To Mr. Frederick R. Bedell, Jr., first, I would like to send a big, “Thank you for your service to our country!” during the Vietnam War era.
I am truly sorry that you experienced being homeless after sacrificing a vibrant part of your early life while answering our country’s call to duty.
Second, I would like to send a big, “Thank you!” to that kind stranger named, Cyril, who helped Mr. Bedell in his time of need.
May we all be inspired by Cyril’s actions.
As a teenager and, then, as a young woman, growing up through the aforementioned era, I have vivid memories of the shameful abuse suffered by our veterans returning from that fruitless, undeclared war….a war in which my husband lost two brothers.
Third, I would like to thank Mr. Bedell for highlighting, in his recent letter to the editor, the current extreme plight of the homeless in the greater New York vicinity.
Many folks are just a paycheck away from being homeless. Many folks are just a major medical bill away from being homeless. Many folks are just a heartbeat away from a tragedy that may hurl them, like a whirlwind, into being homeless. Many folks forget this.
When my mother was a young child during the Great Depression, she, her four brothers, and my grandparents were evicted from their Queens’ apartment because my grandfather could not find work and could not pay the rent.
The heartless landlord thrust my mother, her siblings, and my grandparents onto the street…..along with all of their belongings.
Upon witnessing the sorrowful sight of my grandparents and their five children sitting on the sidewalk with all of their furniture and personal items (all subject to the whims of Mother Nature), a kindly neighboring landlord offered them the use of a nearby vacant storefront in which to seek shelter until my grandfather could find work to pay rent.
As a 5-year old child myself, growing up in the early-1950s tenements of Bushwick, I witnessed the eviction of a family with four children, along with their furniture, to the sidewalk …..all shivering in a cold, pouring rain.
I remember asking my grandmother why these people were sitting on the street. I, vividly, remember her saying that, because the family was unable to pay the rent, they all were sent to the street.
From that day forward, I never complained about not having a door on the railroad-room cubby in which I slept for almost the next 20 years.
Although almost 60 years have passed since I saw the tragedy of an evicted family and although almost 85 years have passed since my mother and her family suffered a similar fate, it sure seems to me that our society has not made any significant strides towards preventing homelessness and/or providing living-alternatives for down-and-out folks.
As Mr. Bedell mentions, thousands of people are living in emergency shelters ..… with potentially thousands more living on the street.
While wholesale evictions are uncommon today, the sight of homeless people is not.
Both Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio are younger than I am and may not personally have witnessed the eviction of a family years ago (or may not have had any family members personally evicted themselves); however, I believe they both appreciate the gravity of sadness and concern that one feels when seeing a homeless person sleeping on a cold sidewalk in below-freezing temperatures…..possibly dying from exposure to the elements.
As many as there are homeless people, there are reasons for homeless people: mental illness, aging-out of foster care, lost jobs, physical health issues…just to name a few. It is obvious, though, that most homeless folks do not choose to be homeless.
It is easy to dismiss the homeless-issue by saying: Many agencies exist already to help the homeless. Many benefit programs exist already to help the homeless. Many shelters exist already to help the homeless.
Yet, the escalating severity of homelessness suggests that existing agencies, programs, and shelters are not enough. More needs to be done.
I believe that Gov. Cuomo, along with our New York State legislators, should initiate more effective help for the homeless by possibly creating agencies (or, possibly, enabling present agencies) to offer more effective counseling, provide more effective psychological/medical care (if needed), provide more effective alternatives to traditional shelters, and provide more effective job-training (if needed) for the homeless.
Effective mental health facilities must be readily available to accept and care for the homeless who may need mental health supports and/or treatments…..potentially, both for the safety of themselves and/or for the safety of the general public.
Young adults aging-out of foster care, particularly, need more effective assistance to help prepare for survival in the adult-world…..it would be unfair to thrust them out of foster care without sufficient supports that might help prevent them from becoming homeless.
I believe Mr. Bedell makes an excellent suggestion when he states, “Please…write to our local and state representatives,” to take action, now, to help the homeless before another brutal winter pummels our area.
As my 87-year old mother always reminds me: “There, by the grace of God, go us.”
Kathy Rittel
East Williston
