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.