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that no help is likely to be accepted, but this does not mean that we should turn
our backs on all the difficult cases. Lives that have been torn apart can be
mended, people who have been isolated can reconnect, hope can be
rediscovered within those surrounded by darkness, and the deepest wounds can
be healed by compassion and love. As seen through the examples described in
this paper, people can be uplifted despite tragic life experiences. In closing,
consider the words of Keith Wasserman, Managing Director of Good Works. His
commentary offers some clues about transcending the community-
fragmentation dialectic.
Helping homeless people who have been hurt and abused is impossible
outside the context of community. It is in the formation of community that
we can bear one another’s burdens, share vital information, and hand off
to one another the most difficult people who need our assistance and love
while we obtain a time of refreshment. It is in community that we help one
another to heal the emotional pain experienced by our homeless
neighbors. It is in community that we can do the most loving things toward
those who need the most help. It is in community that we can model
dignity and responsibility. It is in the context of community that we learn to
prevent burn out. What we are suggesting ultimately is that we must
intentionally join hands and deliberately attach ourselves to others and
organize in a way to maximize our energy so we can all move forward
together. (Personal Interview, 2001, p. 405)
Convention