25th annual Homeless Memorial Service & March

The 2009 Homeless Memorial March and Service is scheduled for Thursday, December 17. (Please note: this is the correct date.) The event honors those members of our community who died in 2009 while experiencing homelessness.

Last year’s service honored a record 131 homeless and formerly homeless people, as well as homeless advocates, who died in Minnesota in 2008. On any night in Minnesota, there are at least 1,000 people out on the street. The average life expectancy in America is 77 years. The life expectancy of a person who is homeless is 47 years.

Full event details

A large puppet has led the memorial march for many years. It is a striking, solemn, sad image as it proceeds through the downtown.

Allysen Hoberg of St. Stephen’ s shelter gives a brief  history of the puppet:

Several years ago, Catholic Charities, Salvation Army Harbor Light, Simpson Housing Services, Our Saviors Shelter, St. Stephen’s Shelter, numerous people from Shelter Providers Action Association, representatives from Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre and other art programs held a conference called “Out of the Shadows” which was specifically designed for people experiencing homelessness.

Hundreds of homeless people attended the event which was held at the parking lot for Secure Waiting and inside Harbor Light.  We created an art car, had break-out learning sessions, homeless people wrote and performed a play about the lottery with Theater of the Oppressed facilitators, and ended the day by listening to a funk band and eating BBQ.

The organizers of the event continued a conversation about changing the way people see homeless people, bringing them “Out of the Shadows” (the theme represented the fact that Currie Avenue is in the shadows of downtown, hidden by a parking ramp, and that so few people even know that each night several hundred homeless people sleep right behind the Target Center).  It translated to the idea that homeless people die often alone and estranged from their families, asleep outside under bridges, and that nighttime is an especially dangerous time for homeless people.  They have to remain hidden because it is illegal to sleep outside.

We wanted to create something solemn reflecting on the “out of the shadows” theme, that also spoke to the cold, the solstice (the day the memorial service sometimes falls on), and the deep sadness our community feels during the memorial walk.

Large paper mache puppets also represent a sort of solidarity movement, culturally connected to Minneapolis, the Heart of the Beast Theatre, etc.  Finally, the moon face on the puppet was given deeper meaning to me because many clients helped build and design it especially for the memorial service and John Luna who probably worked the hardest of any client on the puppet, passed away a few years later.  His last name (Luna) means moon.

- Allysen Hoberg
Shelter Manager, St Stephens Human Services

Hunger Solutions Minnesota launches the Minnesota Food Helpline

On June 1st of this year, Hunger Solutions Minnesota launched the Minnesota Food Helpline, a toll-free, statewide food resource information and referral call-in line.

Minnesota Food Helpline – is open 8:30-4:30, Monday through Friday. 1-888-711-1151. Multilingual phone assistance is available.

Callers can be screened for Food Support (formerly Food Stamps) eligibility and assisted with completing the application for Food Support.  The line can also assist callers in locating food resources in their own community whether it be a food shelf and or a hot meal site.

In addition, referrals can be made for other public food programs like WIC (Women, Infants and Children), MAC (Mothers and Children) and NAPS (Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors).

Hunger Solutions Minnesota reports this:
“Here’s why the Minnesota Food Helpline is so necessary in our community:

The Number of People in Need of Food Continues to Grow. Visits to food shelves in the nine-county Metro Area increased 42% year to date in February. On average, food shelves statewide report a 31% increase in usage.

Food Support/Food Stamp Benefits Can Help Feed Families. Food Support provides low income families at risk for hunger with more choices, less stigma, self sufficiency and more consumer power.

The state of Minnesota estimates that only 68% of those that are eligible for Food Support are participating in the program.

Approximately 80% of eligible seniors are not enrolled due to a variety of barriers and misconceptions about eligibility.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $5 in new Food Support benefits generates $9.20 in total community spending.

We want to be a resource to all Minnesotans at risk of experiencing hunger and the professionals that work with them.  No one in Minnesota should go hungry.  At the Minnesota Food Helpline, we work with callers to find both short and long-term solutions. “

Help needed in the summer too

We are fortunate to have so many supporters of Simpson on deck, ready to help ease the pains of homelessness in the people we serve.

Summer is a wonderful time to volunteer in our shelters. Contrary to the song, the living ain’t always easy, and you can make a world of difference to someone who is going through a transition in their life. Helping another person takes no season.

We are looking for volunteers to buy, prepare and serve dinner in the men’s shelter on August 14, 16 and 22. It’s a pretty great opportunity and volunteers always report that they get as much out of it as the people that they served.

Email Barbara at bglaser@simpsonhousing.org for details.

