When someone talks to us about volunteering at Our Common Ground, we try to be upfront with them that we do the whole volunteer thing a bit different than other organizations, meals, or programs that work with folks living outside. Though I could spend a great deal of time flushing out what I mean by that, I think it can be summed up very simply:  Our mission is about faithful presence with people, not getting things done.

For many places, volunteering means putting in the grunt work, so to speak. Doing the dishes. Cleaning up after. Serving food. Providing the much needed cogs in the machinery of the program. And for larger organizations, this isn’t a bad thing. Indeed, it can help them scale up their work to help more and more people when they have a solid volunteer base.

But at Our Common Ground, we are about the small moments of being present with others. Our goal is to provide and safe and welcoming space for anyone that needs one that day; a space where we can get to know one another, and maybe even find a friend or two. Doing this takes a community. Which is one reason why volunteering with us can be a little different. We are not just asking you to do dishes. We are asking you to join our community, even if it's just for the day.

Now, things like dishes need to be done. Floors need to be swept. Garbage needs to be picked up. Toilets need to be un-plugged. Etc. Etc. But these things are a part of community. And something that we all need to help with. So if you do volunteer, don’t worry, we will probably ask you to help with these things as well. (Ok, we probably won’t ask you to fix toilets, that will still fall to me.)

But the main thing we will ask if you come and volunteer is to help us be present to our neighbors experiencing poverty, addiction, and mental (un)health. This can be as simple as saying hi when someone comes to get coffee. Or as challenging as sitting with people going through intense trauma in their lives. Or the myriad of things in between. As Rennebohm says in the quote above, sometimes the best way to seek peace is with the neighbor near us. That is what we seek to do at Our Common Ground.

We would love to talk with you more about how you can volunteer with us, and join us in this work of building relationship and community with our neighbors who live outside in Everett. Please visit our Volunteer page to learn more, or contact us to sit down and hear more about Our Common Ground.

Come join us!

​Luke Sumner

​“We want a place where people can be welcome. Where they can come as they are. Where community and relationship can happen. Our goal is to build community.”

I remember last Fall repeating some version of that statement over and over again. We had just come to the decision to begin Our Common Ground, and in the course of gathering all the resources and support we would need, I was having many conversations about what we hoped to do in Everett and why we believed this new ministry would be important. Even though we were still working out the exact phrasing of our mission statement, one phrase kept popping up: Building relationships and community.

This phrase did not just come out of the blue, but came out of the years I have spent working with people experiencing homelessness. It came from learning from other ministries and organizations doing similar work, and seeing how vital these things are to them. It came out of listening to our Everett community for the year leading up to this, asking and praying how our small, brand new church community-in-formation might live into our mission of practicing welcome and justice in North Everett.

And five months into Our Common Ground opening it’s doors, I have some trouble with that phrase.

Please hear me out. I don’t think the sentiment is wrong, just that phrase. Most people, when they hear building community, know what you are saying. You want to be a part of helping a community begin and grow. But for me, early on, I took that phrase a bit too literally. Though I knew it wasn’t my job alone to build community, I took on the task like it depended on me. I believed in community so much that I was going to make it happen - regardless of who showed up, or if people even wanted it.

But then we started to grow. Fast. We went from 12 or so people at the Hospitality Space to over 50 in what seemed like a matter of weeks. I went from feeling like a community pastor to doing all I could to just keep the place running. I saw all the drugs and addiction and mental illness and trauma of the streets every day, and felt like we were doing nothing to help. And a few months into having continually growing numbers, I just broke down one day. I felt like I had failed. At building community. At building relationships. Yes, we had lots of people, but I didn't see much community. I felt like I had dropped the ball on the core element of our mission.

But in the midst of feeling like a failure, I began to pay attention. Because sometimes all you can do when you are not sure how to move forward is to actually stop and pay attention to where you are. And when I did that, I saw community. Sometimes it was just a glimpse, a fleeting moment. Often it was small. Something I would usually overlook. Occasionally it was right there, in your face, in ways I couldn’t believe I had missed before.

