I’m advocating for a very metaphysical New Year’s Resolution for 2024. It relates to the way we perceive and react to homelessness.
At some point, most of us who live in downtown San Diego have gotten angry at a homeless person. Or been disgusted by their very existence, or public bodily excretions. And possibly, threatened by some combination of foul words and actions.
It’s human nature.
And then here comes a hero with a message.
No, sorry, not the mayor of San Diego. Or any local politician with their hands near the reins of power who fails to strive for meaningful change in the face of a systemic humanitarian crisis right here in the United States.
The local person recently branded a hero is a veterinarian.
On December 10, 2023, Dr. Kwane Stewart was voted as CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year. Beating out nine other worthy finalists, Stewart won CNN’s online vote for the pro bono work he does with Project Street Vet.
The win was immensely well-deserved. In 2022, I got to spend half a day with Stewart to write a story for The Sun about his efforts in treating pets of homeless people in downtown San Diego’s East Village.
I watched him casually saunter up to the perimeter of the Saint Teresa of Calcutta Villa housing project. Unannounced, he immediately became a Pied Piper of pets.
Stewart’s work administering to dogs and other furry creatures living with unsheltered owners earned him national recognition.
What’s captured less attention, but deserves an equal part of the spotlight, is his opinion of unhoused pet owners.
Project Street Vet operates under the motto of “no judgment, just help.”
Stewart admits he’s undergone an attitude adjustment since that first day he helped a man outside a 7-Eleven whose dog had a severe case of fleas.
“Society has some built-in judgment about the homeless,” he told me. “That they’re mentally unstable, lazy, made bad choices and put themselves in this position.”
Stewart has walked that mindset back and done a reversal.
“I’ve had extensive conversations with these people,” he says. “I found out you can’t know what landed them where they are. The judgments society places on them are unfair. Some were abused as kids. Others never had support systems. Many didn’t have the opportunities in life that I was given.”
That message popped up again in a post-Hero-win story that ran in The San Diego Union Tribune.
“The strongest message I send is no judgment,” Stewart repeated to the U-T. “When I’m out in the street, it’s not my place to judge them or write their story for them. I’m there to help, and I’m trying to spread that message because we have gotten away from looking out for each other.”
The last part of that sentence should resonate for all of us. It’s true. Sadly, we have gotten away from the basic humanity that includes looking after each other.
We, the public, harden our hearts toward the Third-World suffering that exists on the sidewalks we traverse every day.
The Sun publishes a regular profile series called Living In The City. More than 50 profile subjects have been asked lots of questions about urban life, including thoughts on homelessness. Downtown resident Carl Bosland recently nailed the prevailing sentiment when asked what’s the worst thing about living downtown:
“The scale of the broader homeless situation and the resulting numbness to it as we go about taking care of the things we need to do in our lives.”
That sums it up with honesty and clarity.
I place much of the responsibility for our current state of numbness squarely on the shoulders of city politicians. Those who claim homelessness is our number-one issue yet treat the problem like it’s the last item on a to-do list.
Listen again to how a bona fide Hero acts. “I’m there to help, and I’m trying to spread that message because we have gotten away from looking out for each other,” Stewart says.
Homeless people are not all fallen angels. Criminals, drug dealers and manipulators are mixed together on the streets with young, old and lost souls who can’t pull themselves out of the quicksand. Nobody’s wearing a name tag, though. Or a label.
A Hero recently reiterated to me that the problem doesn’t get solved by judging the people living in tents on sidewalks.
“The foundation of my work is rooted in helping others, yes, but as important, not looking at them as if they are less-than,” Stewart says. “That is where our motto was born. Seeing people as simply people–at a moment in their lives needing the grace of another person. It’s relatable because we have all been there.”
If you hadn’t already heard, Stewart’s CNN Hero award came with a cash prize of $100,000. When he stepped up to the podium for a victory speech he announced he would split the money with all the Hero nominees. Classy.
Within days, a fund at the San Diego Foundation granted Stewart $90,000, thus making his prize money whole again. Other donations have poured in, too.
If you view issues primarily through dollar-sign-shaped glasses, see that here, Karma rewarded selfless humanity.
Let’s pray that power brokers who hold purse strings can experience teachable moments. What if governments really expended the resources needed to fund sufficient short- and long-term housing (and services) for people who slip through the cracks?
Humanitarian benefits would follow, for sure. For the hardliners, know that having abundant affordable housing would also set the stage for credible enforcement of sidewalk camping bans.
We’re on the verge of a new year. Let’s resolve to act like heroes in personal, public and political arenas.
Let’s look out for each other. SDSun
