Reflections from the front lines serving people experiencing homelessness in the Phoenix transition to spring with unpredictable swings in temperature and wind gusts, the number of daylight hours extending gradually, the Arizona legislature in action, and the Federal government causing uncertainty every single day.

 

Frequent readers know I’m usually direct and vulnerable in this space, with a balance of not revealing all my innermost thoughts and feelings, especially those that are partisan. It’s a tricky place to be in, leading a social impact organization that relies on both private and public funding. We weigh the consequences of our actions, how much risk are we willing to take knowing that dollars may stop flowing to programs and services if we/I say the ‘wrong’ thing.

With all honesty, it’s been a struggle for me to start writing today. I had “blog” entry written on my calendar over the last two days, thinking I would start early to avoid losing sleep the night of the deadline. Each time I started looking at a blank page, I thought to myself, ” I can’t.” I can’t do it. I cannot write. I cannot pretend to be positive. I cannot rally with witty remarks or an inspiring cheer.

And another part of me speaks up to say there is no “can’t” – maybe it’s difficult. And maybe it’s not going to be a cheery, rosy blog. It’s not a time to be silent though. Too much is at stake.

The shelter spaces on Key Campus continue to be full. As I reported in February, the overflow spaces will close June 1 due to the end of funding. And there is good news! St. Vincent de Paul will be able to continue some capacity June through September as “heat relief.” That is their story to share. For us at Keys to Change, it is a reprieve – knowing that all capacity won’t disappear as the heat of summer intensifies. The St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room will offer a continuation of indoor, overnight shelter through the hottest part of the year. Yay!

The Keys to Change Street Outreach team counted a total of 598 unsheltered individuals this morning in the neighborhood around Key Campus and the surrounding radius. This is an increase of 52 people since last week. Fact.

While there is little to no change in our programs and services, there is an undercurrent of questioning, of anticipation that bad things are going to happen. There is a lack of optimism.

As with other historical dynamics, I suspect that the effects on homelessness services and an increase in the numbers of people who experience homelessness will lag. A likely accumulation will occur as changes roll out, for example with a reduction in refugee resettlement programs, we expect to see more people who used those services to show up seeking homeless services. And then it may be a change to food assistance or healthcare coverage, that may lead people to choose how to spend their income differently…do I buy food or pay for my prescribed medication? This leads to economic instability. Housing instability often follows.

Systems are unstable. And there is no Superman or Wonder Woman watching and waiting to swoop in and save us.

Last month I wrote about a human train wreck. Each week since then I sense an acceleration of the trains, a ripping up of the tracks. There is a screeching of wheels, the steel on steel. There is a roar of combustion. There is no superhero wearing a cape.

It would be easy for me to put my head down and tune out the train wreck and to concentrate on Keys to Change, to trust that elected officials will figure things out. To trust that they have the greater good top of mind, and that they will fight even though their political futures may be at risk. It would be safe for me to be quiet, to fall in line.

Being safe will not lead to urgency.

We serve people who are the most invisible, those who are most silenced already. They trust that we are fighting for them. It’s our moral imperative to keep focused on solutions to homelessness, to lift up the solutions that work, and to share the raw data that shows who is experiencing homelessness and how it can be prevented. Our values haven’t changed, and our values are not to be dictated.

Through all the change and chaos, those of us who believe ending homelessness is possible must stick together. This is not a time to hunker down and insulate to protect one organization or one population. Survival and success through this time period will be tied to collaboration.

I can. I can write. I can share. I can lay bare the vulnerabilities and ask those who want to battle through and rebuild on the other side join us.