ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : A Helping Hand for the Homeless

Twice in recent weeks the public has responded dramatically to the plight of homeless families that seemed particularly undeserving of that unhappy fate.

In one instance, thousands of dollars and six months of free rent were donated to a family that turned over a wallet containing $2,400 to Buena Park police, and received not a penny in reward from the owner. Tom and Pauline Nichter and their 11-year-old son became a national symbol of honesty.

In the other case, public generosity was inspired by a 14-year-old girl who was determined to compete in the March 7 Los Angeles Marathon--despite the fact that she, her mother and her three younger sisters had been living mostly in a station wagon until just prior to the race. Jessica Wendrick’s family received furniture and cash to help furnish the modest, rent-subsidized apartment in Northridge that they finally can call home.

There was almost a sense of awe at people who acted not just admirably but heroically, given their dire circumstances.

But something troublesome lingers. It is the thought of all the other homeless families who are not being helped. Without the sharp light of publicity, these families continue to endure in circumstances that would daunt most people.

Meanwhile, too many of us stand by and watch because we feel overwhelmed with the problem of homelessness and don’t know what we can do to help.

Sending a contribution to the Nichters or to Jessica Wendrick’s family helps satisfy our urge to help. Better still would be for more people to volunteer with the many worthwhile organizations that serve homeless people directly, or to endorse low-income housing proposals or homeless shelters in their own neighborhoods--projects that too often are stopped by community opposition.

Still, the response to these two families was heartwarming. It showed the tremendous well of compassion that exists in society for people who are without the means to provide themselves with the basic food and shelter needed to survive.

The stories of the Nichters and Jessica Wendrick did something else, as well: They put faces and names on the nationwide crisis of homelessness.