1. ADDICTION 2. MENTAL ILLNESS 3. VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC ABUSE 4. LACK OF INCOME 5. DISABILITY 6. VETS RETURNING 7. RUNAWAYS AND FOSTER KIDS 8. EMOTIONAL STRAIN 9. PRISON RELEASE 10. IMMIGRATION I hate those “list of 10” posts—they seem contrived, like, it has to be ten, not nine, not eleven—ten. Here I am, thinking […]
Why do you think people become homeless in America? Read More »
For protection, I’ll change some of the names. Jose and Miranda are from Venezuela. That should suffice for now. Miranda holds a business degree from the university in her hometown, and Jose is a hard-working man for whom God threw a 20 when He cast the die for charisma. They have two lovely children, Miguel
What’s the worst that could happen? Read More »
The Rillito—a dry riverbed in Tucson. Civilization forced itself upon the desert and sucked the water table so low the rivers ran dry. There’s water underground, sure, but unless there’s enough rainfall to saturate the desert floor, Tucson’s rivers are just strips of sand and whatever has roots deep enough to sustain life. Lots of
Predictability of Consequence 1 — Heraclitus and Tanisha Read More »
I know! It’s so exciting! “What’s changed?” you ask. It’s the possibility of adding other initiatives to the End of the Tunnel project. If this was shared by a friend and you have no idea what I’m talking about, you might want to spend a minute checking out EndoftheTunnel.org first. Now, let me open a
Things have changed Read More »
Politicians have a nasty habit of trying to solve complex problems with one-size-fits-all solutions. If you only look at the title: homelessness, you only see one issue, but these are real people and no two are alike. The individuals are as complex and unique as in any other demographic. That said, sweeps like this aren’t
It started when my husband died. Christopher had a good job as an independent insurance salesman. He worked hard, loved our son and daughters, and desperately loved the outdoors. Malcolm was just a boy of eight. Jessica was fourteen. Barbara was sixteen. She took it the hardest. They used to go everywhere together. He’d invited
Where I went wrong Read More »
“Have you ever made a mistake that’s going to haunt you for the rest of your life?” That’s what Marcus asked me, sitting in a dugout and staring out across the empty diamond into the darkness. He looked about mid-forties. I’d seen him sitting alone, away from the others–the hopefuls are often the ones sitting
There are some harsh realities that people need to understand. One of these is that our decisions have consequences. In the tunnel, just like everywhere else, not everybody seems to understand that. A lot of people do, though, and most people have a story to tell. I meet new people everyday in this effort, and
A day in the life… Read More »
City developers and conservationists have long worked to provide for wildlife threatened by encroaching human expansion. The creation of wildlife corridors allows God’s creatures to coexist with us, minimizing the kind of dangerous interaction that can lead to injury or worse. With the rapid growth of our homeless population, those corridors are gradually becoming home
An Environmental Impact on Urban Areas Read More »
It was a rough day. They pulled a guy out of a storm drain this morning. I guess he thought it was the only way out. The details are a hundred percent rumor and at least three degrees of separation, but I’ll tell you what I’ve heard. Darren (or maybe Darrell) was looking for his