Understanding Poverty Seminar Features Author Rev. Beth Lindsay Templeton

(Roswell, GA) – HomeStretch, a Roswell-based non-profit dedicated to ending homelessness through comprehensive training, goal setting and financial counseling, hosted an interactive seminar to help area caregivers and volunteers reach a deeper understanding of the needs of the homeless. The event, held at Roswell Presbyterian Church, was conducted by Presbyterian Minister Beth Lindsay Templeton, founder and CEO of Our Eyes Were Opened.

Rev. Templeton began the program by asking assembled guests to compare the wants and needs of their growing up years with the desires of homeless families today. She said years ago, smaller homes with one bathroom were adequate and child care costs were not an issue as other family members helped out. Determining factors for poverty also differ today. Federal guidelines set poverty levels nationwide at $23,850 in annual income for a family of four regardless of geographic location.

She advised everyone to realize their own value. “I am one person. When lots of us do what we have the skills to do, then change happens,” Rev. Templeton said.

When homeless people are asked about their hopes and dreams they tell Rev. Templeton they have given up on most dreams, but the desire to work in a stable job and have a home of their own is chief among them. She suggests volunteers gain a better understanding of a homeless person’s perspective rather than respond from their own perspective, referring to it as “checking assumptions.”

“Mom can provide (expensive athletic) shoes so the children can blend in,” Rev. Templeton said. “I can do this for you. I can’t do these other things for you, but I can do this for you.”

She said poverty contributes to disease and health disparities for the poor. “We as a society allow unhealthy food to be cheaper than healthy food.”

Rev. Templeton was asked what she thought was the biggest issue facing the homeless. She gave an example of a woman who had lost everything when her company refused to file a worker’s compensation claim.

“I heard an economist say it’s structural. Individuals and families can do everything right, and sometimes it’s the bigger structures that hold them back,” she said.

About HomeStretch
Established in 1991, HomeStretch of Roswell, Georgia, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to giving homeless parents and children safe, comfortable surroundings in which to live while helping them address the root causes of homelessness to return to a life of self-reliance and independence. HomeStretch guides clients to reach goals of stable employment, stable housing, stable finances, and stable families by offering support services--including financial literacy classes, career enhancement, job readiness skills, transportation assistance, emotional support, as well as transitional and affordable housing. A comprehensive care plan is developed for each family and addresses goals, support plans, and financial counseling. For more information, or to donate time, money or resources please visit http://www.homestretch.org. Also visit HomeStretch on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homestretch.