Would you like to add an emergency contact?

I give my clients a lot of information when they first become a member at Senior Support Services. At the end of me giving my spiel, I do my best to assure people that I'm always there if they have further questions. However, when clients come back to see me I end up being the one asking a good bit of questions. I update client information because it frequently changes. One of the questions I ask is, "Would you like to add an emergency contact?" If you were going to respond, then there'd probably be no hesitation. Most likely it would be the name of a family member or close friend. You may even reply by asking, "How many people can I add?"

Well, the reality for many of my clients is that they don't have an emergency contact to add. Most of them are homeless and do not have family that they're in contact with. Sometimes clients tell me that nobody cares about them or how their family wouldn't want to hear if something happened to them. Other clients give me a name, but don't know a person's number. I've even had someone say that I can put my name in the file as their emergency contact.

I guess my point is that we should hold closely the ones that we love. And yeah, you've probably heard that many times...but I still think it's important to reiterate. Put aside your disagreements and be there for one another. A huge part of this year is about building relationships. We are called to be in community with one another. As Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NRSV) states, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help." Nobody likes to feel as if they're completely on their own in the bad and yes, even in the good.

I have seen that being homeless is hard enough, but to not have anybody to turn to in an emergency is even harder. Because to me, being homeless is an emergency. To the people I work with, it's just their life. It is not something that I would want to happen to me, but I'm surrounded by it everyday. I consider it an emergency because basic needs are not being met, which then transfers into other areas of life that cannot be maintained. Education and psychology people...it's most definitely Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Just sayin'.

So next time you're thinking about donating money to an organization that helps people or you give money to someone on the street...don't let the action stop there. Ask if you can volunteer for that organization or smile at the person you just handed some money to. Better yet, talk to those you see on the street. Ask what their name is, how they are doing, and go from there. And if you see that person again, speak to them! Treat everyone as an important individual because guess what-they are

just as important as you! Relationships aren't built by dropping money in someone's hand as you quickly pass by. And yeah, talking to people takes time. So maybe that means you need to leave a few minutes early for work or wherever you're headed. Be in community with others. Find those who don't have a community and invite them to be a part of your own, which can be as simple as intentionally stopping to talk with them each day. Show people who hesitate when being asked to add an emergency contact that they have a community to turn to.

Alrighty, y'all. Enough ramblin' for one day. Peace out!