Thinkaloud | No charity at home

Thinking global, not local

M

ost people agree that society should care for the less fortunate: the homeless, the mentally handicapped, those who have broken the law and are caught up in the criminal justice system, the poor. In fact, such a caring attitude is one of the enduring legacies of our Judaeo-Christian based society.

However, agreement that these people - the new “underclass” - should be helped is far different from having that help given in a group home next door. Ordinary citizens who give generously to help the starving in Africa and other parts of the world and who support helping groups, rise up in fear and anger when their neighborhood is “threatened” by the suggestion that The Salvation Army, for instance, has sought approval to open a home to help the helpless.

There are petitions, there is court action, there is just plain nastiness, often directed at neighbors who support the aims of the agency wishing to give help. Is it really true that our society is so “sanitized” that we give money to people to look after the inconvenient, disruptive and nerve-wracking needs of others - but at a safe distance? Are we at the place where we will fight tooth and nail to keep those we think of as undesirables as far away from us as possible, while at the same time theoretically espousing the cause of justice, mercy and liberty?

Such hypocrisy is an affront and a stench to God.

What are the roots of the fear that moves people to such fury and outrage, which they would not tolerate if their son or daughter were one of those being helped? Quite often there is the concern that young offenders, prisoners and others will be poorly supervised, and that anti-social behavior will spill over to the community.

Regretfully, this has on occasion been the case. The media is quick to give prominent headlines to such problems, but slow to write unbiased, in-depth stories of successful group homes and halfway houses.

Even when the residents are Christians local residents do not take kindly to having members of the underclass in their neighborhood. They simply do not believe that any good can come from such establishments. Of course, they are wrong. Lives have been transformed and people have returned to society redeemed, renewed and rehabilitated.

In many parts of the country works of mercy are being hampered by court cases initiated by people who prefer to do their good deeds at a distance; who are saying, in effect, “no charity at home.”

“And what did you do to help the poor, the dispossessed, the prisoners and the unlovely?” the Great Judge will ask on that final day. “I sent money to help the starving across the world, but I’m sorry, I just couldn’t ruin the neighborhood. I had to support that petition against those places. You know, don’t you?”

His eyes, His burning eyes, will say it all: “Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”

Writer: Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell Ryan is a former Editor in Chief in Canada and the UK. In retirement he is a copy editor of theRubicon and the author of theRubicon series called Resurrected Writers.

2 Comments to Thinkaloud | No charity at home

1. Colonel Ryan:

   To my way of thinking there are a couple of reasons for NIMBYism:

   1) Let’s face it, over the past two thousand years of Christian charitable institutions, some of them have not been well-run in terms of their relationship to the broader community (let alone the way they were treating their supposed beneficiaries).

   The private sector apartment building where I am a tenant does not tolerate bad behaviour out of any tenants or visitors on or within sight of the property (intoxication, noisiness, throwing items off balconies, threats of violence etc.) … Bad acts are met with eviction/bans and enforced restitution orders…no matter how wealthy or influential the perpetrator is.

   Some of the fear around such institutions is at least somewhat justifiable. Out of pity (I think) good behaviour is not well-enforced.

   2)You ask “What are the roots of the fear that moves people to such fury and outrage…?”(And I think this is the real reason for most NIMBYism) charitable institutions and their clientele are visible reminders of how fragile we humans, how close we are to destitution and marginalisation.

   You have written here about how debt-ridden we are as a society today. Well creates insecurity and anger…directed at the weak.

   Thanks for this contribution and all of them,

   Andrea
Andrea614Regent on July 17th, 2008

2. Well, I’ve sat through a few of these meetings, as a reporter, resident of a down-and-out town and as part of a “concerned citizens” group. And while yes, I agree there’s a lot of narrow thinking and even hate and unreasonable fear on the NIMBY side, I’ve witnessed a bit of arrogance on the other side as well. This includes a gentleman who wanted to turn an old hotel in the town my husband grew up in into a homeless shelter. After several hours of a pretty hostile and frustrating meeting, he told the crowd (in rough paraphrase — this was a few years ago): “You just have to face the fact you live in a run-down, urban, inner-city neighborhood where no one wants to live anymore.” I think that was news to the crowd, all of whom chose to live there. (The hotel is now senior housing).

   I’m pretty much for free use of property at this point in my thinking, but if I were an officer facing a lot of community opposition over a project I would take a step back and see, first, if there’s a way to engage the opposition. In a lot of neighborhoods, the little groups that spring up to oppose this or that are the only community building that goes on. And that sense of “us” is really powerful and something people long for — so once you become the “them,” often that’s pretty much it for you and your project, fire and brimstone notwithstanding for the NIMBY folk. Second, I’d really pray about the project and just ask God to reveal whether it truly serves the community or uses the community to serve some other purpose, and clarify what that purpose is and why it’s worthwhile. Finally, I’d keep in mind that God didn’t establish companies and agencies as the building blocks of civilization, but rather families. So, in building a “home” for people who are tragically lacking family support, I’d be really aware of the impact on the nearby families, small-minded or not.
Catherine W. on July 21st, 2008

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