I saw folks in the community who are heroin addicts tell their friends to chill out, because this is a safe place and they are going to help keep it that way. I saw people on food stamps quietly leave a few extra cans of peanut butter, because they saw we were running low. I saw a friend picking up garbage around the church, because he noticed it was getting messy. I saw small moments of people caring about one another, caring about our space, and caring about our community.

And in the midst of noticing these things I had missed, I realized that community is not something you can force. Something that you can make happen. Something you can control. You can create space for it. You can cultivate it. You can welcome people and include them and care for one another. But like a plant, you can’t make it grow. You can just give it the best environment to flourish, with a few prayers and a little luck thrown in.

The funny thing is, I had expressed similar sentiments in the season leading up to starting Our Common Ground. But in the chaos and stress and challenges of running a hospitality space, they were forgotten. I thought I could make community happen through my hard work. Through keeping everything running perfectly. But it was precisely because of those things I failed to see the small moments of community happening all around me.

​I just needed to pay attention.

“We have prayed for a place like this to be open in this area.”

Just this morning, someone told us this, as she sipped on her coffee and wrapped a few presents she had managed to gather for her kids.

Since we opened the doors to our hospitality space a little over a month ago, we have heard sentiments like this many many times from our friends that join us. Thank you for being open. Which is so great to hear. But the reality is, we don’t do all that much. We open up a warm place. We make some decent coffee. We have some snacks available for people to make. We try to welcome everyone as neighbors. We do what we can to involve folks in what we are doing.

Because the reality is, there are not many places like this in Everett, and almost none in our neighborhood. A place where people can safely go in the morning without being asked to leave, or where they don’t need money and some other reason to be there. Where someone can get a warm cup of coffee with no strings attached. We are thankful to be able to offer these things to Evetett. But more than that, what we want to offer is community. Relationship. To help facilitate spaces, moments, and times when people can connect with one another. Where people can find friendship on their journey. And even though we are still quite small, and new, we are seeing glimpses of these things already.

We have seen a friend of ours, who is dealing with some pretty intense mental illness, find a safe place to rest. Even though it took her a while to be comfortable in our space. And the reason she feel comfortable here, she told us, was that we don’t tell her what to do. Like so many of the other places she has tried to get help. The only thing we did was treat her like a fellow human being.

We have seen another friend of ours start helping us out with setting up, taking down, making coffee, etc. He started to do so in order to take care of some community service requirements, but has stuck around, because we don’t just provide stuff, we invite everyone to participate and help if they want to. Because here he feels like a part of the community, not just the recipient of our charity.

These are just a few of the beautiful things we have seen since our hospitality space has been open at Our Common Ground. And it is our hope that this space continues to be a place where people can find these connections. But the reality is, we need partners in this work. Even with the simplicity in which we do what we do, it takes resources to make this happen. It takes people’s time. It takes supplies. It takes a place to offer that is warm and dry. And all this requires resources.

So in this holiday season, this Christmas week, we ask you if you might be willing to contribute to Our Common Ground, and our continued mission to provide a place a welcome and hospitality. The reality is, we are trying to raise a little over 35,000.00 by the end of 2016. While this might not seem like a big number to larger organizations, it is quite daunting to us. But we truly believe that what we are doing is not only needed in Everett. It is needed in our world. That community must be central to the question of how our cities and neighborhoods respond the the reality of homelessness, addiction, and mental (un)health.

So we ask you if you might be willing to partner financially with Our Common Ground. To come alongside us in our work. To join us in imagining how we can better love and welcome our neighbors. From one time donations to regular, monthly support, everything helps our community.

For more information on how to donate, please visit this link to our website. There are many ways to contribute.

