Treating everyone with dignity.

What does it mean to treat people who are homeless with dignity?

For starters:

It means treating them like people; making eye contact, remembering their name, acknowledging their existence when you meet them on the street - nobody likes to feel invisible.

It means letting them make their own decisions about their situation.

It means not imposing unnecessary rules about where they can sit, stand or smoke.

It means leaving room for them to think and feel differently from you.

It means understanding that everyone has something to contribute. This means openly seeing value in their opinions, accepting their gifts, welcoming their company, recognising that they aren’t just worth serving, but that each and every one of them is worth knowing.

It means not requiring them to trade a sob story in order for their basic needs to be met. Their life story is theirs and theirs only to share as they please, when and if they feel safe to. Too often the poor are forced to convince people that they are deserving. Everyone deserves to have their most basic needs met.

It means not giving them your rubbish. While passing on a gently used coat is kind and generous, giving someone rags is dehumanizing. We can do better than better-than-nothing.

When it comes down to it, dignity means treating people how you want to be treated. Loving others as we love ourselves. When we treat our most vulnerable neighbours as we want to be treated we affirm that they are of value, they are our equals, and they are not alone.

At the end of the day, isn't that what we all want?