Stand at the corner of stability and commitment.
Give Now
The very act of trying to look ahead to discern possibilities and offer warnings is itself an act of hope.” Octavia Butler
Dear Friends,
Nearly 20 years ago The New Yorker published an article titled, Million Dollar Murray. In this piece Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of Murray Barr, a man who had experienced homelessness in Reno Nevada. The piece follows Murray’s story of incarcerations, hospitalizations, shelter stays, recovery, being temporarily housed, and returns to homelessness.
Gladwell detailed the cost of homelessness not only to the person experiencing it, but also to the systems that interact with him. The details of those costs led to a deeper understanding of the value of what came to be called Housing First. This practice provides housing first rather than require sobriety or income, understanding that once the stability of home is established, emergency room runs and police interactions decrease. The lives of individuals improve. We support and advocate for Housing First programs to be funded, not cutback.
Our Director of Resident Services, Andy, shared that now, 20 years later, the article headline would be Billion Dollar Murray as the costs for all those institutions have increased dramatically.
As the conversations at the federal level center on the idea of less spending on programs that support vulnerable neighbors we can’t help but think of this cautionary tale. Is drastically cutting back on housing and support services better for our communities and our brothers and sisters who are chronically homeless? Are requiring time limits on supportive housing effective or is it destabilizing for both individuals and communities?
Beyond the cruelty of it, will it save us money? Will it make us a more compassionate nation? Will our neighbors living at Jimmy Heath House or Recovery Hotel or soon to be at Gloria’s Place be better off if they are forced to leave after 2 years, as the purported changes will require? Will our neighborhoods feel safer if the people are moving in and out every two years, or if the number of people living on our streets increases?
As uncertainty surrounds us, we continue to show up for each other. As friends have taught me over the years, showing up is one of the most important things we can do. We focus on today, we are present, and we do what is in front of us. We provide housing for the mom with two kids who drives a school bus; we provide housing and support for the son or grandfather who lost everything to addiction; and we provide housing for the grandmother who worked for 60 years and is now on a fixed income. Our doors are open.
Your support this year builds stability and commitment for our community because while the future is unclear, what is clear is that with you we are a force of love and stability in uncertain times. To paraphrase Jon Batiste, we are grateful to have had your love to lean on over the many years and, hopefully, into the future.
With returned love and hope,
Mary Burke Rivers
Executive Director
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