Details here.

Kids at Valleyfair today

The kids from the Family Housing program are at Valleyfair today for an Attendance Reward outing. Anyone who had 95% or above attendance is out having a ball, and there are a lot of them.

Our Education Support Advocates dedicate their work to making sure that the kids in the program succeed in school, beginning with making sure they get to school. Volunteer tutors help the kids maintain their grade level in reading and monthly workshops help parents become involved in their education.

Last month the summer barbeque gave everyone a chanceto gather for fun and games. Take a look at the slideshow. It’s pretty fun.

Simpson Housing donors see the power that one person can have

Clare visits Simpson Housing Services' Bell House

A post by Nancy and Clare Bossert

When Clare was younger, she accompanied me to work one Saturday morning.  As we exited the freeway, there was a man standing at the top of the off-ramp.  Clare saw him and asked why he was standing there and what his sign said.  I explained that sometimes people who do not have a job and/or a home would hold up a sign asking people who were driving by to help.

She then wanted to know why we didn’t stop. I am sure it is a dilemma that we have all struggled with at one time or another:  Do we have money in our purses or wallets to share?  Will it be used for drugs or alcohol?  Is it our right to judge?

Clare kept raising the issue in the days and weeks to come.  Coincidentally, there was an article in the newspaper in which several people who stood at highway off-ramps were interviewed.  Their stories of how they came to be there were fascinating, and it struck me that there but for the grace of God go many of us.  I was most impressed with the words of one man, who said that it was okay to not give him any money, but please don’t look away as if he was not there.

As a consequence of Clare’s ongoing interest and the newspaper article, we decided to make “Homeless Kits”.  We started with gallon zipper bags and into each one we put a bottle of water, a new pair of athletic socks, a granola bar, a small box of raisins, a toothbrush and toothpaste, travel size deodorant, lotion, shampoo, and hand sanitizer.

Then Clare got out her “sharing” bank (she has to divide any money she earns or receives into 3 banks – savings, sharing, and spending) and put $2 into each gallon bag.  We then put the kits in the car.

Our first opportunity to hand out a Homeless Kit came a couple of weeks later.  We were going home from visiting a friend in south Minneapolis and I deliberately chose a route that would take us past an area where I had previously seen people holding signs asking for help.  And sure enough, there was a man at the corner.

He had tan, weathered skin and snow white hair, mustache, and beard.  With Clare watching, I opened the window and as he came near, I handed him a bag.  He got a big smile on his face and said, “I don’t even know your names.”  I told him who we were and he told us his name was Bimbo.  He then said “God Bless You”, and we drove away with big smiles all around.  It was a very positive first interaction and Clare was thrilled.

In the last several years, we have since given out many Homeless Kits, all of which have been received gracefully.  We make one addition to the kit in the winter – a polar fleece scarf.

It goes to show that one person can make a difference in this world.  We believe that if just one person is helped by our Homeless Kits, then the effort is worthwhile.  We understand that not everyone is willing or able to make Homeless Kits.  And that is okay.

We simply would say that when you see a person holding a sign asking for help PLEASE DON”T LOOK AWAY.

- Nancy and Clare Bossert

Testifying at the capitol

Linda testified this week at the capitol. This is her powerful testimony:

Linda B., Representative Jeff Hayden and Simpson Housing Executive Director Julie Manworren

Thank you Madame Chair and Members. My name is Linda Buechner, and I would like to share my experience of working with the Family Roots Alliance, which is funded by the state’s long-term homeless supportive services fund. If it wasn’t for the services that Family Roots Alliance provides, my family and I wouldn’t be where we are today.

I grew up in St. Paul, MN, and now live in Minneapolis. I have 3 children—2 boys and a girl. Before I became involved with Family Roots Alliance, I had been homeless for 9 out of the past 13 years. I was able to get various apartments, but would lose them after about 3 weeks because I wouldn’t pay the next month’s rent. My kids were bounced from school to school, and didn’t have any stability. I was chemically dependent, with my drug of choice being crack cocaine. I was addicted for 10 years, and thought that because I never did drugs in front of my kids that they didn’t know about my addiction—turns out they knew the entire time. I had been in denial for a long time. I was more focused on partying than being a parent.

In December of 2005, I was arrested and spent a little over 3 months in jail. During this time, my boys were staying with my brother Ron, and my daughter was put in foster care. After my jail time, I went to chemical dependency treatment, and then stayed with a friend. I entered a halfway house, but then left early to stay with my sister. I lived with my sister for a short time, and then left to go to a shelter in Minneapolis—my sister’s lease was being jeopardized by my staying there. It took me a while to realize that the only way that I could get help was to reach out for help and work on myself. I didn’t want to “stoop so low,” as I thought then, to have to stay at a shelter, but I had no choice. I took one of my sons with me—the other son stayed with my relative, and my daughter was still in foster care.

