Walking past someone living outside, it's easy to forget that they are someone's brother or uncle, sister or parent. They didn't just appear out of nowhere. They have lived an entire life up to this point, and everyone has a story to tell.
Living Outside puts two stamped postcards and a pen in every care bag. Why? A stamped postcard is an invitation for someone to reflect on happy moments and share gratitude. "Who should I send this postcard to?" is a powerful question, especially for those who have fallen out of touch. Sometimes, holding a stamped postcard and a pen is enough of a catalyst to elicit a memory and bring about a smile or even tears of joy.
We’ve seen it firsthand– handing someone postcards all the way in Chicago, we got to watch a man’s face light up as he told us he was “so excited to get to reach out to his daughter in Alabama.” Being able to reach out to others is a luxury housed people have every day and don't often think about. We are shifting our perspective to view those living outside as people with meaningful connections who have family and friends who would love to hear from them.
And why do we include two postcards instead of one? First, we don’t want someone to have to choose just one person to reach out to. And second, we want to encourage sharing. Homeless people are often the recipients of generosity, and we want to give them a chance to exhibit it themselves and pay it forward to someone they can to help. We want people living outside to not only think about loved ones from their past, but also the people in their present who would appreciate dropping someone a line. So whether someone can't remember an address or simply doesn't need both cards, they get to experience generosity too. After all, a generous spirit is at the core of everything we do at Living Outside.
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