Practical, Healthy Outcomes for Our Neighbors. . .

The following post comes from one of our Case Managers at the Cottages (CitySquare's "tiny homes" community):  

 

There is a neighbor at The Cottages who for the last several months, if not years, has been struggling with medication and mental health management. One day, I was trying to brainstorm ways to assist her with taking her medications so that she could get back to baseline, when I noticed that the majority of her psych medications had instructions on the bottle to “take at night.”

Because there are no staff on property at night, it made it difficult to help this neighbor with taking her medications at night.

During one of this neighbor’s phone visits with her psychiatrist, I asked her permission to sit on the phone call and speak with her doctor. She granted me permission and I asked the psychiatrist if this neighbor absolutely had to take certain medications at night or if there was a possibility she could take them in the morning. As it turns out, she can actually take all but one of the medications in the morning. 

After this conversation, I was connected with the neighbor’s Metrocare case manager who was able to provide me with a med minder. With the neighbor’s permission, we can assist her with organizing and managing her medications and can bring her the medications in the morning. And, if we are not able to, her home health aide can assist her in reminding her to take her medications.

After a month and a half of this, the neighbor has now ceased to sporadically cry; she has less and less episodes of anger and she is able to have a competent conversation about her own wellbeing.

We really are better together. We cannot do things alone. When we work together, we elevate the situations of our neighbors and even ourselves sometimes. Together, we rise!

THE FORCE

There is a "force" out there in our Opportunity Center courtyard. And, I confess, it always draws me toward it.

Very, very poor people, most without a home, a pillow or a bed, populate this wonderful space most days. Every morning we roll out the sacred coffee pot and serve cups of red hot encouragement.

There can be no glamorizing the poverty resident in the lives of these precious people. Poverty never deserves such a narcissistic response.

It isn't the poverty that draws me.

What pulls me toward the people, one at a time and in their small groups, is the heroic courage lived out day after day as each wages a battle to move on and up and out. Poverty remains a hard go.
The experts fill our courtyard every morning. Want to know poverty? Come here and ask folks about it.

When the air is chilly, as it was this morning, the magnetism feels strongest.

So, as usual, I find that I cannot possibly go to my office before sharing a cup with some friends. Several conversations ensued, all pleasant and full of smiles, as well as curiosity about each other. Watching these friends, talking to them, hearing their stories forces tears into my eyes and down my cheeks. . .every time.

As I prepared to leave, I stepped into a serious, intense conversation among four or five men who invited me to join their conversation. The focus of their hilarious conversation: March Madness and the Final Four!

Next year, if things go right, I get these guys to help me fill out my bracket with one change: everybody has a permanent place to live. I'll bring breakfast, and I know "the force" will be present to draw me in.

BELONGINGS

Possessions.

Properties.

Things.

Stuffs.

Effects.

Paraphernalia.

By about any name, people protect, accumulate, gather, pile, clutch, grasp, drop, trade, discard their "belongings."  

We all do it in our own ways, subject to the norms and necessities of status, class, opportunities and options.  

Rich people usually take great care to secure their stuff.  Most all of their effects rest in safe surroundings.   Banks, funds, accounts, cards, wallets and any number of other secure stations provide protection for my stuff, my belongings. With little thought of a concept like "privileged" or "entitled," the well off , like me, devise philosophies or ideologies to argue their right to protect what they have  worked so hard to earn.  

Belongings often define where it is that I belong.

Poor people often imitate the rich in their own ways.  Only difference is the secure places often end up being on their persons in all sorts of creative ways.  Like their better off brothers and sisters, the  poor don't mind displaying their good fortune from time to time.  They also turn out to be willing to share, even from their meager holdings, just like the wealthy often share freely when given the facts and some measure of security.  


Belongings often define where it is the poor belong.

Just this morning I observed a dozen very poor people displaying, bragging, sharing, withholding, enjoying, organizing, stacking, dropping their belongings.

Belongings, as  in "belongs to me."  I've got something that I'm trying to manage. . . even though its not much.  It is an important part of who I am.  Body language and attitude declares that this collection of my effects belongs to me.

Later in the day we hosted volunteers from Texas Instruments, people with much more in the way of material belongings.  They brought lots of stuff to share.  Belongings changed hands.  Lives connected.  Stories exchanged, people connected.

All of us have belongings.

All of us seek to belong.  

As different as we appear, we all remain the same, pursuing belonging and packing our belongings.  

While I get all of this, more and more often these days I catch myself wishing for more courage to surrender my stuff, my belongings for the sake of a total redefinition of where people actually find belonging.  

There has to be more.  

I suspect I'll find this "more" in belonging with my friends who know poverty like a well-worn blanket carried about from place to place in search of what I need to learn to give up.  

