Care for Syrians, but don’t forget the homeless right here

Darius Assemi’s Jan. 1 op-ed, “When you meet your maker, what will you say about Aleppo?” was great. He made excellent points on helping miserable war-zone refugees. I agree completely with all of his points, and I’d just like to bring attention to the fact that they also apply to the refugee population right here in our city – our homeless.

We may have become hardened to the plight of faraway refugees because we have learned to avert our eyes from the miserable ones in our own neighborhoods, calling them vagrants to demonize them and feel less guilty.

Even though the long-term solution is affordable housing, we can put emergency measures in place immediately, just as countries receiving refugees are doing their best to provide humane temporary conditions as they work toward more permanent solutions.

So, everyone who has a warm, dry place you call home, please do something for the Syrians, but also for our own miserable, homeless Fresnans. Become aware, use your voice to advocate for them, and keep in mind the goal is a safe place for each person, even if it is the protection, if not comfort, of a tent in a legal, supervised campground for now.

This story was originally published January 8, 2017 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Care for Syrians, but don’t forget the homeless right here."