is it just "words...?"

Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.
~Mother Teresa

This news just in from Duluth, MN:

Duluth made history Monday night by becoming the first city in Minnesota to establish a Homeless Bill of Rights, the Duluth News Tribune reports.
Advocates began pushing for the measure following the deaths of 29 homeless people in Duluth in 2013. Members of Loaves and Fishes – the group that started the petition for the bill – gathered on the steps of Duluth City Hall on Christmas Eve to draw attention to the deaths and make a call for change.
The resolution to establish the bill Monday night was passed unanimously by the Duluth City Council. It directs the Duluth Human Rights Commission to examine homeless issues and recommend ways the city can respond to homeless people’s needs.
The petition for the bill called for a commission in order to end hunger, homelessness and poverty – but it also asked for more affordable housing, the end of discrimination against the homeless, and a public policy declaring that homelessness is not a crime, WDIO reports.
“What we want is a little human dignity,” a former homeless man living at the Loaves and Fishes house told the station.
Duluth City Councilor Sharla Gardner, who introduced the measure, said the passage of the Homeless Bill of Rights is “more than a symbolic statement,” and is a “call to action.”
Lee Stuart, the operator of the largest homeless shelter in Duluth, told the Duluth News Tribune that the bill is not a permanent solution, but a good start.
“Will this end homelessness? No,” Stuart told the paper. “But if it calls us to a deeper conversation about how we want to care for those who are most vulnerable among us, it’s good.”
Gardner says six vacancies need to be filled on the Duluth Human Rights Commission, and whoever is appointed will mostly focus on the Homeless Bill of Rights.
She says the appointees will include advocates for the homeless, as well as experts on affordable housing, WDIO says.

Here is my response to this website: 
"there are not enough jobs to go around...that pay a decent wage to be able to afford two rooms and a bed. The mentally ill are being released with no idea how to care for themselves and of course, a lack of jobs to keep them busy. The sex offenders are homeless because no one will rent them a place to live. and we wonder why there are homeless. They are routed out of every place they can go to to just stay out of our way...so what are they SUPPOSED to do? Wander around? Now they are considered vagrants and must be dealt with. OMG...I feel for them...their dignity has been lost....and they have nothing...nothing...not even hope. Will this "bill" make a difference or is it just politics as usual?"

Do you have a nice house, a job that pays a decent wage, food in your refrigerator? If so, good for you. But there are so many who do NOT. I look at the ads on TV about the poor starving children in (name the country). But right here in the Land O'Plenty, otherwise known as America, there are so many pockets of poverty. Social security just increased the monthly benefits to those who receive it by 1.5%. Then SNAP, (supplemental nutrition assistance program) who monitors food benefits, CUT the amount of food benefits by 1.5%. So, who just got lucky? It sure wasn't grandma who counts every last penny to make sure she can afford her rent, her prescriptions and her food.

If you want pace, you MUST work for justice! If you see travesty, work for good. How much longer can these disparities last?

You can use your voice and your vote to make a difference. If you see pain in the small corners of your world...don't wait for "someone else" to make that change...BE the change!

Amen!

 For those who are interested, here is a rundown of what this bill says: 
Looked for the text of the ACTUAL bill that was passed. Cannot find it (yet). Why NONE of the news sites (including BMTN) carry that information, I do not know. I have found the petition language, however, and... it does sound largely symbolic (except for saying people are allowed to be homeless?):

WHEREAS the Declaration of Independence holds these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness; and

WHEREAS the number of people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and within the City of Duluth is at an all-time high, with children and youth comprising nearly half (46% ) of the state’s homeless population*; and

WHEREAS the lack of affordable, accessible and supportive housing is the primary cause of homelessness, with forty-one percent of homeless adults on waiting lists for subsidized housing and an average wait time of one year*; and

WHEREAS poverty and homelessness negatively affect the welfare of individuals as well as the community at large by creating divisions among people, dimming prospects for our youth to achieve in school and in the workplace, and increasing demand for emergency food, housing, medical and law enforcement services; and

WHEREAS current responses to homelessness have been inadequate, leading to generational poverty, aggravated mental health problems and substance abuse, and increasing numbers of Duluthians forced to live in emergency shelter, on the street or in substandard conditions; and

WHEREAS the epidemic of homelessness in the United States is a modern phenomenon that can be successfully addressed through public policy, such as Veterans Administration outreach and housing efforts that have significantly reduced homelessness among military veterans nationwide**; and

WHEREAS the people of Duluth, Minnesota recognize that discrimination because of homelessness adversely affects the welfare of individuals and the functioning of democracy, and that housing for all should be a policy priority for our City;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED it is the public policy of the City of Duluth that it is not a crime to be homeless and that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself or herself and of his or her family, including food, clothing and housing; and

BE IT RESOLVED the City of Duluth establish by ordinance a Homeless Bill of Rights to secure for all persons freedom from discrimination in education, employment, public services, public accommodations, movement, worship, speech and participation in the democratic process regardless of housing status; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED the City of Duluth establish by ordinance a Commission to End Hunger, Homelessness and Poverty to secure the fundamental economic and social rights of all Duluthians.

*2012 Minnesota Homeless Study, Wilder Research
**US Department of Veterans Affairs