I’ve lived in a lot of states throughout the US; mostly in the suburbs of big cities where most people were all about themselves. Here, it’s 130 miles over the mountains and through the woods to the nearest big city. Until now, never had I experienced living someplace where there was a true sense of community. Not only do the residents consciously support locally owned businesses, but many go out of their way to avoid places and products that are sell-outs, like a local brewery that sold out to AB InBev a few years ago. (I was schooled on that transaction my first week here.) It’s a town where people are kind and supportive. The radio broadcasts information that is of direct importance to us. The local credit union sponsors, among other things, a monthly Pay It Forward award to individuals that help their community. The hospital, the largest employer, is a non-profit. Businesses, small and large, donate to local charities, and there are a lot of them. Due to the massive influx of people, the homeless population is expanding, the women’s shelter is overflowing, and institutions that help people who are struggling to pay their rent and/or utilities, are running out of funds.
I’ve reached a point in my life where I want to spend my remaining years making the world a better place. I want to make a true impact. A year ago, when I settled in Oregon, I was hoping to get a job in a non-profit. Unfortunately, COVID hit shortly after I arrived and jobs became scarce. Not having a degree in something like education, social work, or psychology, made it even more difficult to find employment in a non-profit. Instead, I settled for a receptionist job in a residential property management firm. Supporting owners, many of whom live out of state, that charge outrageous sums for small apartments so they can pay for their third or fourth house, while the people that actually grew up and work here can’t afford to rent, is not my idea of making a positive contribution to society. So it was a rare chance that came along that gave me just such an opportunity. One of the local non-profits, J Bar J Youth Services reached out to us. They had submitted an application for a kid (19 yo) who had been homeless for a couple years at least. Neighbor Impact was going to pay for all but $100 of their rent for a year. A case worker would continue to work with them over the course of the year to help them get a job, a drivers license, and a vehicle so they could be self sufficient by the end of the year. The kid was getting some Social Security that would pay the remaining rent, utilities and food. Could we help?
My boss calls me a bleeding heart and tells me I need to blacken it. I respond that it used to be black and it took me a long time to un-blacken it. Despite her snarky-ness, she supported me 100% in my efforts to get the kid housed. Ultimately, it would be up to the owner to approve the application. Without violating fair housing laws, I told him as much as I could. In the end, he wanted me to meet the person and follow my gut. So I did. The kid was shy and polite, and so excited when I showed him the apartment. My report to the owner was positive and he gave his final seal of approval.
While I’ve done a variety of volunteer work, nothing has filled me with joy like this has. I was so excited to be able to actually use my position to do something impactful. Inspired, I organized a canned food drive for the kid at the small outfit where I work. The generosity of my contributing co-workers was overwhelming. Between six of us, we provided him with enough cleaning supplies, toiletries, paper goods, and food to take care of him for a while. It’s expensive to start from scratch! It didn’t stop there, either. Furnish Hope delivered furniture after he moved in so he wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor and he’d have dishes to eat off. And I have offered to give him some cooking lessons so he isn’t eating junk/fast food all the time.
Too many people feel that homeless people are nothing but eyesores and junkies that need to go away. This was a big learning experience for me and a lesson in compassion about the massive homeless community we have here. Because I’m curious, I asked the case worker a lot of questions and she was happy to share. And the more she shared, the more I cared. Most of these people have mental health issues. One kid she works with suffered a brain injury in a car accident as a kid and has been homeless, with his family, since he was nine years old. Nine! He’s been on his own since he was 16. He smokes a lot of weed because it helps with the constant pain. We can’t help him but my heart aches for him and his family. There are countless versions of this story. It never before occurred to me that many homeless people have been homeless since childhood. When one starts out in life that way it’s nearly impossible to get out of that situation. They can’t get a job without an address and clean clothes, or with a “criminal” record littered with trespassing violations. Because, when you’re homeless, you wander. When you wander, yes, you’ll probably trespass. She also told me of property management companies slamming doors in her face, hanging up on her, or yelling at her. I guess not everyone here is about solidarity.
I think what brought me the most joy was not just helping someone but that I actually saw the work of an entire community come together to make this happen. I’ve always been cynical of charities, believing that I was just contributing to the million dollar salary of the CEO. And for many national organizations that’s not far from the truth. (You can check the top salaries of a non-profit at https://www.charitywatch.org) So this broke down that wall of skepticism for me. If you really think about it, it probably took the contributions of hundreds. From the those that shopped at local businesses that donated to the charities, to the tireless leg work of the various non-profits, the kindness of the owner, and everyone at my work, each person played a part, whether direct or indirect, in getting this kid off the streets and into a home. Maybe we are all just cogs in a wheel but a wheel can’t turn without cogs. It’s proof that when individuals work together they can create real solutions. It’s treating people with dignity and giving them second chances, life skills, and an opportunity to succeed. So please, spend consciously, donate to local charities, help if you can. Be part of the solution. Thanks to the cogs, and the dedication of a few, there’s now one less homeless kid out there.
The Raw Me 