I had the pleasure of listening to State Senator Jim Beall speak at a luncheon in April. It was interesting to hear some of the initiatives. If you aren’t aware of who Jim Beall is he is an elected official who has a passion for supporting Mental Health and getting it the funding it truly needs.
One subject Mr Beall spoke of was the cost of various shortcomings of our communities. The phrase was who pays for <fill in the blank>. The answer was we all do. Who pays for the homeless? We all do. Today a report was released that put in concrete how badly we are all paying for this.
Keep in mind – I am not waiving my finger saying these people are an issue. I’m stating boldly that our society has somehow failed these people. Well, failed is harsh and only true if we give up on them.
My cry for help is to have the entire community, not just the folks nominated and put on some committee (which by the way excludes input from those they are supposed to serve). Each and everyone of us can “be the one.”
Here is the article in the Mercury News that has the details of the costs.
Give a hand up, not a hand out. Buy someone a meal, buy someone a razor, buy someone a hair cut and a shower. Giving cash does not seem likely to truly provide the needed help.
