Finding the Courage to Care

Regarding the Home Forum article "The Courage to Meet Eddie," June 25: Many people share the same fear and sense of discomfort around the homeless that the author described, and we often forget that there is more to the problem of poverty than one can grasp from 30-second news clips. We have become accustomed to seeing the cardboard boxes and ragged clothes, passing the shivering bodies on the corner, and hearing the pleas of "Spare change?"

In short, we have failed to realize that beneath the stereotyped meaning of "homeless," there exist thousands of unique individuals who need as much compassion as the rest of us and who deserve the same respect. Once we become aware of this, we can begin in earnest to change the status quo and to accept the homeless into the shelter of our hearts. Andrew B. Kreider, Phoenixville, Pa.

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