Photo by keepwaddling1 Creative Commons
Q&A with Elijah Moses, founder of The People Who Care Project
It is estimated that on any given night, nearly 700,000 people are homeless in the United States. It often seems as though we, as a nation, have become comfortable with the idea that homelessness is an unfortunate yet unavoidable result of our economic structure. But, what would the world look like if that weren’t the case?
Such is the question undertaken by Elijah Moses, founder of the nonprofit organization The People Who Care Project. Moses began The People Who Care Project in 2008 to address homelessness at its cause. I recently sat down with him to discuss the organization’s mission to “create and sustain interdependent and connected agencies that serve the underserved and the poor,” as Moses states. We spoke about the inspiration for the organization, which operates three main programs—1) Love’s Kitchen, a soup kitchen run by the organization at a local homeless shelter, 2) the Thinker’s Party, a community dialogue series that brings people together to discuss social issues and 3) Wise Young Builders, an enrichment and mentoring program for young men that teaches math, science and carpentry skills.
What follows is an edited and condensed version of our conversation.
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Q: When did you start The People Who Care Project?
A: We got the paper work started in May 2008 and received tax exempt status in February 2009.
Q: What was the impetus for starting The People Who Care Project?
A: My first real interaction with someone who was homeless was at 18. A buddy and I were going to the movies and a homeless person asked us for money. We shooed him off, but he looked us in the eye and said “Thank You.” I thought that was weird. I told my buddy, “Let’s take him to get something to eat.” We did, and he told his story—how he was in Vietnam and was disabled; how he had flash backs; the government wouldn’t give him his pension and how he went back and forth between shelters and the streets.
There was a mix of sympathy, frustration and anger, and I started guiding my money toward the issue of homelessness over time. I realized, that [giving money] only goes so far. [It] became the mold to ask: How do you find the solution to this issue?
Q: Why did you feel the need to start a nonprofit and not join something else that was already established?
A: I had volunteered for a few other organizations [but realized that] you can’t change other people’s systems. People’s modalities are different [from my own.]
Q: What is your modality?
A: I have to use an idea that Gandhi implemented. Essentially, he left the ranks of higher society and created a village for poor people. His message was that you can be lame, but we are going to take care of you. You have a place called home. That becomes extremely important. In a lot of shelters, you have a limited number of days before you have to go, whether you have your stuff together or not. People go from shelter to shelter.
Q: What would be your ultimate creation?
A: An eco-village for poor people. It would have an agriculture section, a skilled training section, character building and math and science. People would participate in growing foods, taking classes and expand the village by building dormitories or cottages. Each person would help sustain one another.
The premise of going to work to get a check is a construct that is really just confined to operating within this economic framework. So, you can’t get a job because you’re uneducated—we can spend the next ten years trying to educate you hoping that you get a job, but essentially, you need something to eat, somewhere to stay and clothing. Those basic essentials can be provided through your own labor. That’s what a lot of social movements in the early 1900s were doing—getting people involved in self-help programs and working cooperatively to remedy their problems.
Q: Where do you see this being built?
A: That remains to be seen. Ideally, the Pennsylvania-New York State border, Maryland or a little further south.
Q: Are you looking to any contemporary eco-village models?
A: They exist more in Europe…it’s not normal that they create an eco-village for the poor.
Q: The eco-village is a long-term goal. Tell me about the main programs you run now. What is Love’s Kitchen?
A: Love’s Kitchen is a program where our board donates funds and we prepare food for a soup kitchen every other week. We try to prepare healthy, mainly vegetarian meals so people can try food that they wouldn’t normally get exposure to.
Q: Talk to me about the Thinker’s Party—how was that conceived?
A: You know how you get into a dialogue with people and you wish others were there? I had a friend that owned a store and I would go and sit and talk with him for like three hours. I began to seek a format where you could intentionally dialogue with people about issues and get other people to weigh in. I think people are thirsty for intellectual conversation and stimulation. A lot of people go to happy hours or parties, but where do you find someone who reflects your ideals? Where can you have a symposium…a dialogue?
Q: How does the Thinker’s Party tie back to organization’s mission?
A: We want to bring people’s attention to issues that exist and that we are working on. We try to use the Thinker’s Party as friend raising. We want people to come out, enjoy conversation, learn about some of the issues and think about what they can do now. It becomes incumbent upon the people who attend the events to contribute in their own way. We don’t suggest throwing money at the problem, but asking: How can I be a part of the solution?
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This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Read Part 2 where Moses discusses the Wise Young Builders program and why he thinks teaching carpentry skills to young kids will lay the foundation for an eco-village for the poor.
December 20th, 2011 → 8:57 pm
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