#BringUsHome
Hello, our names are Josh Nadzam and Casey Yohe and this is our #BringUsHome project.
Our project is simple. Some people are homeless in Lexington and we want to see how we can help out. There are many people in Lexington who have dedicated their lives and careers to this issue and are making great progress to find homes for people who are homeless so Casey and I felt obligated to contribute in our small way.
There are a multitude of factors and complexities that contribute to a person becoming homeless. One such factor is the loss of a support network such the friends or family members who many of us have that keep us from becoming homeless. Currently, we realized how fortunate we are to have our friends and family to support us so we thought:
"Wow, what would it be like if we didn't have our friends and family to support us?"
and
"What are the stories behind each individual person who is homeless?
So, we are going to see exactly what that is like. Even the strongest leap of empathy cannot replicate the reality of being homeless so while our immersion will only be temporary and cannot create the feelings of being homeless for multiple years, we will be able to "walk in their shoes" and gain a whole new appreciation for what they go through. After all, becoming homeless can happen to any single one of us.
The person who is homeless you see on the street is somebody's son, somebody's daughter, somebody's friend, somebody's father. You might not think this issue affects you because you don't know anyone who is homeless but as of Friday, May 22nd you will. If we are your friend, your family member, your coworker, or an associate of yours, then you now know someone who is homeless. And we will not be returning to our homes until we hit our fundraising goal. Then maybe after the conclusion of this project we can start looking at people who are homeless as a friend or family member even if we don't know them.
Our number one priority is to be as sensitive as possible to this issue. Josh has worked over 240 hours in a homeless shelter and Casey has dedicated her life to an endless list of issues so to us, this is very personal. One of us also has a family member with a severe mental illness who was only one step away from being homeless. We know we cannot solve homelessness by ourselves but we can contribute to its eradication in our own small way.
We will only start out with:
- A backpack
- Blankets donated by The Catholic Action Center
- Our cell phones and chargers (for safety)
We will not:
- Be begging for any money on the streets
- Reveal our location
- Use any language other than person-first language (A person who is homeless NOT a homeless person)
We will start out being homeless on Friday, May 22nd. Every dollar raised will be donated to The Catholic Action Center. We will be living on the streets and various shelters until you, our friends and family...
#BringUsHome