Updates
Apologies for how long it’s taken to get another post up and out. It’s been a busy time and sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what to say when we experience so much…humanity.
Last week was a week of hope. Organizationally, we were contacted by a couple of supporters we didn’t know we had. These are doers, builders, developers in the city who are wanting to connect with us about our work…they want to be a part of a solution. They want to hear our stories and amplify them. These meetings were a salve against the difficult discussions we sometimes enter into. We don’t know where all of this will lead, but it gave us all great hope that we are not alone and that solutions for our future are possible. Certainly, we will keep you posted as we know more and more details.
In the meantime, we are asking every church and other large space if they will let us in for a warming shelter…it is cold outside! we haven’t gotten any yesses yet, but we’ve gotten a couple of maybes. We continue to serve and are growing our days of offering. Starting last week, we added Saturday afternoon at Sunnyside Park and this week we will have another volunteer making lunches for us Friday afternoon. Come join us.
Our peeps are continuing their journeys. One friend who Sandy helped into rehab is nearing his 50th day of sobriety and is dedicated to this change. 4 more have settled into the Navigation Center shelter and are happy for the roof and support. Another is pursuing his Social Security benefits after years of having nothing on the street; another older vet is reaching out to support services looking for housing in a way he has not been able to in recent years; another friend is recovering at the new Blackburn center from a broken leg and we are setting up visits and bring them food; another is working on getting himself a bus ticket to Arizona where he would feel better off; many many more have trecked north to the Peace House where we are offering what showers we can.
We continue to love, feed, support, and be friends with our neighbors, even as the rain comes and the light changes. We will be doing our best on the ground, in our neighborhood, and for our city.
If you have any warm weather or camping gear you are looking to donate, please be in touch and I’ll happily come to you; until we have a place to bring folks inside, we are handing out gear to make outside a little less dire…