Follow-Up to "Open Letter to Kevin Wolff"

While I have this semester break, I thought I'd take the time to follow-up on the last blog entry I wrote addressing mayoral candidate Kevin Wolff and his...allegations. I sent a copy of what I had written directly to the campaign of Kevin Wolff and was promptly told by him (or his staff) in so many words that "with age and understanding",  I would one day learn not to be judgmental and that if he becomes elected, he will implement a 2 year plan to get Chapel Hill's homeless of the streets by meeting with each and every individual to address their personal issues (in which he invited me to get involved). 

 So it was obvious he did not want or care about my vote by insulting me. That was fine. I didn't vote for him anyway. The issue that I have is this conditional statement: "IF I am elected mayor...". Why would we have to wait for Kevin Wolff to get into office before we address the issue of homelessness? Through HOPE (Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication), a committee of the UNC Campus Y in which I serve as co-chair, students are already tackling these issues. I know the personal issues of *Larry, *Joe, *Mark, *Alma, *Abigail, and countless others who are living on the streets and in the shelters. What needs to happen is a collective effort of this community to do more to help people out of the cycle of poverty and homelessness. There also needs to be more education about these issues, which is what HOPE strives to do through its programs and what I aim to do each day in my life. 

Let's be realistic. Homelessness cannot be wiped out in Chapel Hill within 2 years. It's going to take a long-term committment.  And it should start right now. It should not be based on whether or not you hold some coveted political seat. If you truly care about those living in shelters or on the streets, know that your connection to them will be for life as we, the members of HOPE, are connected to our homeless friends during their time at the shelter and long after they have reached their goals and obtained employment and housing. What has stopped those peole from returning to the streets versus those who are chronically homeless is the support system we give them as a community. And even if they stumble and fall, we are still right there to help them get back on track. I, personally, could think of nothing better than to ensure that every person in Chapel Hill has housing and is able to survive on a living wage. As far as Kevin Wolff's invitation: I'm still waiting. 

*Names have been changed to protect identities.