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Have you ever spent a long day on your feet? Worked for 12 hours and realized you never got a chance to take off your shoes?...and after that long day you finally get a chance to sit down, put your feet up, and take off your shoes. For me, that's one of the best feelings in the world. I think I may have mentioned earlier pedicures are my stress-relief. Bad week at work...get a pedicure, test didn't go as well as I would have liked...get a pedicure. It's almost as though I carry my stress and anxiety in my feet....weird, maybe not. I think that getting your feet washed & massaged is truly bliss. 

Today I had the opportunity to work in a foot clinic. Or shall I say a simplified foot clinic at a day center for the homeless of the community. What an awesome opportunity, and am looking forward to going back a couple more times. What better gift can a person give than a nice foot-soak, and referral to the podiatrist if needed, and the bigger blessing I received from the people I interacted with. 

Homelessness is a problem that everyone should be aware of. Seeing the faces, names, and interacting with these people really truly puts life into perspective. Admittedly or not many of us are one car accident, or one event away from homelessness, and that is something to think about. Many of the people we talk to were hard working people and now because of one thing are in the situation they're in. This in my opinion isn't just their problem, but a people problem, a human problem, and this my friends, is something that is happening in our own backyard. The sad thing is, we shun them, put them in a sub-category, in reality we probably unannounced to us interact almost daily with those who don't have a place of permanent residence, maybe they're homeless, maybe they're couch surfing, maybe they're chronically homeless.

Here's some statistics to think about:

In the United States, on any given night in January 2010, 407,966 individuals were homeless in shelters, transitional housing programs, or on the streets (this does not include persons in family households). On any given night in January 241,951 persons in families; 200,000 children (of these children 42% were under the age of 6 years old) were members of homeless families were homeless in shelters, transitional housing programs, or on the streets equally 37.2% of all homeless persons {Source} (2010 AHAR)

• Over 92% of mothers who are homeless have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime
• Unaccompanied youth represented 1.1% of the sheltered adult population

Over the course of one year in the United States (Oct 2009 - Sep 2010), the 2010 AHAR found that: approximately 1,593,150 individuals experienced homelessness.{Source}

Among all sheltered individuals over the course of a year (Oct 2009 - Sep 2010) {Source}:

• 62% were male
• 38% were female

• 21.8% are under 18
• 23.5% 18 - 30 years old
• 37% are 31 - 50 years old
• 14.9% are 51 - 61 years of age
• 2.8% are 62+ 

 Populations at risk for homelessness; LGBTQ youth, those with mental illness, veterans, incarcerated people.

I do not have the answer, but I think it should be something that people are aware of. Ways you can be involved in helping those who are struggling with homelessness; be a friendly face when you see them (smile...promise it goes a long way!), vote - be educated about the people in government you are voting for and see if homelessness is on their radar, volunteer in a homeless shelter or with an organization that supports/ provides subsidized housing, be kind & patient to people you don't know their story.

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13: 12 - 17