This Delaware Liberal post (and this follow-up) bring up a number of questions and ironies.
First is a look at choices and consequences. This is a guy who (evidently) is an American citizen and graduated from high school. Yet, for undisclosed reasons, he's only worked at jobs that paid in cash (hence, avoiding taxation), and that industry has been drying up. He cannot afford rent and is relying on the kindness of strangers for subsistence. He has no ID. He wants to stay here because his girlfriend is in the hospital.
So, why would someone not have ID? Or work only for cash? I have a few ideas, and none of them make him a terribly sympathetic character. But even those least sympathetic can tug at the heartstrings when it is 20 degrees outside, so I fully understand the desire to do something for him.
The irony comes in the form of the "something" that was done.
My friend has identified a vacant rental that can be availed to this man for a few weeks. Hopefully that is long enough to sort out some of the other issues.
Through Emmaus House, I got connected to a group that helps the homeless, The Empowerment Center.
For the record, Emmaus House is a private non-profit agency for families in crisis.
I wondered why the self-stylized liberalgeek didn't point the guy to the Delaware State Social Services Division? After all, you only have to look at a couple of posts to recognize that these guys are way out on the fringe. You'd think their first reaction would be to e-mail Barack Obama to do something about this guy living in the woods. Instead, he contacts a private group that, while receiving some government funds, actually gets funding from churches! Isn't that against the Delaware Liberal creed or something?
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