I grew up in a small “shotgun house” on Liberty Street in East Winston-Salem.  The block that I called home also provided a “home” for men that had no address of their own.  Homeless men peppered the corners that were less than 100 feet from my back porch.  We had very little in terms of money, food, and other “niceties” growing up in that tiny house on Liberty Street.  However, I had the rare opportunity to have two amazing people in my life that understood that wealth came in forms other than money and material possessions.   These two people were rich in love, humility, sacrifice, simplicity, courage, and gratitude.  My grandparents, Annie Irene Wharton and Franklin Gladden, exemplified these principles and demonstrated to me how to serve others.  I love them both for their many contributions and I strive to live a life centered on the values that my grandparents modeled daily with excellence.

Although we had few resources to care for ourselves, I can vividly recall days when I would come home to witness my grandmother feeding these “corner guys” in our kitchen.  My natural reaction was to question my grandmother’s judgment and compassion toward these men considered to be the least of us.   She would always respond by reminding me that we could easily be in the same circumstance that had fallen upon these unfortunate men.  My grandfather would chime in and echo that “all situations are temporary” and that each of us could simply be one choice away from being on the streets.  I had no way of realizing the powerful lesson that I was absorbing, but those acts of kindness and generosity with no expectation for anything in return sowed seeds of greatness into my spirit.  In that tiny house on Liberty Street, my grandparents helped me to understand the importance of human dignity in the world, and that all of us are entitled to basic resources – food, clothing, and shelter.

Most are surprised when I share that America has the highest rate of poverty amongst the world’s richest countries, 13% of Americans live in poverty, including one in five children.  Sadly, families with children comprise one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population today, 42% of homeless children are under the age of 6.  Around 2 million additional American children will fall victim to the foreclosure crisis over the next two years.  Who would have imagined anyone could be homeless in a country that boasts a $14 Trillion economy?

Unfortunately, many of us choose to ignore this growing epidemic in our country, or we mistakenly assume that chronic homelessness only affects those addicted to illegal substances and/or suffering from mental health illnesses.  Many of us have family and friends that have been homeless or close to living on the street, but we might not be aware of their testimony.  In fact, almost 60% of Americans will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75. 

The idea that chronic homelessness is isolated to the “big cities” could not be further from the truth and the data shows that large and small communities suffer from a growing homeless population.  In my local area of Forsyth County, well over 2,100 different people experienced homelessness in the last year and 1300 families with 2400 children were recorded as being homeless in the state of North Carolina during 2010.  There is no city or county anywhere in the United States where a worker making the minimum wage can afford a fair market rate one-bedroom apartment, and then consider the cost of rent and utilities for a typical two-bedroom apartment increased 41% from 2000 to 2009. 

In 2009, my grandfather and best friend past away, so I created the Wharton Gladden Foundation in honor of my grandparents.  The foundation has a strategic mission to help change communities across the world by providing existing non-profits with financial and technical support to enhance programs devoted to serving the homeless, domestic violence victims, and substance abuse patients.
 
Recently, the Wharton Gladden Foundation produced a documentary about three homeless people in Winston-Salem, and we have been screening the short film to create awareness of this insidious cancer eroding the social capital of American communities.  Our goal is to help others become more aware of the true causes of chronic homelessness and to encourage donations of time, talent, and treasure to the foundation’s special causes. 

I invite you to take four minutes and learn more about Joanna, Mary, and Romanlus…