people, churches, homeless providers, private sectors, along with a host of city and state officials showing up for one cause – to help end homelessness by the way of more year-round shelter. More attention to the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness alone will make action possible to start ending homelessness in Charlotte, NC. I must say I truly hope the Solidarity Sleep-out was a shot heard around the world.
Saturday Morning Reflections By Elijah KellyThe HHH “Solidarity Sleepout” as a Wow!! Er, that should have been all capital letters. You’ve heard “Hitch Your Wagon to a Star?” Well, on May 1, 2009 HHH and about 500 other supporters of our cause “ending homelessness” including the Honorable Sue Myrick, former Mayor of Charlotte, NC now Congress Woman, Anthony Foxx, Charlotte City Council member and Democratic Candidate for Mayor of “The Queen City of the South,” Jennifer Roberts, our present chair of County Commissioners, along with a long list of other city leaders and leaders of organizations, came together in force to show their support.
I’m sure that I can speak on behalf of all members of HHH and the “Homeless Community” in thanking all participants in sharing their time and the interest – that we all have the same objective “Ending Homelessness.” I was truly overwhelmingly excited at the interest shown by visitors while welcoming them and their wanting to know more about “HHH” and how they can become involved. A special thanks to all members of HHH – everyone went beyond the call of duty to ensure this be the successful event that it turned out to be. Many blessing to all members of the clergy – and without a doubt, the melodious voices of “Gospel Shadow of Charlotte, NC” (Psalm 100:1 – Make a joyful noise onto the Lord all ye lands.”)
Mama Betty’s tucked us snugly in with a powerful session of prayer. On the light side, there were baptisms one on purpose as this one individual had apparently marinated himself in the sauce – and the other accidentally invaded the territorial rights of the duck. Yup, he’d also been sauced.
Well good Saturday morning to all. I was again overjoyed at looking across Marshall Park at the number of people camped out including families that left their homes to share with us. Thank you.
On my way to pack my belongings there is was in the sky “God’s Promise” – A rainbow! “HHH’s Solidarity Sleepout could not have ended on a better note that “A Rainbow.” I would like to end this note with scripture from Romans 8:24-25
“For it was by hope that we were saved, but if we see what we hope for then it’s not really hope, for who of us hopes for something we see. But if we hope for something we do not see, we wait for it with patience”
A View form our Shoes by Dawoud Assad
The Homeless Helping Homeless “Solidarity Sleep-out” is the largest public event that I have assisted on putting on. More importantly than the confidence that I feel we as a group can accomplish anything we set our minds to do, is what I have learned form the experience.
We have taken upon ourselves that responsibility of being “The voice of the Homeless” we must also understand that to be that voice, we must keep all parties engaged in the process and see it through to the end. Politicians speak very differently at rallies and advocacy events than they do when they are soliciting our votes. At these events they speak of all the ills, failures, and inadequacies of the past and what should and could be done to correct hem. But, immediately after their dissertations, it’s back to business as usual. It is our responsibility to make use of their quotable quotes to keep them engaged in making “homelessness” and its solutions a priority during their terms of office. We must make them feel that the greatest accomplishment of their political life is having ended homelessness.
We must also make it our responsibility to create the forum for all interested and not interested parties to do whatever it takes to eliminate the opprobrious condition of homelessness on our community, state, and nation. The United States finds the wherewithal to spend billions of dollars to aid and rebuild other countries for humanitarian and “national security” reasons, without ever seeing that ending homelessness here in America carries the same weight.
If nothing else, I have learned that if we truly wish to be “the voice of the homeless” our strategy must also be to find, suggest and implement workable solutions.
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