Respect

Not sure why I'm always surprised.  Maybe "reminded" is the better word.

But every time I have the opportunity to interact with my extremely "poor" neighbors I come away realizing that what is needed most in our relationships is respect--respect that bumps hard up against the kindness of genuine friendship.

It happened again just yesterday.

The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas showed up with maybe a hundred volunteers to serve a "North Texas Giving Day" dinner.  The music blared.  Folks were dancing!  The event chased hunger away for a few hours, as men, women and little ones filled up on a hot meal at the end of a chilly day.  It looked like over 200 passed through the service line.

I decided to walk the line and simply welcome as many individuals as possible.  By the time I had greeted 10 guests, it hit me again:  people need respect, people need to be seen and acknowledged, people need to be the single focus of attention routinely.

As I shook hands, making my way down the line, smiles lit up.  People re-positioned themselves so as not to miss my greeting and handshake.  It was all very natural.  Just an expression to guests that I was glad they came by and their various expressions of gratitude and a bit of surprise that anyone would care or should be grateful for their presence.

Many asked about our housing programs.  [Get ready Bldg. 100--folks will be showing up today to get their names on the priority list!]

But mainly, we all enjoyed a few moments face-to-face with one another.

Respect carried the day.

Poorest neighbors must not be ignored any longer. . .

Funds to help Dallas' homeless could be in short supply after police shooting

By Tasha Tsiaperas

Follow @ttsiaperas ttsiaperas@dallasnews.com

The Dallas Morning News

Published: 26 July 2016 05:26 PM

Updated: 26 July 2016 05:39 PM

The Dallas Commission on Homelessness is preparing for a budget fight when the group presents a proposal next week to solve the city's homeless problem.

The group expects to face tough competition for limited funds as city leaders finalize next year's budget.

The commission, formed in May by Mayor Mike Rawlings, was tasked with finding housing solutions for the estimated 3,900 homeless people in Dallas.

But after a gunman killed five Dallas police officers, including a DART officer, downtown earlier this month, commission members said police are likely to be a priority to the City Council.

Continue reading. . .

This just in. . .

[Krystal Lotspeich, Director of Housing & Homeless Services at CitySquare, sent me the following report on recent housing progress for some of our wonderful neighbors.]

I'm so excited! We moved another 4 neighbor's into housing this week. In the last 2 weeks we have placed 10 neighbor's into housing at Tierra Linda Apartments through our HCC grant and with all the hard work from our Homeless Outreach team! This is crazy awesome.  

One neighbor was in tears while signing her lease and thankful she will get to sleep inside with her dog in her own apartment. She couldn't believe it was actually happening. She said now she'll be able to sleep through the night and not have to worry about being beat up or harassed. Days like that make everything worth it! 

Thank you Edd [Eason] for making all this happen and all your hard work to secure the funding for this new HCC program. Without the HCC funding these 10 neighbor's would still be sleeping outside on the streets. 

Krystal Lotspeich
Director of Housing & Homeless Services
Neighbor Support Services

CitySquare 
1610 S. Malcolm X Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75226
P: 469.904.7033
klotspeich@CitySquare.org
www.CitySquare.org

Lyrical Liberation

Humanizing persons is the first step in discovery of what we all share in common. People who have no homes are still human beings worthy of respect. There is no surprise here, not really.

People are amazing.

Stream of consciousness, random thoughts on deep poverty

Dallas' "Tent City" mushroomed over night because of two things:  trash dumpsters and port-o-potties.  Homeless people spend their days looking for food, a place to rest/sit, restroom facilities and a bed.  When the city provided a place to manage biological realities and a place to throw away trash, it didn't create new homeless persons.  It simply provided the solution to one major problem and it provided for trash management at the encampment that grew up nearby.  Tent City reminds me that homeless persons are just that, persons.  Persons who, like me, need a restroom every day, several times.  Remove that basic need and I'll camp out near the solution. 

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Landlords and property owners contribute to the problems facing homeless persons because they routinely discriminate on the basis of "payer source," that is from what source a person pays the rent.  Housing dollars go unspent monthly--I estimate between 25-30% of what the local Continuum of Care has to spend on housing the homeless because those in charge of the housing units won't rent to our homeless neighbors with whom we work. Closing this gap would provide housing if not for all, for almost all who live in Tent City.  Something to think about:  is this a civil rights issue?  

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Dallas definitely needs to include funding for permanent supportive housing development in the upcoming 2017 bond issue.  And that provision needs to be to the tune of $100 million. 

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Homerless shelters need to become extremely aggressive "triage" centers with established goals to move people into permanent housing in no longer than 30 days.  This system change would turn 100 shelter beds into 1,200 over a year.  Prerequisite:  ample supply of permanent supportive housing that employs a Housing First strategy.

