Particularly poignant in winter, homelessness is breathtakingly complex problem.
Homelessness has roots in - among other things - poverty, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, lack of affordable health care, declining public assistance, substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, natural disasters, and war.
Imagine having to choose between food and shelter. Imagine having to sleep in your car - or outside - in a snowstorm. With your child, or parent. Night after night. I cannot imagine myself in such circumstances...
You can help fight homelessness by dining at The Elephant Walk in Waltham where three percent of January 2010's sales are going to Mary's House, a family homeless shelter in Waltham. A Greater Boston non-profit committed to fighting homelessness will be announced on January 29, 2010 as The Elephant Walk's February beneficiary.
To quote the National Coalition for the Homeless: "Only a concerted effort to ensure jobs that pay a living wage, adequate support for those who cannot work, affordable housing, and access to health care will bring an end to homelessness."
