HOMELESS IN TEXAS
Unhoused Texans weather another
winter storm with little aid
Storm of the Century, Preparation Failure, Death was the Result
This was not the first, this will not be the last, but lessons not learned, homeless had no means of transport, or communication, and emergency shelters malfunctioned, sad state of affairs and death was the result
Let’s look at His word as we start today
Psalm 41: 1 to 3
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God They have all turned aside, Together they have become corrupt, there is none who does good, no not even one.
Isaiah 30: 18
Therefore the Lord wants to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you,/ For the Lord is a God of justice, blessed are all who wait for the Lord
What say you…
Well efforts were made, for days, I mean if they refused, it’s their fault if they die out there, we tried, right, efforts were made, right, we did not just leave them out there…
Electric failed, pipes burst, homes flooded, buildings failed, we all suffered, no difference, we die, they die, the cycle of life, if effort was made, that is enough they should have responded
Introduction
So, the entire nation knows of your total failure in the major storm of 2021, you’re the city of Austin TX, you failed. People died on your watch. So, what should your single-minded job be for next winter, in case another storm should blow in?
Preparedness, right? Well, city of Austin, you failed, more have died on your watch, and you have left a wake of hurt, fear, anger, and confusion. But, after all, they were mostly just the homeless, right?
Storm of the Century Highlights Unpreparedness
One must wonder why they called this the Storm of The Century, when it was simply Round 2 a year later, was it because they were trying to cover their backsides for the failures, missed opportunities, and failed preparedness? It was bad, but it was not the first.
Here is something from the article that I find sadly humorous and indicates how unfocused cities are when it comes to emergency planning and the homeless. Two days into the freezing weather the shelters were opened, a few, not all. The Shelter opening is announced when they are opened not earlier, to avoid confusion, an Austin spokesperson stated! I guess they really did not learn from the storm of 2021.
Anger and Rage Surface
Local officials Vowed to improve emergency communications after the 2021 deadly storm, but failure was the outcome during the storm. Anger simmered over, they had a year to develop, plan, and broadcast a plan for where the shelters would be, and how to get to them and nothing was accomplished.
Total and complete lack of preparedness, for both those with homes and those without homes. Shelters not made ready, homes were not given ample time to prepare, and the communication that had been promised was totally lacking in the hours leading up to this storm.
Ordinary citizens saw the problems for what it was and reacted and when the anger came out, instead of sitting back and waiting for a failed city government, they took action to try and help those most vulnerable in the storm, they saved lives. Blankets, clothes, food, hot drinks, and the like were given out to help the homeless and to try and get them through. This worked.
“Experiencing” what is that word
To Encounter or Undergo and experience, to have experience of, direct personal observation or participation
We all know what it is to ‘experience’ joy, happiness, grief, sorrow, loss, pain, and son, but do we have any idea at all what it is to experience homelessness? Remember every homeless person is a mom, a dad, a child, a teenager, a veteran, an uncle or an auntie, they have emotions, feelings, and humanity within them.
So, we experience the great joy of the birth of a grandchild let’s say, the homeless experience stuff we cannot imagine or even want to imagine. They are experiencing homelessness, the pain, sorrow, loss, grief, and anxiety of it every day 24 hours a day and then the storm comes with no help. What would you be experiencing? We cannot allow the humanity of the homeless to be driven away from them, that is the goal of the government. Lastly, when we experience something, good or bad, we have a community to draw upon to go through with us. When the homeless are experiencing the terrible struggles of homelessness they have a tiny, small community that is in constant fear, loneliness, and on the verge of hopelessness. Will we continue to allow them to “be experiencing” life alone?
Broken Promises/Communications
Most of the folks do not remember or have chosen to forget, that The Great Storm of 2022 was not the first major weather event with bad outcomes. There was a storm in 2021 that Texas was unprepared for, and people died and struggled for days to come through. The promises of change, improvement and getting the world better were made, and broken.
Phone calls were answered, solutions not engaged, shelters not opened, transportation not made ready, all of sudden the homeless were remembered. Care groups, and shelters and pantries were trying to get help to them, but the effort was of little effect in the face of the great storm.
Shining Light on Homeless Fears
Encampments broken up, families split up, belongings thrown in the trash, shelters not ready for the storm, phones going unanswered, and the list goes on. The homeless were left outside to suffer and some to die in the storm of 2022. The blame game was mastered, and the buck well passed but none were helped, save a few and the homeless helped the homeless, and deaths were kept to a minimum.
One director states she was answering calls and giving information until the early morning hours, but then had to admit her own calls to the given number also went unanswered. Announcements for shelters were given at the time they opened, not heads up before the storm landed so planning could take place. Transportation was not provided, in nothing was provided.
Too many think that when an emergency, especially one that can be seen coming, the homeless are like a herd of cattle. They will round up, come in, and be cared for like good, obedient, and needful cattle no matter what has been done to them in the past. It is this mindset, forgetting their individual humanity that has brought about the fear that makes helping them so difficult.
Laws Make it Difficult for Homeless to Reach Out
It is like showing them a great sandwich and a cold bottle of water and then when they are relaxed and eating, the handcuffs go on! So, why would they trust the authorities even if danger was approaching? You cannot authorize a bill to fine and jail a homeless person for being homeless and then expect them to respond when a storm is brewing.
Sadly, most of them, the homeless, would rather risk the storm instead of heading for help, help means a lot of avenues for the authorities to get a hold of them, and again, not always for the better. Their belongings are often thrown out, and fines accrued and so it is simply better to risk it all and stay put.
The carrot and the stick is the method that the Cicero Institute is using across this nation to ban, punish and end street homelessness without any long term or effective solutions. The homeless are humans in trouble, struggling and going through hard times, but the current trend in thinking has dehumanized so it is easier to forget about them. That works until they are found dead, frozen to death due to lack of intervention and care.
Conclusion
Let’s wrap this up in a couple of sentences.
There was a wicked bad storm in 2021 that cost millions of dollars to recover from, lives were lost and communications failed. People got together and tried to figure out what went wrong and made a bunch of promises to quell the anger.
Homelessness in a major storm was not truly and openly addressed, plans were not laid for emergency response just in case another storm rolled in. Meanwhile, the laws against homelessness have increased more and more strict.
The unthinkable happened, another storm hit Austin and the surrounding area, and they were unprepared, and more lives were lost. The homeless were left to figure things out and fight for their lives. Communication failed completely
Final thoughts, if you don’t plan, then you have planned to fail! The homeless are not a priority in an emergency and this has been proven in two major storms.
Selah, a bible term, for meditating on this:
You find a cold night, I mean cold, under 50 degrees or less, and take Nothing with you, light pants, a light shirt, and a single pair of socks and shoes. Maybe you will be blessed with a blanket, but that is it, now go outside for the entire cold night and see how well you fare. But you have no snow, no wind, no frost, and you have an easy retreat, lastly, you will not face death this night. The homeless have no such peace or hope.
CTA…
Answer this,
Does any government local, state, or even federal have the right to dehumanize a person or group of people simply because hey are homeless and in need of help
How is it that there was not a national outcry over the deaths in Tezas two years in a row, over the mishandling of the preparedness, how did it go undealt with, this is why, they were simply homeless, answer why please
Answer this, are you okay with a government, at any level, putting millions into the criminal structure to remove the homeless from public sight without helping and allowing to struggle through a storm that brings death, or should there be accountability
