So tonight while I admitted a patient today I felt sorry for him. He was clearly in need of a lot of medical help and assistance. Disheveled, very sick, while having a raging cellulitis & pneumonia. He was homeless and I decided to look into homeless rate statistics. I live in Tucson, AZ and according to the Hope and Glory Ministries in “2015, DES reported 2,957 homeless in Arizona, a 18% increase from 2014. Pima county accounting for 15% of the states total population, and 16% of the states homeless population.” 1762 homeless people on Jan/2016 per the Tucson/Pima Coalition to End Homelessness (TPCH) was recorded per their information gathering. Of this population 479 had mental illness, 460 with substance disorders, 90 with HIV/AIDS, and 333 victims of domestic abuse, 281 were veterans. Obviously this is not the most accurate information, as tracking every individual can be challenging but give a rough idea.

Look up the rates in your city! You may either be shocked or not at all. Next time, when you see somebody on the street, rather than judging what could have been the cause of their homeless state – just offer them good wishes, food, etc. Count your blessings, and reflect that even you think you have it bad, somebody else is going through something 10x harder.

Proverbs 14:31 “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”

-DR SARELA