Muslims Countering the Homelessness Epidemic
By: CSULB’s Zaha Shtewi
Among the countless issues plaguing our increasingly technological world, homelessness is one of the oldest yet easily combated problems. The fight against homelessness in the United States has existed as long as taxing wars have produced mentally ill veterans and the constantly fluctuating economy has put families on the streets. California alone accounts for over 20% of America’s homeless, many of whom reside on an infamous part of Downtown Los Angeles called “Skid Row”. The path to homelessness is a diverse one, riddled with financial, physical, or mental troubles…but there is one commonality: a complete lack of support. Government assistance is available to those in need but the mass increase of men and women requiring aid is making it more difficult for them to receive that help. Assistance with food and shelter itself can only go so far; many of those that are homeless have emotional/mental issues that may or may not be attributed to the trauma of not even having a pillow to lay their head down at night.
It doesn’t help that there is an unfortunate stigma attached to living on the streets, there are many stereotypes placed on the homeless; they are all panhandling scammers, drug and alcohol addicts, or willingly unemployed. These unfair assumptions hinder joint efforts from institutions like Churches or Mosques to assist as many people in need as possible. Specifically with the Muslim community, there is a tendency to reach out a helping hand to fellow Muslims abroad (i.e. the current refugee crisis) while the homeless living in their own neighborhoods are not receiving the same amount of attention. The reality is that those suffering in our communities are much more accessible, whether they are Muslim or not, help can be more direct and therefore more effective.
Mosques and Muslim youth groups across the United States are constantly organizing local events to provide meals and essentials for the homeless and poverty stricken in their communities. On the morning of April 10, 2016, the Muslim Student Associations of CSULB and UCLA came together with Words To The Wise at the Union Rescue Mission on Los Angeles’ Skid Row to distribute pre-made lunches and prepare meals for the area’s homeless population. Side by side with volunteers of all backgrounds and faiths they helped serve the Sunday crowd of hungry men, women, and children. Greetings of “Assalamu-Alaykum” and “May God Bless You” were exchanged between Muslims and non-Muslims in a refreshing environment of unity. Volunteering events like this are an essential part of the battle against homelessness, but they can’t be where the action stops.
There really isn’t a point in presenting persisting issues like this without providing viable solutions. Food distributions for the homeless and those on the verge of homelessness should occur more frequently, and Friday prayer is the prime opportunity for that. Most mosques are filled to the brim following Friday prayer, worshippers are in an elevated space of spirituality and therefore in the spirit of giving. Programs like fundraising for a local women’s shelter, hygiene product distribution, and perhaps even networking events for the unemployed members of our communities could be implemented after every Friday prayer for long term help. Making programs like these common events encourages the normality of assisting those in need, rather than labeling them as the marginalized part of society that needs to be hidden. As awareness about this nation’s homeless epidemic increases, the Muslim community can step up and lead the way to eradicating the devastating effects of poverty.
