Editorial: ‘The homeless’ are human

Sunday, July 23, 2006 | 7:43 a.m.

How many times have we heard mention of "the homeless"? Too many times to recount, certainly. And what image does the term portray? Fellow human beings needing our help? Or unshaven, dirty, smelly, badly dressed middle-aged men with rotten teeth grubbing for a handout?

Too often the latter image, reinforced by the way homeless people are treated, springs to mind.

In truth most of the homeless are just trying against odds to survive. Most keep as clean as they can under the circumstances and most are too shy or too proud to approach strangers with their hands out. Their numbers include women, veterans, senior citizens, small children and teenagers.

This should be kept in mind when Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman undertakes his frequent criticisms of "the homeless." His latest act, last week, was to lead the charge as the City Council passed an ordinance making it a crime to feed homeless people in city parks.

For more than six years the mayor has hounded the homeless and contributed to their image as the dregs of society. The park ordinance contributes to this image, as it explicitly sends the message that feeding the homeless is akin to feeding pigeons.

During his time in office, Goodman has presided over a city government that has consciously failed in its obligation to provide adequate services to people whose unfortunate circumstances landed them in the streets. It is the lack of coordinated public services that is contributing to the growing numbers of homeless people in certain city parks, where a few kind people have been trying to preserve their health by providing food and water.

The day after the City Council passed its heartless ordinance, the regional homeless committee led by Clark County Manager Thom Reilly released a survey focusing on one of the more troubling aspects of homelessness - the number of youths who fit that classification.

Up to 1,700 people under 20 years old are on the streets in the Las Vegas area, the survey conservatively estimated. Many of the youths are products of broken homes whose attendance at school was spotty and who lacked access to health care. Almost half of the youths surveyed said they had been through foster homes, where meals and a roof may be available but emotional needs are generally neglected.

Many youths reported they had been sexually, mentally or physically abused before taking to the streets.

For many of "the homeless," this is how their lives began. Other homeless people, including veterans, have experienced trauma or other mental conditions that left them unable to assume traditional lives.

Should we feel good about denying them a sandwich in the park? Or would we feel better if we publicly and privately supported an array of accessible services, including housing, meals, health care and employment counseling?

There but for the grace of God ...