Being homeless is scary. My son and I almost didn’t make it to the shelter by close one night, and almost had to spend the night outside. My son was 10 at the time, and was very afraid. It’s hard to put a child through that.

In January of 2007, I was referred to the Family Roots Alliance. They helped me to find an apartment in less than 2 weeks. My son that had been with me in shelter lived there right away, and my other son was able to come home by the end of that month. My daughter was still in foster care, and she was able to come home in June of 2007. The judge was amazed at everything I’d accomplished in less than 6 months—accomplishments that I couldn’t have done without the support of the Family Roots Alliance program. Making changes in your life is hard work. They supported me, but I was the one who had to change. The staff provide support for me and my kids—they don’t just put us in housing and forget about us. Travis, my educational support advocate, was able to help find a school that is a good fit for my kids. My advocates help out with bus fare for school, and with school supplies. My kids now have more one on one time with their teachers, and are learning to control their emotions. Family Roots Alliance also has a Teen Group, and put on different activities that my kids look forward to. They helped my family to be “adopted” so that we could get assistance with Christmas gifts.

Today, I have been sober for over 3 years. I can talk about it with my kids now, but it was a hard transition. My kids weren’t used to a “sober mom,” and had to get used to the adjustment. The advocates at Family Roots Alliance are helping me with my parenting skills, and with helping my kids learn responsibility. When I was using, I would give my kids whatever they wanted—I didn’t know how to manage my priorities and responsibilities, and therefore definitely didn’t have a way to teach my kids about responsibility. My family advocate, Lee, helped me to come up with a system to help me and my kids budget.

I want to get to the point where I can help homeless people that are in the situation I used to be in. I want to let folks know that it’s hard to be homeless, but help is out there—don’t be ashamed to ask. I look forward to opening the blinds every morning—I love my new life. When I was addicted and homeless, I didn’t realize my responsibilities—now, with the help of my advocates, I do. I don’t want my kids to make the same mistakes I did. There have been times in my life, even while in this program, that I was ready to give up—if it wasn’t for the Family Roots Alliance staff, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I always try to find a way to work out issues on my own first, but I know that my advocates are only a phone call away. My testimony today isn’t just for myself—it’s for everybody out there who needs a hand up. I hope that my story helps bring about the opportunity for others who were in my situation to turn their lives around, too.

Thank you for listening, and for this opportunity.

Linda Buechner.

Time magazine reports: nearly 1 in 10 children attending public school in Minneapolis is homeless.

In a March 12 article, Time magazine reported that nearly 1 in 10 children attending public school in Minneapolis is homeless. According to preliminary figures, districts are reporting nearly 16% more homeless students in the 2007-08 academic year than in the previous year. Read the full article.

Every school district in the United States has a liaison for homeless and highly mobile students, Elizabeth Hinz is the Minneapolis Public Schools liaison. The Minneapolis school district provides each child a new backpack full of grade appropriate school supplies (paid for by private donations and federal funding). An effort is made to make sure the backpacks aren’t the throw-away kind. “We don’t want backpacks that look like they came from a shelter,” says Hinz, as quoted in the article.

Last year, Simpson family housing programs served 622 children throughout the Twin Cities Metro area. Every school-aged child is assigned an Education Support Advocate (ESA) to help them succeed in school. On an lighter note, advocates report that they do not see a lot of the children in the program bearing the stigma of being homeless or highly mobile.

“I see parents protecting their children from knowing that they are homeless,” says Jean Lloyd, ESA. “Sometimes a child won’t want me to see them at school, but that is usually not the case. I remember one little girl proudly saying out loud ‘This is my advocate!’” Rachel Kuehl, ESA says. Read about a day in the life of a Simpson Education Support Advocate.

$1.5 billion is being distributed by HUD for homeless prevention and rapid rehousing

As part of the Economic Recovery Act, $1.5 billion is being distributed by HUD for homeless prevention and rapid rehousing. The city of St. Paul is scheduled to receive about $3.3 million and Minnesota Housing will receive over $10 million for the balance of state, which could include Ramsey County agencies as well.

The purpose of this fund is to identify people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and through the provision of short to intermediate term rental assistance (1 – 24 months) and appropriate support services, prevent or resolve the homelessness as rapidly as possible.

Community discussions
On Thursday, March 19th at 10:00 a.m. at the Union Gospel Mission, 435 East University Ave., there will be the second in a series of community discussions about the best use of this money.  All are welcome to attend.

