Ray and Bess, his cat

After working with Simpson staff, Ray was housed the final years of his life. He had been homeless a large portion of his adult life.

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.

A month later we had a memorial service for Ray. The morning turned out to be the first warm day of spring. Ray told me over and over this past winter how everything would be better when spring came. And so maybe it was appropriate to remember him on that day that he had waited for, when the sun would come out and his pain would finally subside.

-Saleha Erdman, COHR Team Housing Specialist. Bess is being cared for by Paws for a Cause.

Laughs go a long way…rollerskating outing is a special event

For Simpson Housing participants and staff, it was time to have some fun, share some stories, laugh out loud, and occasionally take a fall.

On April 21st, families in the Simpson Housing Transitional Housing (TH), Rental Assistance Program (RAP), ZOOM House, Elliot Park, and Housing First programs arrived at the Roller Garden in St. Louis Park for the annual Roller Skating Party. This year we had 123 participants, a record for us. Volunteers from Bethlehem Lutheran provided the meal, Simpson Housing provided the roller skate rentals, but it was the Simpson Housing families that made it a memorable night.

Parents, children, and staff looped around the rink at varied speeds. Teenagers zoomed past, moving to the music, and seeing who could catch up to whom. Smaller children cautiously advance onto the rink, holding hands with their parent, a staff member, their sibling, or a friend they just made. By the end of the night they have transformed into roller skating pros. Moms and dads cheer their children on from the side while taking a break from the action. Toddlers and infants look on with excitement, bouncing to the music as well.

I believe this is a special event for the Simpson Staff. It is an opportunity to connect with the families we work with in a different way. As a Family Support Advocate, I meet weekly with families in our program to discuss goal planning and resource needs, but on this night, we can connect in a different way – as somebody who is just trying to keep myself off the roller-rink floor and have some fun. The laughs can go a long way for everybody.

-Tom B., Simpson Family Advocate

A day to remember for kids in the Family Housing program

On Friday, March 28, twenty-six children earned their way to Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America by obtaining 95% or higher attendance from September 2007 through January 2008. The day began with Simpson staff and volunteers picking up children throughout Hennepin County to come together for one full day of fun.

Wide-eyed and anxious the kids patiently wait as we organize them into groups, explain the rules, and hand out their unlimited ride wristbands. Each child is presented with an individualized medal which they wear throughout the day to show off their tremendous achievement.

Which ride first? How fast does it go? Is that going to scare me? Will you ride that with me? Numerous questions fill the air as staff and volunteers make sure each one of them is to be answered. A few rides later, courage and confidence seem to take over. The children begin to encourage each other, leaders start to emerge and each child feels as though they are a part of something. Today is their day to be the stars.

After countless thrills and heightened bursts of energy, it becomes that time to choose one last ride. The day is coming to a close. The groups unite, grab a snack, and find the staff that will take them home.

It is a day full of screaming, hand holding, and eyes closing. It’s a time for encouragement, laughter, and building confidence. It’s a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment, and greatness. It’s a reminder that each child deserves to be celebrated each and every day…

-Rachel K., Simpson Education Support Advocate

A Day as a Simpson Education Support Advocate:

The goal for every day is getting the kids in our program to school on time. As an Education Advocate, I am always communicating to the parents how important it is for the kids to go to school every day. I have learned that children with problems in school, also tend to have problems with consistency. The more that children attend school, the more “natural” it becomes. It is a way of life rather than a burden to deal with.

Besides the idea of attendance, my job is different with each family that I work with, depending on their needs. However, I am dedicated to assisting my families with any issues related to education. Today I helped a family enroll in a new school, tomorrow I will go visit a first grade class to see one of my students, and later on this week I will be hanging out with a couple of students after school. Support can come in many forms, and it is up to the family and students to direct the relationship in a way that is most beneficial to their success.

As an Education Support Advocate with the Family Roots Alliance Team (a joint effort between Simpson Housing and Lutheran Social Services), I believe that education is the foundation of life, and a way for us to assist in breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. We must support our children, because they are our future.

-James L.

