People in poverty have a sense of scarcity. So, it makes sense for them to keep taking. It’s weird to think that helping can contribute to keeping someone sick. The way to minimize the damage from helping in the wrong direction is to be mindful of possible unintended consequences. We have to be more thought-out in all aspects of helping.

We have to ask ourselves: What are we “helping” the person to do more easily? Are we helping in a way that will contribute to getting someone off the streets or in a better condition? Or are we helping someone stay successfully homeless?

Grant Denton has overcome significant diversity. Childhood abuse and abandonment, drug addiction, and a life of crime, to emerge as a leading advocate for folks in need, especially the unhoused. Denton burned through jobs. He became addicted to drugs and was in and out of homelessness from 2007 to 2013. In 2013, Denton was arrested on burglary charges that could have sent him to prison for five to seven years. The judge gave him a choice: enter drug court and rehab or go to prison. On Dec. 28, 2014, Denton used illegal drugs for the last time. “That was It! I was done,” he says. Denton moved to Reno for a fresh start, working in sober living, a homeless shelter, for the Downtown Reno Business Improvement District, and in an addiction treatment center, where he formed a crew of community volunteers that led to the Karma Box Project.

It’s time for real stories to be told by the unsheltered and by those who can speak about and for them so we can debunk the myths  “for good”….

CLICK FOR PRESS RELEASE ►  Breakthrough Unsheltered Anthology Book Series Launched

Originally Published on https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/author/dennisjpitocco/

Dennis Pitocco Chief ReImaginator of 360° Nation

DENNIS is the Founder & Chief ReImaginator of 360° Nation, encompassing a wide range of multimedia enterprises, including BizCatalyst 360° —the award-winning global media digest; 360° Nation Studios —dedicated to reaching across the world in an effort to capture, produce, and deliver positive, uplifting messages via blockbuster global events, and; GoodWorks 360° —a pro-bono consulting foundation focused entirely on providing mission-critical advisory services to nonprofits worldwide. Collaborating with his Chief Inspiration Officer (and wife), Ali, everything they do is "for-good" vs. "for-profit".

Their mission over the past decade-plus has been to rediscover humanity at its best, influencing and showcasing it every step of the way. Together, they do their very best to figure out what the world is trying to be —then using all their resources to help it to be better every day in every way. They understand and embrace the notion that it’s not about me or you; it’s about caring for the people we serve and more responsibly stewarding the precious resources in our care. And they believe it’s about showing up, being present, and intentionally giving our invaluable gifts of time, talent, and treasure "for good". Dennis is a contributing author to the Best-Selling Books; Chaos to Clarity: Sacred Stories of Transformational Change, Journey Well, You Are More Than Enough, The Four-Fold Formula For All Things Wellness: True Stories of the Heart, Spirit, Mind, and Body.