Voice Lessons: advocating for people experiencing homelessness

Yesterday afternoon, Mike Davey from the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless spoke at Voice Lessons, a Simpson Housing Services event that brought people together to learn skills to speak to their legislators. The talk was specifically geared towards issue around funding for programs for people experiencing homelessness.

The current legislative session is looking to be a tough one, with cuts almost certain. The sad irony is that we are seeing an ever-increasing need for our services, just at the time when the slashing of programs is looming.

Generally speaking, people tend to shy away from speaking to their legislators, so a visit or phone call can hold a lot of weight. It has been said that every meeting or phone call a senator or representative receives is viewed as representing the sentiments of 100 constituents.

You don’t need to be an expert on the situation. You are a concerned citizen. If you have a passion for or personal experience with an issue, you are an expert.

A few other points brought up at the session:

Be as specific as possible about whatever you are calling about.

If you hear “You are speaking to the choir” from your elected official, remember that the choir can get rusty and need practice. Continue to express your thoughts.

The idea of focusing on what we need in the budget vs. what we have the money for is key.

Be sure to “get the ask.”

Go to to find your legislator.

Last night we attended the 24th Annual Homeless Memorial Service at Simpson United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.

This is a powerful event,  honoring homeless who have died on the streets in Minnesota in the previous year.  Last night’s memorial was no exception.

Over the years, I’ve done a number of the walks preceding the
event, and last night I did as well.  The walk of 26 or so city blocks in
decent, but ordinarily cold weather is an effort to call attention to the homeless.

Those walking the route, which includes the Nicollet Mall, carry
simple white wooden signs, each with the name and age of one homeless person who died last year. The walk is a silent vigil.

A speaker said that the average age of homeless who die on the streets is about 43 (73 for the rest of us).  The youngest remembered yesterday was “Unknown baby girl, 1, Minneapolis”.  The oldest, James Schichel, 79, St. Paul.  There were about 60 on the list last night, plus a similar size list of “Formerly Homeless”, and six “Advocates”.

Dr. John Song of the U of M Medical School gave a brief but very
moving talk, reading real comments of homeless folks who feared for what would happen to their bodies when they died.  It is no surprise: they are just like us in so many ways.  They just happen to be homeless.

Last night, as they were reading the names and lighting a candle
for each who had died, the name “Greg Horan, 60, St. Paul”,  jumped out at me.

I knew Greg.  At his death he was listed as an Advocate for the
Homeless; when I met him, strictly by coincidence, he was not too manyyears off the street, living in a room in St. Paul.  Until I read his age, I had no idea how old he was.

It was maybe a dozen years ago that I met him.

I was with a group that had been to a St. Paul Saints game, and
afterwards was walking to where my car was parked.  As I was walking I struck up a conversation with a big guy next to me, in the pack.  He asked if I could give him a ride home, rather than waiting for the bus. “Sure”, I said, a little unsurely.  It was late, and it could be a long wait for a city bus on Snelling Avenue.

It was obvious from our conversation that Greg was an educated
guy.  I think the topic of homeless came up during the ride at some point. He talked about a periodical he had been publishing for and by street people, and I asked if I could have a copy.  At his home, an otherwise nondescript St. Paul neighborhood house in which he had a room, he went in and grabbed a handful of the newsletters, which turned out to be very remarkable publications, full of stories, poetry and art by street people.

I kept them for a long while, but ultimately gave them to a Native
American author I know who used to be on this list, but now no longer has a computer and lives in rural Deer River MN and (I’ve learned since) has a passion for Elvis Presley!  (Her recently received Christmas card featured Elvis this year.)  She went through Greg’s periodicals, and found some literature or art by someone she knew.  I’m going to write her and see if, by some wild chance, she still has the newsletters.

Greg and I were more or less in each others lives for awhile.  He
didn’t seem to have a phone or a computer or even a reliable address, so it was almost impossible to stay in touch, and I didn’t wander in his circles.  Serious cancer entered his life.  The last time I saw him, as I told the mostly filled church last night, was at that very service, perhaps three years earlier.

