You're walking down
insert street name here in
insert city name here, and you come across a
homeless man. He's scruffy-looking, smells of sweat and pavement and appears anxious. He swallows his dignity like he does every day and asks you for money. Maybe you hand him some change. Maybe you ignore him. (Or maybe you're one of the rare few who chat with him for a moment.) Regardless of what you do, there's a good chance you probably don't know his name. You then continue on your way, and the man remains on the street, nameless and begging for money from the next passerby.
By Flickr user wonderferret
I don't give money to every homeless person I see. And when I do, I admit, I'm guilty of wanting to leave as quick as possible. But there's an initiative that is asking me, asking you, to pay a little bit more attention. Conceived in Venice, California five years ago,
Project Hello is a volunteer-run grassroots initiative that has distributed more than 5,000 "Hello My Name Is..." signs (like those stickers you usually wear at conferences or meetings) to people on the streets. Holding a sign with their own handwritten name, the individuals are then photographed to raise awareness about the plight of the homeless. Project Hello has had several photography exhibitions, filmed public service announcements and is in the process of securing funding for a book to be distributed to the public and prominent politicians. Impressively, the initiative has also already reached countries such as Colombia, Czech Republic and South Africa.
On first glance, Project Hello may appear somewhat naive. I used to work with those who called the alleys and sidewalks their home, and I can think of quite a few of my clients who would shun a project such as this. Some don't want to be recognized out of fear, because they are running from the law. Others are ashamed of their situation and would prefer to remain anonymous. Still others revel in solitude, and wouldn't want to feel invaded. But I can also say with conviction that a good number of my former clients would love this project. I've heard many say that acknowledgment of any kind from a stranger—a glance, a nod of the head, a few words—means more to them than anything. It's a matter of respect, which Project Hello attempts to reclaim for this marginalized population. An excerpt on their site from The Los Angeles Missions newsletter sums it up perfectly: "We can use the best, most effective methods available to help homeless men, women, and children experience real change in their lives. But unless we stop seeing them as a separate category of people called 'the homeless,' even our best efforts will be useless."
So, how can you get involved with Project Hello? You can donate money or printing materials, air a public service announcement, host an exhibition, or continue the project in your own neighborhood. Want to get to know some of the millions of people who live on the streets? Browse through Idealist's database for more than
1900 nonprofit organizations,
nearly 550 jobs and
more than 350 volunteer opportunities around the world dedicated to helping this population.
This entry is by Celeste, who recently blogged about refugees for Bloggers Unite.