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Luke and Rebecca Sumner

This week there was a housing forum in Everett. Lloyd Pendleton spoke about how Utah has engaged and worked on ending chronic homelessness in their communities. While I was not able to make it due to a host of other things, I did review what was said, and I though it was very refreshing, especially in light of how things like "housing forums" can often go (top down planning with people in power, etc.). Many people in Everett were quite moved by the presentation, and some of those in power even said they do their best to get low-barrier housing up and running in as little as six months.

All of this is wonderful. I am a big advocate for low barrier housing, because asking people to get everything in their life together before letting them access housing is just not a solution. But I am also aware that housing alone is not a solution to homelessness. Now, I do understand that the Housing First model is not simply getting people into housing then walking away, but comes with support alongside of that housing.  But often that "support" is given by people already quite busy with case loads and other things. Even the best run housing first models can only go so far.

Which is why I was so glad that Pendleton said this:

This, right here, is what is also needed. It's not hard to see how Utah has done what they have done when their solution includes those three things Pendelton mentioned.

Now, it must go deeper than a nice statement, but at least this is pointing to the fact that if our communities are going to really do something about the reality that people are sleeping on our streets, we have to do more than housing. And I think these three things speak well about how we can do that.

First, we have to be champions for those living outside. Now, I really don't like the way this is phrased. I would much rather create spaces for those who are living outside to be their own champions. Because they are human beings who have their own agency. Too often we "do" things for folks in poverty, who have the ability to do the same thing for themselves, but simply lack the resources, tools, or space to do them. But I like the heart of what he is saying. We must walk alongside those who are living outside. We must help them in the various ways that we can, as fellow neighbors and citizens.

Which is why I love that next he mentioned collaboration. Rather than simply help those who live outside get into housing or whatever else they might need, we should collaborate with them. This involved each person bringing what they have to the table. This is why one of our core values at Our Common Ground is collaboration: because we believe each person is a pretty good expert on their own life, and has something to offer in a situation. I also believe that, as he said, agencies, organizations, faith communities, etc. should also be collaborating. Each bringing what they have to the table. How can a small community like ours work with larger housing programs to support each other? I think these are great questions to ask. 

And third I think compassion must be woven through all of this. It is amazing to me how many of the myths of those living outside - that they are all addicts, they are lazy, they are violent, they are dangerous, etc. - are perpetuated by people who have never taken the time to get to know people who have lived on the street. People do not just end up on the street one day. That is the result of a series of numerous other events and situations. And until you know those stories, it is sometimes hard not to buy into those myths. Even those few who do fit some of those myths still have a story and deserve compassion. The deserve to be treated like a human being. No one wakes up and says today I am going to stick a needle in my arm and go steal stuff to make it happen. There is deep pain and life events at the core of that story. And we need to listen. We need to care.

And lastly, I would like to add a point of my own: Imagination. We need better imagination as to how our communities can engage the reality that for too many people are sleeping on our streets. We need to imagine how we can fight homelessness while treating those who are experiencing homelessness like fellow neighbors and human beings. 

We at Our Common Ground want to be a part of this in our community of Everett, and join with others who are also tying to imagine better. We would love for you to join us!

Let's imagine, and work toward, communities where ALL are welcome, where all can thrive, and where no one is forces to sleep on the street. Because housing is not the end game here. Community is. So let's work toward that community.

Welcome to the Our Common Ground blog!

It is our hope that this blog is a place to converse about poverty and homelessness, about Everett, and about how we can better work with and among our neighbors experiencing poverty, addiction, and mental (un)health. However, you might be wondering what this whole Our Common Ground things is. Since this is our first blog post, we thought we share a little bit about who we are, what we are going to be up to, and how Our Common Ground came about. 

So here is the beginning of our story.