Zahra and Farah flourish

The Simpson Transitional Housing Program at ZOOM House has grown and flourished over the last year and a half. We pride ourselves on the diversity of our program participants.

ZOOM House currently has two residents from the Somali community. Zahra and her son Farah came to the program in December 2006, understanding very little English. Life skills such as operating an automatic washer and dryer, paying bills, and communicating with those that do not speak Somali were limited. The last 14 months have been a learning experience for everyone at ZOOM House. And an enjoyable one.

Many of the residents at ZOOM House gathered together and surprised Farah (and his mother) with an American style party to celebrate Farah’s third birthday. Everyone enjoyed the event and it was the beginning of many great relationships among neighbors.

Zahra and Farah have grown in so many ways since entering the program. Zahra has become a U.S. citizen, she has been attending English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at the Lehman Learning Center and has also participated in a program that prepares her for gainful employment. Her English is much stronger; she has mastered the washing machine; pays her bills and is a wonderful cook of both Somalian and American dishes.

Farah has been attending Head Start and is teaching his mom new English words and sentences (including a few not so appropriate ones!). He has made new friends in the building and the community and is the #1 supporter of our new Disney movie library in the ZOOM House office (available to all tenants.)

The Simpson program at ZOOM House not only provides safe and affordable housing. It connects families with a community: a community within an apartment building, throughout a neighborhood and into the city.

-Mo O., Simpson ZOOM House Family Advocate

Last week the flu had me down for the count.

Last week the flu had me down for the count. It started on Saturday and lingered for five long days with the customary fevers and headaches. As I lay on my couch watching yet another episode of “The Price is Right” and wishing that my body would allow me to join the real world again, my mind drifted to the homeless men, women, and children in our community.

It took all of my energy to move from my bed to the couch. I couldn’t imagine having to walk around all day, trying to stay warm, sleeping on a mat at night. I thought about the man in one of our housing programs who had lung cancer and went to chemotherapy during the day and slept under a bridge at night. How long would it take a person without a home to recover from the flu? To fight off cancer? It is during these times of sickness that you quickly learn gratitude: for good health, a warm bed, a cup of tea, a house in which to nest. It is also these times that you learn resolve.

Shouldn’t it be a right for everyone to have a warm home in which to rest their body from the troubles of this world?

Wendy W.,  Simpson Program Director

Heading Home Hennepin event is encouraging

Last Thursday, Simpson Housing was a co-sponsor of the League of Women Voters Forum on Heading Home Hennepin, the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness in Hennepin County. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman gave opening comments that were actually quite thought-provoking and hopeful.

Mayor Rybak spoke of a young man who was experiencing homelessness who died. The young man’s sister is Chiffon, who is an advocate on the newly formed St. Stephen’s Outreach Team that goes into the camps or anywhere homeless people could be and works at getting them into housing.

Elizabeth Hinz, the liaison for homeless and highly mobile children in the Minneapolis school system spoke. She fought back the tears as she spoke of her work with the children. Every public school in the nation is required by law to have a coordinator, such as Elizabeth. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act and the Minneapolis Public Schools district policy afford these kids rights and protections. These include the right to attend school and to attend the school the child was in before becoming homeless. Also, a child can attend school without a permanent address and to attend and participate in programs with children who are not homeless.

Monica Nilson brought up the point that we could all have the phone numbers of our elected officials programmed into our cell phones. I recently heard that it is a generally accepted belief that an elected official views a phone call from a constituent as representing 100 constituents. That is rather empowering. I don’t exactly recall the statistics she cited, Monica also made the point that housing a person is the most economical (and humane) way to give them a place to lay their head. A trip to the emergency room, detox, or the E.R. is far more expensive and inhumane.

Several individuals who have experienced homelessness spoke. Thursday was a day that homelessness in the Twin Cities made the news. The city of Plymouth opened up its waiting list for Section 8 housing vouchers. 3,700 people showed up to compete for 300 spots on the waiting list. This is only the waiting list that they are trying to get on. When St. Paul did this last year, 11,000 people vied for spaces. The Metropolitan Council received 25,000 requests for 5,000 spots.

