Haunted

I won't be going back downtown for quite a while. At least two weeks. Maybe longer. Without the tourists, office workers, servers and bar tenders, retail counter people, salon stylists and nail techs heading to work, the streets are going to be empty.

What does this mean for the homeless? What will they do without all the foot traffic, without the strangers who are willing to share their change? Now, when hygiene is so important, where will they wash their hands and go to the bathroom? Starbucks has been very sympathetic to their plight, but now Starbucks is closed.

They're going to get sick. Some are going to die.

Some give loving care to the dogs and cats by their sides. Others are veterans. All of them are people.

Thinking about it breaks my heart.

I just made a contribution to The Night Ministry, a group that is providing street medicine to the homeless during this crisis. If you have anything to spare, I encourage you to find a resource in your own community.