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Apparently, the Texas Rangers Baseball club no longer advertises for payday lenders!  No signs on the outfield walls or anywhere else in the building.  Progress!

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Downtown Dallas, Inc. could really help the homeless presence in the CBD by reinstating homeless outreach workers as a part of the strategy to care for the very poor and the very rich investors.  Just sayin'.

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The more I am around Dallas City Council member Casey Thomas, the more I like him.

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Living without a home is a genuine trauma crisis.

 

Enough.

 

Lain de Jong on homeless solutions. . .

a bare necessity

You may not think of it very often, if at all--that is, unless you are the "needy" one!

The fact is, Dallas has a dearth of public restroom facilities.  This is especially the case in the downtown business district. 

Meditate with me for just a moment, okay? 

Relax for a moment and close your eyes.

Well, er, I guess the "close your eyes" idea won't work unless you read the entire post and then close your eyes. 

But you get my point:  spend a moment to remember a time when you really needed a restroom, but couldn't find one. 

How did that work for you?

Likely, you found what you needed in a store or an office building or a hotel.  Likely, that was because you either were a customer or you looked like one. 

For our homeless friends life doesn't work that way most of the time.

One of the reasons why so many homeless persons have criminal records for "public indecency" is because they are caught relieving themselves without the benefit of an accessible restroom. 

Last Thursday I met an elderly gentleman. 

His hair was snow white. 

His skin was tanned. 

His legs, extending from walking shorts, evidenced symptoms of diabetes.

He was very quiet and reserved. 

I moved on after a few moments. 

Later I spotted him beside the old house on the corner with his back to the street. 

He urinated into the grass for a long time. 

He had to go.  Just like me. 

Humans are funny like that. 

Difference is he has no money or power, while I have plenty of both.

We need downtown public restrooms, and we need them badly.

Tiny Houses

Here's an interesting report on "tiny houses."  Looks like the project we call The Cottages at Hickory Crossing will be a leading model of the notion and the solution!

Check it out here.

Here are some images of our Cottages project with groundbreaking on April 17 at 11:00 a.m.

Eternal Lamp

The constant sun breaks through familiar shade trees,
My canopy bed of leaves, branches and damp heat
Cannot block the rising of this eternal lamp.

Once on the rise, the heat yields to nothing, to no one
In the task of warming the ground and radiating concrete,
My home in this unforgiving city.

My daily trek begins today, early before many rustle,
As always, somehow seeking food, water and a hassle-free day
Building against hunger, thirst and law enforcement.

The brilliant sun has not been informed of my
Criminal life and status in this city of great muchness,
Shining down on us all, even on me, one rejected.

Living in such blinding light, yet I remain unnoticed by most,
As if I am not here; But the salty sweat on my face
Reassures me that I am present indeed.

No matter how hot, this light, my friend,
The One with hot fierceness refusing not to
Turn its unfailing light on ME!

Funding homeless people?

A friend of mine sent me the video that follows.  

Watch the video, read the commentary and then check in below for my reactions.

To give money to the homeless or to not give money to the homeless? It's an age-old quandary that an Oregon nonprofit may have solved.

Sanctity of Hope, a Portland organization, has invented a new currency for homeless people. Donors buy tokens from the nonprofit, dole them out to people living on the streets and they can then be exchanged at stores for food and other goods they might need, according to KATU.

This innovative system allows do-gooders the opportunity to give to the homeless, without worrying how they will spend the cash, and it also pushes panhandlers to spend their money wisely.

It's a model that would let donors breathe easy, especially considering stories we've seen lately about some less-than-honest panhandlers.

The people of Lexington, Ky., for example, were horrified last month when they learned that Gary Thompson, a beggar who had been getting around in a wheelchair and speaking with a slurred speech, was neither homeless, nor disabled, LEX18 reported. The story became even more disturbing when Thompson revealed to reporters that he earns about $100,000 a year.

Sanctity of Hope's token system could potentially reduce such scams.

We choose to donate money based on the level of perceived need, Derek Thompson wrote in the Atlantic in 2011. Beggars known this, so there is an incentive on their part to exaggerate their need, by either lying about their circumstances or letting their appearance visibly deteriorate rather than seek help.

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So, short of a "token" system like this one in Portland, what is one to do when a person on the street asks for money?  (BTW--I don't think many Dallas merchants would want to entertain more of the homeless in their places of business.  I hope I am wrong, but my experience tells me that I'm probably not.)

Here are my random observations:

1)  The question is really hard to answer in just one way.  Not every homeless person is the same, nor are their circumstances.  And, it takes time to learn, to discover the reality the person asking for help is facing.  