The guy immediately ahead of me read a truly incredible piece of
Greg’s writing, about life on the St. Paul streets.  I hope I can get a
copy and share it with you. (Read here)

In our few visits, I picked up pieces about Greg’s life: growing
up in the hardscrabble anthracite mining country in Pennsylvania;
developing a talent for writing, moving up rapidly in the big city
publishing world on the east coast, until a series of catastrophes ended with his being flat broke and a street person at the Union Gospel Mission in Minnesota.

Greg had every reason to say “the hell with it” but he hung in
there, apparently advocating to his death for the community he had never planned to be part of.

As I once heard a minister eulogize someone else I knew, who’d
died in a car crash, and contributed mightily to his passion, Greg “lived before he died, and died before he was finished.”  Not too bad a legacy.

As I write I keep thinking of two of those endless sayings that
float through my head: “There but for the grace of God go I”; “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

-Dick Bernard

Increases is the numbers we serve

For single adults in our shelters we have definitely seen an increase in numbers. The number at our weekly lottery has been steadily increasing. As of the end of the 3^rd quarter we had served almost the same number of people in both our shelters as we had in all in 2007. The most significant things we have noticed about the population, is that some of the people we’ve helped move into housing are coming back after job losses. When the economy struggles, often the folks we serve are the first to lose their jobs, or have a harder time finding work. Also, our shelter director, Brian, says that he’s been seeing a lot more folks that are homeless for the first time ever coming to the lottery.

As far as families, we have seen a huge increase in shelter use in the past year. The number of families we turn away from our housing programs continues to vary between 50 and 70 families each week. We have experienced an increase in Native American and Latino families, and an increase in large families (families with more than 4 children). Initially we saw a lot of families who were renters whose landlords had lost their property to foreclosure thus making the family lose housing; however, lately we’ve had more families call who were homeowners that have been foreclosed upon.

Simpson Housing is part of a collaboration chosen as finalist in national competition for $250,000 prize

Economic tumult around the world has made collaboration among nonprofits more essential than ever. Earlier this year, in an effort to increase nonprofit efficiency, The Lodestar Foundation of Phoenix, Ariz., in association with the Arizona-Indiana-Michigan (AIM) Alliance, created The Collaboration Prize, a cash award of $250,000 that will be presented to the most successful collaboration in the nonprofit world.

On Nov. 12, Lodestar announced 30 semi-finalists, selected from a pool of 644 U.S.-based nominations. The Minneapolis-based Collaboration of Housing Resources is one of the semi-finalists chosen for the prize.

Four organizations comprise the collaboration: Spectrum Community Mental Health (a division of RESOURCE), Simpson Housing Services, St. Stephen’s Human Services, and the American Indian Community Development Corporation.

“Each possesses unique strengths, capabilities and community relationships to provide housing and support services for long-term homeless individuals in Minneapolis,” according to Julie Manworren, executive director of Simpson Housing Services.

“The collaboration operates four distinct teams under one umbrella,” adds Karen Hovland, vice president of RESOURCE and head of Spectrum Community Mental Health. “By collaborating, the organizations avoid duplication and leverage their strengths to benefit their common goal of ending chronic homelessness. The collaborating agencies streamlined administration of housing subsidies, developing areas of expertise or specialization within agencies.”

“The collaboration set up an interesting and flexible structure that spreads the risk, income, and expertise fairly among the partner agencies,” says Manworren. “This partnership can be replicated, saves the community money, and focuses scarce resources in effective service delivery. The collaboration is helping 225 very long-term homeless adults to find permanent housing.”

Financial support for the collaboration comes from the Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department, Minnesota Department of Human Services, State of Minnesota Partner’s Fund, Hearth Connection, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Bush Foundation, Corporation for Supportive Housing, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation, and the WCA Foundation.

The next phase of The Collaboration Prize selection process will involve an in-depth review of each of the 30 semi-finalist nominations by a distinguished Final Selection Panel, chaired by Sterling Speirn, president of the Kellogg Foundation. The Final Selection Panel will narrow the semi-finalist field to eight finalists, to be announced in early December.

Lodestar will announce the winner on March 5, 2009 at a seminar on collaboration among nonprofits sponsored by the Association of Small Foundations and Lodestar. The finalists will be invited to participate in the Spring Forum on Nonprofit Effectiveness at Arizona State the following day. The most outstanding models will be compiled for study and used as blueprints by academics, nonprofit leaders and grantmakers in order to advance the practice of nonprofit collaboration.

