Community Commentary:

We all know that emergency shelters aren’t an endgame solution for the chronically homeless (“Council questions shelter,” Jan. 23). Many of us understand, however, the role they must play in the interim.

For years, the daunting question has been, “How do we move beyond the interim?” And in the meantime, the “interim” has become the status quo.

The question often proves so daunting as to discourage our engagement at all. But even though I’m without an answer, I still want to engage the question. I believe each of us should. Without our engagement, the question remains worse than unanswered; it goes unacknowledged.

And the thing about this question — too often it’s not just a question that goes unacknowledged, but a person. A person who sleeps on a bench through the din of foot traffic on San Fernando Road; someone who beds down each night in the stairwell of a parking garage; a woman searching through a Dumpster for breakfast in the alley behind your apartment.

The men and women sleeping on the streets of our cities are wrestling and often succumbing to the demons of addiction, of mental illness, of hunger and exposure, of social ostracism, of deteriorating health.

As a citizen living in relative comfort and privilege, I believe when others are weighed down with such burdens that I can hardly imagine, it’s on me to help where I’m able. And if I don’t know how, it’s on me to ask and engage.

I’m not going to suggest it’s not complicated. It is. Incredibly. I’m never sure what may be helping, what may be enabling, what may be harming. I’m not an expert, so I’m not going to suggest what you should do. I just want to offer a chance to engage the question.

I’m inviting you to lunch.

This Saturday at noon, Rudy Salinas, director of community outreach at PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) will facilitate a discussion on chronic homelessness. He’ll share insights into the challenges faced by the chronically homeless, address practical concerns like safety, basic do’s and don’ts for interaction, offer advice for engaging people in conversation, and suggest local referral resources. Bring your questions, bring your anecdotes, just be willing to engage.

The lunch will be hosted at Glendale Church of Christ, 2021 W. Glenoaks Blvd., in Glendale. You can RSVP to community@ glendalechurchofchrist.org or call the church office at (818) 843-3636. There is no charge.

Your engagement will look different from mine. But the strength of this strategy is that we engage together.

Whether you’re an individual, a family or an organization, you’re invited to be a part of this discussion. I hope you’ll join me for lunch on Saturday. It’s on me.

 BRICE TIDWELL is a Burbank resident.