The StarTribune reported that experts agree that these long lines indicate a larger crisis in lack of affordable housing. Wages have not kept up with rising rents in the metro area. In 2006, one in eight Minnesota households were paying half of its income on housing, according to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. That’s up from one in fifteen in 2000. Minnesota renters are worse off: one in four were paying half of its income on housing. To make matters worse, the Federal government has been decreasing housing subsidies.

So where is the encouragement? Thousands of individuals who are committed to ending homelessness and thousands of stories of individuals who have found housing. Go to the Simpson housing website for stories.

A Simpson Family Advocate reflects on homelessness

One of the most interesting things that’s happened since I’ve started working as a family advocate at Simpson is the number of conversations I have with friends and family about homelessness.  For so many of us, we don’t know how to talk about homelessness.  We wonder if we’re saying the right things; we wonder if we’re being politically correct.  We’ve got so many questions!  What I’ve realized is that while these are valid concerns, the most important thing is to be in action—thinking, talking, learning, working, living to end homelessness.  Then, our questions have the power to go somewhere.  So here they are—a few of the questions that make me frustrated, hopeful and curious:  

• While munching on cookies with my grandparents, they ask if there are many people who are homeless in the Twin Cities, and what the demographics are. 
• During a phone conversation with a friend, I’m asked what I talk about during meetings with families in transitional housing.
• At the Thanksgiving table, abundant with food, an aunt asks me why most people become homeless.
• When an uncle is in town for a conference, he asks me about funding sources for our rental subsidies.
• A friend gives me a hug, asking if I am staying safe with all the home visits I make. 
• In a letter that comes in the mail, my brother asks about the power dynamics I’ve experienced through my client-advocate relationships. 
• Visiting my parents for the weekend, we ask each other what the world would look like without homelessness…and wonder how we can get there.

I could give you bits and pieces of answers I offered, but I don’t have the whole answer anyway.  The answer needs to come from all of us—people who collectively have the power to seek truth through change driven by love.  So ask away!

-Sarah R.

Little bottles of toiletries make a big difference

A friend of Simpson just dropped off a donation of a bag of travel sized toiletries. The kind you get in hotels that are so tempting to take, but then tend to pile up in the bathroom cabinet and get thrown during spring cleaning? The bag was full of shampoos, conditioners, hair gels, and lotions.

These little bottles are highly sought after items in our men’s and our women’s shelters. Sometimes, I think there is a misconception that people who are experiencing homelessness don’t take pride in their appearance, but that is simply not the case. A shower at the end of the day, with your own bottle of shampoo and conditioner, is a great thing. Something a lot of us may take for granted. The travel sized bottles also allow our guests to take the products with them to use during the day when they are not at the shelter.

Simpson has donation needs of a lot of everyday items such as nail clippers, toilet paper, and long underwear. Maybe you can help us out. Go to www.simpsonhousing.org/donation_needs.htm for all the info.

Last night’s memorial was powerful and reflective

Last night’s homeless memorial march and service brought hundreds together to honor 100 people who died while experiencing homelessness in Minnesota.

What started out as a clear, warm day turned windy and brisk as the march departed the Hennepin County Government Center at 5 pm. I stopped at the Target on Nicollet Mall to purchase a pair of dry socks to finish the walk in. This was a luxury most people experiencing homelessness do not have.

It was interesting to note the reactions of bystanders on the street, most waiting for the Hollidazzle parade to begin. Several hundred silent marchers, roughly one third carrying signs with the name, age, and hometown of the person who died, led by a 10 foot puppet, do garner a fair amount of attention. Generally people stopped in silent repose. Occasionally you would get a “yes” or “something has got to be done.”

I was impressed by the large turnout of teens, many with their own handmade signs. And the site of individuals who seem to have been protesting for decades is comforting.

It was impossible not to be moved when you read of a 15 month old passing or an anonymous homeless youth from Minneapolis. There was a spirit of all these people coming together to receive comfort and strength from one another.

I look for a time when we no longer will need to do this.