UPDATE/Feb. 27: Our collaboration was not chosen to move forward in the competition, but continues to help many long-term homeless adults achieve stability.

Some facts about family homelessness

Did you know that in 1986 the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program grant for a family of 4 was $621/month and that Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom apartment was $480? Today the same family qualifies for the same $621/month and the same apartment rents for more than $928.

A single parent with two children who makes $21,200 annually can afford to pay $530/month in rent without experiencing a housing–cost burden. There were two 2-bedroom vacancies in Hennepin County with a rent at or below $530 advertised between the months of April and June 2008.

Read the Star Tribune editorial: Counterpoint: Homeless kids at the Drake a symptom, not the disease

Homelessness is on the rise, especially in Minnesota

Fox 9 news reported last week that homelessness is on the rise, especially in Minnesota. Some interesting bits of information:

Fox 9 news story

Last night while waiting for the meal group to arrive at the shelter, several guests came to the window asking what was for dinner.

One guest came by three times, hoping to know.  It made me think about what a haven the meal groups are providing with chicken and rice, meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  They’re normal, everyday fare and that’s just fine. In fact, it’s wonderful.

Being able to look forward to a relaxing evening meal in the company of others is such a great thing for Simpson’s shelters to be able to provide guests.  I wish people didn’t have to stand in line….I am so grateful for all of the meal groups and for all of our volunteers.

-Barbara G.

The reasons for homelessness number as many as the individuals who are currently experiencing it.

The reasons for homelessness number as many as the individuals who are currently experiencing it.

I remember meeting Clemme a while back. She was staying at the Simpson Housing Women’s Shelter. The night I met her was one of those February days that happen just when you think we’ve turned the corner on winter in Minnesota: minus zero, windy and pitch black. Clemme was curled up on her mat on the floor, devouring a paperback, waiting for dinner. She was of remarkably good cheer.

At the time, Clemme was unemployed, but she had worked much of her life as a printing press operator. Undiagnosed diabetes had sent her into a coma a few years ago. First she lost her job and then her home. Medical bills mounted up. She worked temp jobs whenever she could find them, but it had been tough getting back on track Loss of a job compounded by medical conditions and medical debt can be a significant contributor to homelessness.

Last November, I helped Simpson shelter advocates move Bill into his new apartment in a south Minneapolis high-rise. Bill had been staying at the men’s shelter for a few months, getting up at 4 a.m. to catch two buses to his job as a machine operator and fabricator. He was earning a decent wage, but a family dispute left him suddenly without a place to live. Taking part in the Simpson Savings Program, where shelter guests turn over a portion of their income to Simpson for safekeeping, secured Bill a bed for three months to help him get back on his feet. A change in family circumstance without a friend or relative to help you out is, according to many who work directly with people experiencing homelessness, a common cause. Not too long ago, I got a note from Bill and he is doing great in his apartment with the view of the Minneapolis skyline.

Ray had bounced around the country for much of his adult life, sleeping by creeks so he could take a bath and sometimes in the culvert of a ditch with a board placed over the water. He had found his way to a local shelter and an advocate noticed that he seemed to be depressed quite a bit of the time. A social worker who visited the shelter hooked him up with a psychiatrist who was able to treat his long-undiagnosed depression with medication and therapy. He was housed with the help of the Simpson Single Adult Renal Assistance Program in a studio near the U of M. He now takes yoga classes and is a nursing assistant. I saw Ray around the start of the new year and he looked about ten years younger than I first met him two years ago. Undiagnosed and untreated mental illness is another major contributor.

But what can you do to help? Julie Manworren, Executive Director of Simpson Housing Services and long-time advocate for the homeless community offers the following: “When people have housing and support services, other problems can be overcome. Our community is stronger. We need everyone to talk to their elected officials urging support for state and federal funding for affordable housing and support services,” she says. “The best thing that each of us can do to end homelessness is to do something. Break down the division between “us” and “them.” Make eye contact, say hello, volunteer your time and talents to an agency that is dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness.”

What happens to my pet if I become homeless?

We have an activity we do with kids when we go out to speak to school, church or civic groups. We pass out a drawing of a backpack and ask the kids, “If you have to leave the place that you call home and all you can take with you is what will fit into a backpack, what would you bring?”

