'Homeless czar' visit carries good news

When Philip Mangano took a Franciscan monk's suggestion that he volunteer at a Boston soup kitchen serving the homeless, neither of them ever imagined that the stint would turn into a lifelong mission. But 36 years later, Mangano still is trying to help the homeless, although now he's doing so on a nationwide basis.

He's executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a program launched in 1986 to coordinate efforts among federal, state, county and city officials. He rarely uses his official title, preferring to call himself "the homeless czar" as he perpetually tours the country, including a stop in the Twin Cities this week.

He is convinced that society is turning the corner on the homelessness problem, an accomplishment that he credits to a change in thinking.

"What the homeless need more than anything is a place to live, something we've lost sight of," he said.

Soup kitchens like the one he worked at are a vital part of dealing with homelessness, but they offer only a short-term fix to a limited part of the problem, he argued.

"We have to focus on solving homelessness instead of servicing the homeless people," he said. "I've read a lot of scripture -- my background is Christian, but I've also read Judaic, Islamic and Buddhist teachings -- and I can't find any reference in any of them to God wanting us to manage a social wrong. He wants us to bring an end to it."

Faith has played a major role in his career. He was studying to become a Franciscan monk when he realized that the vows of poverty, obedience and chastity weren't for him.

"I asked them if one out of three was good enough," he quipped.

He's not disparaging humanitarian programs.

"For years, the faith communities have been rolling up their sleeves and have been on the forefront of the response," he said. "But if humanitarian gestures alone could get the job done, homelessness would have been history a long time ago."

Many homeless people end up cycling through emergency rooms, court rooms, jails and shelters.

"I call this random ricocheting" he said. "They bounce from one program to another. These programs end up costing taxpayers $35,000 to $150,000 a year. Providing a homeless person with a room or efficiency apartment and a few services costs $13,000 to $25,000 a year. You don't have to be Warren Buffett to figure out which one is better."

For the first time in 20 years, estimates of homeless people dropped in 2006 (the 2007 figures are still being assembled but he expects a further decline).

"The number of people seeking shelter at night dropped 20,000 from 2005 to 2006," he said. On a national scale, "that might not seem like much, but keep in mind that the average homeless person has been living on the street or under bridges or in culverts for five years. That means that we ended 100,000 years of homelessness."

Get going Teenagers, it's time to get off the sofa and get busy. That's the message that will be delivered next weekend when the Do Hard Things Tour comes to Minneapolis.

The tour is the brainchild of twin teenagers Alex and Brett Harris, whose website (www.therebelution.com) is one of the most trafficked Christian teen Internet sites. Like their tour, the website encourages teens to "rebel against the low expectations of today's culture."

Next weekend's event, which is sponsored in part by Bethlehem Baptist Church, takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Tickets are $35. Too lazy to leave the sofa? The Harrises also have just published a book, "Do Hard Things" ($16.99). Too lazy to read? The book was accompanied by a simultaneous release on Random House Audio (also $16.99).

Ask the rabbi It's not exactly Dear Abby, but a series of informal weekly gatherings in which participants are invited to ask a rabbi questions is into its second month and going strong.

Technically known as the Supportive Torah Class, it meets once a week at Fishman's Kosher deli and bakery, 4100 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park. Times and dates vary to accommodate more people's schedules, but the price is always $1. The sessions are limited to an hour and 15 minutes and consist of a Q&A session followed by a brief Torah lesson that is led by a rotating list of rabbis.

Upcoming sessions include 7 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. June 18, noon June 25, 7 p.m. July 2 and noon July 9.

Jeff Strickler • 612-673-7392