Our Common Ground is a ministry of Our Common Table, a church-in-formation in Everett, WA. Our Common Ground emerged through listening to our community. When we arrived in Everett, we arrived in the middle of a conversation about how Everett as a city was going to respond to the reality that there are an increasing number of folks on the streets experiencing homelessness, addiction, or mental (un)health. From the city sponsored Streets Initiative, to the non-profits, to the smaller churches and organizations, many were engaging in this conversation.

As a church, we knew we wanted to be a part of this in some way. But we also wanted to take a step back and listen. As you might know, churches can be awfully good at swooping in to an area with “solutions” without asking if those solutions will even be helpful or not. Or without getting to know those people whom they want to help. So we didn’t want to do this. Instead we listened. We volunteered at the various meals around town so we could get to know those living outside and those that serve the food. We got to know local pastors who had been working in these areas for years. We met with people who had been on the Everett Community Streets Initiative, and been involved in the larger city conversation about these issues. Luke even got a job with the Everett Recovery Cafe, where he was able to spend time every week with people in our neighborhood experiencing poverty,  the illness of addiction, and various forms of mental (un)health. 

Through this listening, we noticed a few things. One is that North Everett needed more safe, dry places to spend time during the day, that don’t cost money, and are welcoming to folks experiencing homelessness. There are a few places around, like the Everett Public Library and the Recovery Cafe, but they can get quite busy. The need for more day centers was also a conclusion from the Everett Streets Initiative. We also realized that more than simply safe and dry places, people experiencing poverty, addiction, and mental (un)health needed places where they could go and be treated like human beings. We realized that as a church, our primary job wasn’t to offer services. It was to offer community. As many of said, the main reason people end up on the street is not a lack of money. It is a lack of community. It is when all those connections are gone. And for anyone who has struggle with addiction or mental (un)health, or walked with someone who has, you know that healing from those things can be darn near impossible without the support of friends, family, and community. 

So as we continued to listen, we began to ask how we might facilitate a safe, dry place, that was more than just a building, but a community.

Though our little church still had limited resources, we began to look for a location in Everett where both of these things could happen. This led us into conversation with Everett United Church of Christ, and it wasn’t long before we saw that we could work together on this. This was a community that cared deeply about folks living outside, and already had a long running food bank, as well as a meal on Thursday evenings. They also had a fellowship hall that was not being used in the mornings, and would be a great place to start a hospitality space to be open during the day.

And thus Our Common Ground was born. Our mission is to be a community of hospitality and collaboration that is open to all, as we journey together with our neighbors experiencing poverty, addiction, and mental illness. One of the main ways we will do this at first is through our Hospitality Space, which will be open in the fellowship hall at Everett UCC (2624 Rockefeller Everett, WA 98201) Monday-Thursday, 8am-Noon (opening mid-November!). We will have coffee, a few snacks, hopefully some needed supplies, and maybe even a few games! We very much see this as a beginning. A place where we can continue to listen to our neighbors, and ask how we might work together. Whether people stop by just once for a little while, or are a regular part of the Our Common Ground community, we want them to be welcome. 

It is also our hope that Our Common Ground can be a community that goes beyond the walls of our hospitality space, as we live out our mission in Everett. That we can ask what hospitality looks like in our public spaces, in our neighborhoods, and on our streets. And that we can collaborate with anyone else about how we can work together to make Everett a safe and thriving place for ALL, including those experiencing poverty, addiction, or mental (un)health.

Lastly, we want to invite you to be a part of our story. Because we can’t do this work alone. We will need the help of folks like you, both in Everett and beyond. Right now, our biggest need is regular monthly donations. To serve our neighbors experiencing poverty, addiction, and mental illness well, if helps us to know that we can provide the few things we need to make this community happen. From coffee to socks to someone to make sure our friends are welcomed, these things make sure that we can live into our mission and be a place of community, hospitality, and collaboration. To see how easy it is to do this, visit our Donate page. There are also numerous non-monetary donations you can give that will help us get through our week. And please visit our Get Involved page to learn more about how you can parter with us on this work.