No matter the venue, no matter the group, regardless of their level of ignorance or expertise, the ideas, theories, and misconceptions seem to be universal. Photo by Eric M.V.“They choose to live on the street.”“It’s a mental health issue.”“They need a big park outside of town with trash pick-up and toilets.”“We need more affordable housing […]

I’m sorry about this post, everyone. There were no entries sent in this week to share, and I’ve suffered a back injury that prohibits me from sitting in my comfy office chair for more than a few minutes. Still, I wanted to do what I can while I can because that’s all we can ever

Why do people do what they do? Today was Easter, and somebody asked me if I believed in the living Christ who died on the cross for our sins. There are a lot of evangelicals out collecting souls. The question is simple enough, but the answer is pretty complex when you think about it. I

Let’s just break it down to the simplest parts. It starts with identifying the immediate needs of the people. We need to recognize that getting out of the tunnel is not going to happen if the person is not sober. If they need alcohol/drug dependency treatment, then that’s where we start. That treatment includes detox

It happens all too often. Just when things start looking up, they disappear. Non-Raiderfan John was thrilled to have a shiny new ID card in his hand, and the next step was updating his insurance to apply for “food stamps” before the trial to have his disability reinstated. The paperwork arrived. I went to his

I managed to find Non-Raiderfan John on my first trip out since the embolisms. I had a rough idea of where he spent his nights and with the help of a few alley-dwellers nearby, I walked right into his “front yard.” He was happy to see me for two reasons: first, I came back—most people

Lying in bed tonight after five nights in two hospitals, I’m really wishing someone had submitted their story for this week’s newsletter. Instead, you get mine. Tuesday afternoon, I went to meet Andrew and Mikayla to record their interview. I realized, as I began the trek, that I had been aiming to do the interview

The problem is that even the most comprehensive homeless services organizations only have limited space. I almost always start by offering a ride to one of the all-inclusive organizations, but oftentimes there are no beds available, and that sucks when you’re barely hanging onto the idea of recovery at all. Without question, the most common