2)  If I have a relationship with a person, if I know the person, if we have some "history," I am more inclined to help out.  Or, for the same reasons, I may be less inclined.  The person I know, like Penny for example, may be really needing a few bucks for food, a bus pass or toiletries.  If so, I'll help out.  But, for a guy like Buck, I know he's headed for another night of drunken stupor.  Why invest in that?  Who does that help?  But in either case I have some basis for deciding what's best.  That all takes time.

3) I often surprise homeless persons by initiating the conversation myself.  To approach a homeless person and begin a conversation changes the dynamics of the entire interchange.  It's as if the surprise factor drives all of "the game" out of the encounter.  Honesty can pave the way for some really helpful decisions and discussions. 

4)  Honestly, sometimes my emotions dictate my decision.  That's probably not a good thing, but it is true and real.  The fact is I often don't know what to do.  

5) Above all, I try to pay attention to my heart and to how these encounters affect my inner life.  I find it hard spiritually to turn away from another person.  That means I need to do something with every request.  The worst thing for me is to ignore the person who asks.  I've done it, but it never feels right.  So in almost every case, I have to give the person who asks me my attention, as well as my honest answer.  

What are your ideas?

Hardest of the Hard!

Last week, as usual on Thursday afternoon,  I sat out in the cold on "the corner" with water, hot coffee and cookies to share with whomever decided to wander by.  The wind blew steadily, making the damp, cold day more miserable than most.

It was a very "slow day" as compared to most of my times out there.

"Slow" is usually good.  I've noticed that when the numbers are slim, the conversations go deeper.

One gentleman came by and blustered at me in the cold, "I'm the hardest of the hard, when it comes to being homeless and out here!"  

"Well, I expect that's right," I replied as we shared a cup of coffee.  "You gotta be tough out here, I can see that!"

"Yep, that's me," he went on, shaking his head between sips of the steaming coffee.

"Yeah, I know you're tough. . .but on the outside only," I went on.  "I bet you're not hard on the inside where it really counts."

He looked directly into my eyes.

A smile slowly broke across his face.

"What would you say if I offered you a small house where you could live?  Do you think you could handle that and help us build a new neighborhood?  Are you tough enough for that?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well,we're building 50 small cottages just down the street.  Each will have a bedroom, a bath, a kitchen and a nice living space with a large front porch.  We're going to 'screen folks in' to these houses, rather than screening them out." I explained.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Well, to live in one of the houses a person has to be chronically homeless, disabled and with some sort of criminal background," I explained.

The fellow drew closer to my face.

"That's me right there!" he exclaimed.  "I'm homeless for years, disabled and been in prison four times."  

"You see, it's that soft part of you inside that I need to make this new community work," I returned to our earlier conversation.  "If residents don't own it, buy into the mission, it won't work.  We need your help," I explained.

"You got a card," he asked.

"Sure do," I said, as I dug through my jacket pockets.  "Let's just stay in touch about the house."

"We will," he promised as he turned to catch the bus.

The hard outside can be managed as an asset, so long as the inside of a man is still soft.  I could read that essential softness in this new friend's eyes.

The street crushes people.

The streets elevate sadness to amazing levels.

The streets of a city offer up a taste of hell.

Today, I sat on the corner in the howling wind.  The wind chill had to be in the 30s.

We drank coffee, ate cookies and talked about life.

I heard some unforgettable things.

"Man, I've picked up 'bout 4 pounds of cans in less than an hour.  I've got to get back to mama. Can I take her some of this coffee and some cookies?  She is crippled and has a hard time gettin' 'round."

"The wind's blowin' and it's so cold." 

"Pray for my brother, George.  He has two more years to do in the TDC" (Texas Department of Corrections).  "Pray for him that he'll be able to handle his trials and temptations and come out okay." 

"Where's the trash?" more than one homeless person asked as they tried to find a place to dispose of cups, cream containers, etc.

"People in those big buildings are under the pressure of billions of dollars.  We're under the pressure, no less difficult, of zero billions!" a wise man said with a laugh.

"How cold is it gonna get tonight?

Several times as folks walked away with hot coffee in hand, "Have a Merry Christmas!"

An old woman with a European accent, "May I have that box?  Do you have coffee for me?"

"I can make it fine so long as its only in the 30s or 40s, after that I have to go to a shelter."

"Things happened that put people out here; we weren't born out here. But once you're out here for a while, things change inside you and things change back there and it's hard to get back; and if you get back, so much has changed that you feel lost and you can't make it." 

A very young man carrying a large, black trash bag asked me, "Do you know where a person could buy a tent?"  

I'm not sure why, but I left the corner filled with sadness today.  Such good people, enjoyable souls, people I love to "hang with," out in the cold trying, as one man said, "to just make it from day to day."

As I left, I waved back to my friend, "Blue."  He returned my wave.  I hope to see him next week.