the vulnerability list

There now exists a list of 100 friends from the streets that are deemed the most vulnerable – those who may die on our streets if they do not receive housing.  Common Ground Santa Barbara, trained by the 100khomes campaign, has initiated the process of determining the most vulnerable and began the chase to create a county wide “housing first” model.  We are still working through the kinks, because not everyone will be willing to house first it seems, but still the pursuit is on…

Common Ground SB (basically now a core vision team of three with other volunteers and sub-committees) is a grass root movement seeking new support and leadership by partnering with the county wide ten year plan – BOCH.  Plans and discussions are still in the works.

It seems to me both completely possible yet quite fanatical to think it is even a long shot that it can be done.

But for too long local homelessness has been a problem handed off to someone other than you.  That’s right, you.

Yes funds are being cut.  Seems to everyone a huge increase in the amount of mentally ill on the streets while street outreach is cut.  Clearly the job market is tough for everyone, so how does someone homeless have a chance?  Yes, there is injustice in the system and that needs to be addressed.

But we can’t give the problem to someone else.

I find myself committed to people on the streets through the work of our Christian Associates team at Pershing Park every Wednesday.  I am committed to our vision of a holistically healthy West Side as we work within apartment complexes.  And then I say, “go ahead and add another 15 hours a week via Common Ground?”  While my sensibilities say that it is not something I can do, I am not willing to hand the problem to someone else.

This week I have a couple of meetings as we develop a training program for faith communities to enter in, be trained, and support people as they are housed.  I am setting up appointments with churches to see if they want in, and so far response for the most part has been positive.

In the meetings with local politicians and professionals, I remind them that while this is their issue, we can no longer just count on them.  It is a community wide issue, the community needs to be in this.  I don’t expect anyone can do it alone – it will take a well oiled coalition.  A major part of this coalition will be normal people like me and you.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, it is the average guy who does something about it.  We can argue about whether it is the right thing or not later (not sure if he was even trained?) – but there was this initiative within him of both love and hard work.  Sorry that Common Ground has to come in and interrupt you – but there are dually diagnosed sick friends on the street in a similar condition who day in and day out find that people pass on by…

We did everything wrong when we started our meal sharing at the library which moved to Alameda and then multiplied to Pershing Park.  Not everyone likes our pot luck gig for various reasons still.  But the facts are that through a simple thing like a meal sharing people have found relationships that have led some back home, to detox, into housing.  It is grass root, messy, imperfect, risky, beautiful…

Come into the grass root, messy, imperfect, risky, beautiful and walk with us as we house the most vulnerable.