COMBATING STIGMA

Karing Kitchen: Melissa King holding sleepout Friday to raise awareness about homelessness

ONEIDA, N.Y. >> Sometimes, the best way to break down stigma is by being bold enough to begin a conversation.

That is the logic behind Karing Kitchen coordinator Melissa King’s annual homeless awareness sleep out.

King will pitch her tent at the First United Methodist Church on Friday, March 24, and plans to spend the night, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. King says that besides the tent, everything she will have with her can fit inside a backpack. She plans on bringing a couple bottles of water, a cell phone, reading materials, and blankets - not a sleeping bag - because the homeless don’t have sleeping bags that can withstand sub-zero temperatures.

“The main thing is to get people talking about homelessness,” King said.

In addition to camping out in front of the First United Methodist, King and Karing Kitchen invite businesses and other interested parties to join in the event in one of two ways. People can either bring tents and backpacks of their own on Friday, or they can lower the heat in their home for the day - 55 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended - as a sign of solidarity with the homeless.

Throughout her evening, King intends to provide social media updates as to what she experiences in her night of

homelessness.

The plight of the homeless is surrounded by stigma. There are some people in the county who are unaware that there are even homeless to begin with, King said, and those who have experienced homelessness are not eager to share their stories, even afraid to admit their status to family and friends.

“They are too ashamed to discuss their homelessness with anybody,” King said, reiterating her intent to encourage conversations about the homeless in Madison County with a “very physical, visible thing.”

“By being able to have that conversation, they’re not out on the street,” King said of the homeless and their families who muster the courage to begin the difficult conversation.

King admitted that homelessness in Madison County differs drastically from the stereotypical perception of the homeless in larger cities, where the word homeless evokes images of people housed in shelters or camped out in side streets.

“We don’t have any shelters. People shouldn’t have to leave our community to get assistance. My ideal would be to eventually get a Madison County shelter,” King said. “A lot of people couch surf.”

King says that in her experience, the homeless “feel like its their fault,” an idea she rejects.

“For the majority of homeless, it’s not [their fault.]”

When people are already living paycheck to paycheck and their hours are cut, it can put them behind on rent payments. Then, King explained, the issue becomes compounded when the tenants fail to communicate with landlords.

“They are afraid to talk to their landlord,” King said. “There is roomto work with the landlord.”

As to what type of what type of weather she is anticipating on Friday, according the National Weather Service in Binghamton, the City of Oneida Friday night forecast includes a chance of snow and a low near 38.

“I’d rather have snow than rain,” King said. “Rain chills you to the bone,”

For those interested in joining the Karing Kitchen during the Homeless Awareness Sleepout contact King through the organization’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KaringKitchen-155376017886095/ or call 315-363-2450.

DISPATCH STAFF PHOTOS Local residents set up camp to raise awareness about homelessness during a sleepout in February 2012in Oneida, N.Y.

Local residents set up camp to raise awareness about homelessness during a sleepout in February 2012in Oneida, N.Y.

DISPATCH STAFF PHOTO Local residents set up camp to raise awareness about homelessness during a sleepout in February 2012in Oneida, N.Y.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KARING KITCHEN Karing Kitchen coordinator Melissa King and volunteer Alex James set up a tent for a sleepout to help raise awareness about homelessness on March 18, 2016, in Oneida, N.Y.