On Wednesday night, I saw him again — asleep on the bench at a Metra station. His folded arms formed a pillow. His vehicle — a bicycle — was parked beside him. Perched atop the bike was his suitcase, a cardboard box. His apparel never varies. A hooded navy sweatshirt fails to cover the tear spanning the seat of his sweat pants.

During the past month, I’ve spotted the blond stranger as well as a second man sleeping on benches outside of a Burlington Northern train station in upscale DuPage County. Rather than identifying the suburb, I prefer that readers wonder whether the homeless men are sleeping on benches in their town.

Scores of Suburban Life readers reside in DuPage County, the Land of Plenty. To find homeless people sleeping on benches across from enormous homes that have more restrooms than residents seems ironic. I wished that I could have directed the men to a shelter where they could spend the night. However, DuPage County has no permanent shelter for its homeless residents. They’re invisible. If a homeless person appears on a park bench, we call police to escort them out of our towns.  

By sending homeless people packing, we believe we’re protecting property values and keeping our neighborhoods safe. We, the darlings of DuPage, believe that by closing our eyes to the needy, they will disappear eventually. We grumble about garbage stickers and gas prices. Meanwhile, we fail to hear the cries of the marginalized who also inhabit our community.

The churches of DuPage operate the Public Action to Deliver Shelter, or PADS, program. However, its location changes nightly. And there is a weekly charge to rent a room at the YMCA, and the prospective tenant must produce proof of current employment.

Why can’t DuPage County, one of the richest counties in our state, operate a permanent shelter for its homeless residents? There are more than 100 counties in Illinois, and many, such as Cook County, seem to address the problem of homelessness better than we do in out backyard. Of course, there exist two tired arguments for opposing a permanent shelter in DuPage County. First is the funding issue. Then there is the NIMBY, not in my backyard, mindset.

However, a permanent shelter need not entail new construction. There are many large, unoccupied sites in DuPage industrial parks or office complexes. Perhaps a homeless shelter could be set up in an underutilized government building such as an old firehouse, school or police station. Local church groups could donate food, services and counseling to the permanent shelter. Every local governing body in DuPage should pitch in to contribute some resources to address the growing problem of homelessness during these increasingly tough economic times.

My wish is that one day, when I see a person asleep on a suburban park bench, I can direct him or her to a permanent shelter in DuPage County.