James Abro
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I am an author, writer and homeless rights activist. I am the author of An Odyssey in the Great American Safety Net, a personal memoir of homelessness and recovery; a writer on poverty for magazines and other outlets: and, most importantly for me, I participate in local homeless outreach groups in New Jersey.
What motivated me to become involved in this work was empathy. After experiencing homelessness myself in 2009 after caring for a terminally ill parent, I saw, and experienced, how the common, stigmatized version of homelessness is inaccurate and the policies to relieve it are, therefore, punitive rather than helpful. I also saw and experienced how woefully under-motivated and under-financed social services are to deal with people experiencing acute financial distress. My latest article for The Nation magazine on this issue can be found here.
My work has deepened my understanding and respect for humanity, both for those on the receiving and giving sides of homeless outreach. Many others have benefited, and continue to benefit, from my experience and understanding of homelessness through direct personal contact with me.
I have assisted many homeless persons to obtain housing, detox and rehab. I have been through all the services I recommend so there is an inherent and mutual trust and respect. It’s not easy, but it works.
Additionally, through my published writing, I am helping to change the narrative about poverty and homelessness in America from an intractable social problem to a moral, human and civil rights challenge that, like women’s rights, civil rights and LGBT rights, can be achieved. One of my newest articles, about asking homeless persons what they want instead of imposing solutions on them, was published by The Center for American Progress.
What do I want the world to know about the value of older workers? That there is no such thing as an ‘older’ worker. That’s a false cultural assumption people need to purge from their minds. When people do that, they will remove all the things — cultural conditioning, peer and family pressure — that are otherwise holding them back from being lifelong productive and fulfilled members of their communities.
(Read this profile of James Abro on fighting homelessness on the Jersey Shore.)