More info

A Reflection on Planning Signing the Streets, an event to raise public awareness of the issue of homelessness

On Feb. 18th we will pick up our signs from the shelter, head to our assigned street corners, and spend a few hours in the cold asking cars passing by for help in ending homelessness. The signs we will be holding will have statements such as:

• Homelessness is not a choice.
• 9,300 Minnesotans are homeless on any given day.
• You can make a difference. Cost? 5 Minutes.  Ask me how  (need better wording)
• Every person has a right to safe and affordable housing.
• No one should be homeless. [We can do better.]
• Over 2000 people are turned away from shelter and sleep outside each night.
• 550-650 Minnesota youth are homeless without parents on any night.
• 45% of homeless Minnesotans are under 21 years old.

We aren’t asking for money. We are asking for change. We are asking for action. We are asking everyone to begin by taking five minutes to call their legislator and encourage them to protect the homeless this session at a time when help is needed the most.

Budgets may be cut this year, and the number of homeless will go up. But the shelters are already overflowing TODAY! Around 2,000 people are turned away from shelter in the state of Minnesota each night! No one should have to live in a shelter, sleeping on the floor in a room packed with strangers, or even worse, be turned away to camp outside in frigid temperatures. We can do better!

We want everyone to know that they have the power to make a huge difference. There is a statistic that many legislators agree with- one phone call has the influence of at least 10 constituents. Imagine 10 people calling…with the power of 100. Or 100 people calling…with the power of 1000.

This event started as an idea that came to a co-worker wondering about what we could do to raise awareness. Soon our newly formed Advocacy committee jumped at the chance of planning something quickly to create a stir at the beginning of the legislative session. There may be 50 people out holding signs, 75, 100, 200…we have no idea what the turnout will actually be, but in our minds any number is better then none. Even 3 people may hold signs read by hundreds. But it is up to those hundreds to use their voice to speak up for this great injustice.

Full event info

10 ways to help a person experiencing homelessness

1. Don’t look away. If you notice someone who appears to be in need of a smile, give them one. If you are unable or don’t want to give someone with a sign any money, give them a friendly look and a silent blessing. It’s that simple. I have also heard of people keeping granola bars in their glove compartment to hand out at intersections.

2. Cook and serve a meal at a shelter. You’re giving a lot more than just meat and potatoes. It’s about creating community for people who may feel disenfranchised and disconnected. Diners will enjoy and be thankful for your food, but most of all, they will remember that you took the time to care.  Read more.

3. Save the little bottles of toiletries from hotels and donate them to a shelter. It feels good to use your own shampoo or lotion, even when you have to share a shower. When you have to spend all day on your feet, it’s nice to be able to freshen up in a library restroom or park. Some people think that people experiencing homelessness don’t care about their appearance, but this is not what we see. Basic human pride is present at all economic levels.

4. Read to a child. Create art with them. Encourage them. Praise them. Love them. Challenge them. If you witness a child falling behind in school, investigate what you can do. Generational poverty is a huge factor contributing to the cycle of homelessness in families and education is one sure way of breaking it. You can even volunteer your time as a tutor.

5. Gather gloves, mittens, long underwear and scarves. The warmer the variety, the better. Donate these to a shelter or housing program or simply carry them around in your car and hand them out when you see someone who needs one.

6. Remember that homelessness doesn’t go away when the weather warms up. A need for blankets is replaced by a need for clean socks and t-shirts in the summer. Typically, volunteerism in the shelters goes down in the summer, so it is a great opportunity to get your feet wet. The Simpson Men’s Shelter is staffed every night of the year by volunteers (men and women). It was voted by City Pages as “The Best Way to Cleanse Your Soul.” Overnight volunteers make an incredible difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness and are quite often the highlight of someone’s day. Try it. You’ll like it.

7. Adopt a family at holiday time. Also, remember single adults when dispensing holiday cheer. Shelters take gifts of bus cards, gift cards, gloves, anything portable that you could imagine wanting.

8. Talk to people about the issue. Brainstorm ways to help out. Join forces in your church, school, community, or neighborhood. Alone you can make a big difference. Together we can make lasting change.

9. Don’t be discouraged by what could seem to be an enormous problem. Experts in the field believe that this problem is eventually fixable. Counties and cities have stepped up with definitive plans to end homelessness in 10 years.

10. Contact your legislator. Let them know that you feel strongly that now, more than ever when the need for these services is great, that we do not cut services to people experiencing homelessness. For more ideas of how to advocate and to find out your legislator, go to the Simpson advocacy page.