You Decide: "Homeless Hotspots"

The world wide web is buzzing around the topic of "homeless hotspots", a resource and campaign that was strategically placed throughout the streets of downtown Austin for SXSW this past weekend. A “charitable experiment” called Homeless Hotspots was founded by BBH, a New York ad agency with the help of Front Steps, an Austin homeless shelter in order to satisfy the network hungry needs of attendees and in parallel, provide a job for the homeless. Residents from the shelter wore a shirt that stated, "Hi, my name is [Bobby], a 4G hotspot" with information below on how to join that particular hotspot.  It was a set your own price payment for customers with a recommended charge of $2 for every 15 minutes of use. All revenue went directly to the homeless person at that particular location.

Brilliant? Exploitative? All in the name of marketing? Serves purpose despite motives? We encourage you to read/watch the following resources and let us know what you think in the comments!

Homeless Hotspots: the best, worst, smartest, dumbest part of SXSW 

"But the marketing gimmick itself requires something else: recognition of another human being, one who is suffering. Whereas plenty of people seemed to think that was dehumanizing, it’s actually kind of the opposite: it’s literally humanizing. Thinking about and looking at the homeless is hard."

"The reality is that the homeless make us uncomfortable; so much so that it is simply easier to ignore them, to look away, or to cross to the other side of the street."

"But I don’t want to feel bad, or to think about their lives: I’d rather give them all of the money in my wallet than have a conversation with them because humanizing a person makes them hard to ignore, to walk away from. That is part of what I think is at the center of the outpouring of negative feelings about this marketing stunt."

The Damning Backstory Behind ‘Homeless Hotspots’ at SXSW 

"What BBH Labs did with Homeless Hotspots is a harmless and fun idea that provides a positive interaction between homeless people and the rest of you. Plus, our homeless friends made a few bucks. And even more important – they were given self-worth. Unless you were on the streets you have no idea how low ones self-esteem gets. The number one thing you can give another person is your attention and the Homeless Hotspot vendors at SXSW got lots of that. Every one I met was smiling ear to ear."

If you feel like reading one more, this article does a nice job - Homeless Hotspots: Controversy at 4G Speeds

Note: you may have seen the We Are Visible link in the article above. For those that have seen firsthand the needs of the homeless, a site such as this is a needed resource for the homeless. A future blog post will discuss the opportunities email, social media, and other internet resources provide for the homeless. 

So what do you think? Is this a move for the betterment of the homeless or rather exploitation of an already misconceived, degraded part of society? Let us know.

A "Chance" Meeting

LINK:A chance meeting to extend warm hand to a stranger before his death 

by Judy Knotts (Austin-American Statesman)

Friday evening I stopped for a light at the South Lamar Boulevard and U.S. 290, that mixing bowl of multilayered ramps that demands defensive driving skills and Zen-like calm, and rolled down my window to greet a man "flying a sign." "No money" I said, "Just visiting." He was surprisingly delighted with my friendliness and old-fashioned word, "visiting." I asked his name, "Freddie Arbuckle Jr." he answered with dignity and pride. I told him mine. Money didn't matter to Freddie, but other pressing matters did, he said "I am so lonely; I have no one to talk to." "Well you have me now," I said.

Freddie had done some day labor earlier and was heading home to his tent in the woods. Feeling unrushed, we talked; the traffic light must have been jammed or perhaps time was suspended just for us. I told him I was on my way to the Mobile Loaves & Fishes Commissary to go out on the food truck and asked if he was hungry, suggesting that perhaps we could swing by his spot. He said, "Thanks, I don't need any food."

Keeping my right hand on the steering wheel, I extended my left hand to Freddie. Unlike most handshakes, we didn't pull apart, but hung on to each other the entire time we talked, feeling very much at home, hand-in-hand.

As I looked down at my hand enclosed in his, I saw our diverse worlds collide and connect; the white skin of my ancestors contrasting with the darker tones of his heritage. His hand was nearly square, dirt-spattered, and hard with calluses from honest labor and homelessness. My slender hand with old lady liver spots and blue veins visible through the thin skin felt insubstantial in his grasp, yet we fit together perfectly it seemed to both of us.

After a while, the light turned green and I was on my way, but Freddie stayed in my thoughts. When I got home hours later, for no reason that I can fathom, I wrote down his name. That Sunday I did something unexpected, I read the death notices. It jumped out at me, "Freddie Arbuckle Jr., age 45 died, Friday night." I realized that I might have been the last person to talk to him.

Shocked, I tried to sort out what had happened to him and between us. I am conservative and a planner by nature. Bills are paid on time, oil changes and dental checks are on the calendar months ahead. I like being in control; however, sometimes I surprise myself by being impulsive. It's almost as if something takes over my senses temporarily and I act. This is what I believe happened when I rolled down my window and said, "No money, just visiting."

For most of my life, I attributed this kind of experience to spontaneity on my part often resulting in a serendipitous event, like all of the planets being aligned to produce an unforgettable moment in which I was the beneficiary.

I no longer believe in serendipity; too many astonishing moments like connecting with Freddie hours before he died make me believe that there is a plan and a divine planner. For me, there is just no other explanation, otherwise, why did two strangers come together, hold hands and share deepest feeling for a few moments on the side of a busy highway?

I believe in free will, but I don't believe that Freddie or I willed this incredible, intimate exchange. It happened miraculous outside our doing.

Blessed by this encounter, I wonder if I can stop trying to control life and lean more frequently into the mystery that is full of grace? I wonder if I can truly say "Yes" to what I call the Holy Spirit and not know where it will take me?

Freddie spoke bravely of the fundamental fear we all have of being alone and unloved. But by his vulnerability and outreach to another person, I believe Freddie died full of love, from God, the Divine Planner who is love itself, through me, to him, and back again in a circle you could almost touch.

Freddie died of a heroin overdose that night.

Judy Knotts is the former head of St. Gabriel's Catholic School in Austin and a friend of the homeless community.