Nine times out of ten, a cat or dog makes the list. Somehow, a pet really reminds us what we all hold near and dear when it comes to having a home of our own. Earlier this summer, Saleha, a Simpson advocate for people experiencing homelessness, wrote about Ray and his cat:

“I took Ray grocery shopping a few times and was always impressed by his meticulous lists: 1 loaf of white sandwich bread, 3 drumsticks from the deli, 2 rolls of toilet paper (whatever’s on sale). For his own needs, Ray was thrifty, but when shopping for Bess his cat, he was a different man. His list would read: 4 bags of kitty litter, 2 boxes Fancy Feast salmon, 2 boxes Fancy Feast chicken, 1 bag dry food (premium), and at the end of every list: 1 cat toy. Ray had been hurt by a lot of people in his life, but he could care for and love Bess, who returned his affection. I believe that love is what allowed him to survive cancer as long as he did.

I was with Ray as he was dying. I rushed him to the emergency room and held his hand as they poked him with needles and strapped a mask over his face. Ray was a fighter. He had been told several times that death was imminent in the past decade and kept proving the doctors wrong. He clung fiercely to his independence and continued to take the bus in the dead of winter when the cold made it almost impossible for him to breathe. Even on his deathbed Ray found the strength to tell me how to take care of Bess. A day later the doctors told me that the tumor in his lungs had spread to his heart – something no one could survive – and they took him off life support.” Bess is currently being cared for by Paws for a Cause.

In the most recent issue of the Humane Society of America’s magazine “All Animals,” Michael Kaminer reports on an ever increasing number of pets showing up in shelters due to families and individuals becoming homeless. High foreclosure rates and rising cost of living are sending people as well as their pets out on the street.

To many individuals, a pet is a member of the family, and as devastating of a loss as their home.

So where does a person experiencing homelessness put their belongings during the day?

This is a common question…and a really good one. Imagine finding out that you needed to leave your home and everything that you could bring needed to fit into a backpack that you would then carry around with you throughout your day.

Cynthia, who is now housed through the Simpson Single Adult Rental Assistance (SARA) Program, spoke about this: “I never slept under a bridge, but I do remember sleeping on a porch of an abandoned house in south Minneapolis and hiding my stuff in the bushes. Once I woke up and everything was gone; it had been stolen. It was bad, but I didn’t have it as bad as some. I’m so thankful that I found the Simpson Women’s Shelter. It was a place to sleep, to call home, but it was also a place to put my things during the day.”

Earlier this week we received a call from a man who was desperately hoping to win a bed at the upcoming lottery at the men’s shelter. His first question, even before he asked where he was going to sleep? “Where am I going to put my stuff during the day?” He had recently gotten a job and didn’t want to bring all of his belongings into his new workplace. It’s a dilemmna.

The Twin Cities Homeless Locker Project is helping. Architecture for Humanity Minnesota (AFH MN), a chapter of Architecture for Humanity International (AFH), is a group of local designers who volunteer their time and talents to provide architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and bring design services to communities in need. Since its founding in January 2005, AFH MN has provided design services for community centers, schools, and a memorial garden in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Minnesota.
For the first time, AFH MN is taking on its own design-build project, the Twin Cities Homeless Locker Project, to address the needs of homeless individuals to have a secure storage location for personal belongings that they can access as needed. AFH MN and The American Institute of Architects Minnesota Housing Advocacy Committee teamed up through the Search for Shelter workshop in February 2008 to design the lockers. The first site in the Twin Cities for the installation of 20-30 lockers will be at Simpson Housing Services in Minneapolis.

AFH MN is now raising funds to build this set of lockers and for a second set in a future location in St. Paul. Members of AFH MN will join homeless individuals to build and install the lockers at Simpson this fall. They are asking for your contribution to this well-needed local project through sponsorship of one locker ($100), attending our fundraiser ($10 at door), or a general contribution of any amount. We look forward to seeing you on September 12th at the Bedlam Theatre for an evening of music, a silent auction, and drinks/conversation with people making a difference in our community!

Donations will be channeled through AFH, a 501(c)(3). All contributions are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS regulations. Please make checks payable to Architecture for Humanity and send them to: Jeffrey Swainhart, 4136 Longfellow Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407.
For more information about AFH MN and the fundraiser: www.afh-mn.org
For more information about AFH: www.architectureforhumanity.org