Look me in the eye
One of the best things you can ever do for the homeless is to look them right in the eye when speaking to them. So many people are afraid to do this. They’re afraid if they make a connection, something will be required of them. It’s true the homeless do have some very huge problems, but they do not all expect you to solve every one of them. Like any of us, the homeless are just looking for someone to validate their existence, make them real for five minutes. It costs you nothing to do this, but the value you give to the individual is huge. When you look someone in the eye you are telling them:
1) You’re another human being just like me
2) I’m not scared of you
3) I’m interested in you
4) I really do care about you
5) We really all are in the lifeboat of planet Earth together
This is an excerpt from the free “Serving the Homeless in Motels” eBook, which you can find out more about here, or download right now: