The true needs of the needy.

People talk about the needs of the needy as if they need a patch to get them through today, but many need much more than what the state provides.
The state gives them enough money to squeak through the month. They still end up hungry, but not only for food and shelter. If they manage to get a job they have to be really careful not to make a penny too much, or they will lose all of their benefits. I once heard a man talk about his mother who worked for a fast food chain. He said she never worked so much as a minute of overtime because she was terrified that she would lose her benefits. She was stuck in a life where she was barely getting by with NO hope for improvement. Knowing you are stuck in life takes a toll on people. This country doesn’t need any more impersonal welfare programs. We need more Christians that are willing to sit down and talk to the needy on a personal level, so they can find out what their personal needs are. Do they have special needs that make them difficult to employ? There are some companies that specialize in employing people with special needs, we can help them get in contact with one of those companies, or if you have the means hire them yourself.
Do they live in fear of an abusive spouse, that has somehow avoided jail? Help them find a safe house. People are not made by cookie cutters. Each has their own special need, that if they could get past it they could live a more fulfilling life with the promise of a brighter future, filled with purpose, and meaning. The state can’t give them that, but if we were able and willing to spend more one on one time with people in need, instead of just throwing money at the problem we could make it better.