It is up to all Memphians to do what we can to help the homeless as well. Even the simplest of outreach, such as the blessings bags, might turn a life around.
Lynn Norment
Columnist
- Lynn Norment, a columnist for The Commercial Appeal, is a former editor for Ebony Magazine.
My heart is heavy when it comes to the homeless.
Considering the recent Artic weather here in Memphis and beyond, I feel for those who did not have shelter and heat. I realize there were opportunities for housing for many of the people living on the street. Yet, I also know that some of those unhoused people refused help. That likely was because they are mentally and emotionally ill. They don’t trust people and they don’t want to leave the familiar surroundings that have become their home.
My church, Beulah Baptist, is currently launching a program to help the homeless in Orange Mound, the historic community that was the first African American neighborhood in the country.
Over the years, many among the working- and middle-class residents and their well-cared for homes and neighborhood have fallen into despair. Yet, the proud and resilient residents of the area still care for each other and their community.