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Last week, we posted about Judy’s new apartment. She is settling in wonderfully in her furnished apartment, but she could use some help acquiring some basics, such as bedsheets. We’ve put together a wish list with Judy, and she would greatly appreciate any help in acquiring these simple items! If you are able to help her out, please call Stephanie or Roy at 202-338-8301 or bring donations to GMC Monday-Friday between 8am and 5pm.

Judy’s Wish List

• bed sheets (full) and a blanket
• dishes (bowl, plate, mug) and silverware
• a sponge, dish soap, and a dishtowel
• all-purpose cleaner (like Fantastik or 409)
• 4 lightbulbs

Last winter, it looked like we were finally going to get Judy, one of our longtime guests, into housing. We found her two places she could live, and everything looked good: applications accepted, interviews passed. All that was left was for Judy to say yes to one of the housing options. Then, at the last minute, Judy told us, “Thank you, but no thanks.”

Everyone who knew Judy was sad and confused. Why would someone go through this entire process only to walk away at the last minute? Still, we didn’t give up hope. Roy, our Outreach Director and Case Manager, worked steadily with the Department of Human Services to get Judy into housing. And finally, this past Monday, Judy signed her lease.

Judy came back to visit us a few days after she moved in and was so excited. The best moment was when she turned to us and said:

I never thought of me and success together, but man, you can now consider me a success!

We are happy and proud of Judy, but must also give major kudos to Roy, who drove Judy to and from many apartment showings and meetings with DHS, and who never gave up hope that we could get Judy a place of her own. People like Judy motivate us to keep trying and persisting, day after day. Congratulations, Judy!

What is it going to take to end homelessness in the US?

Jean-Michel Giraud, Executive Director of Friendship Place, recently published a great blog post in the Huffington Post that stressed the importance of working together to make positive changes in the world. He realistically states that homelessness is not likely to become extinct, and that the focus should not be to end homelessness, but rather to strengthen the system to shorten the period of homelessness. How? By offering a strong support system that can get people back into housing that they can stay in. Giraud stresses:

This should start at home — right here in Washington, D.C., where more than 220 homeless families were housed in motel rooms at the peak of hypothermia season this past winter. […]

So the solution is to build strong homeless services networks. One of the things I like about the notion of “building” is that you can do it one brick at a time. This means that, even in hard times, you can lay a brick down — no matter how small — and grow the system at large toward a better day for people on the street. At the risk of overdoing the whole brick metaphor, another thing I like about it is that the bricks don’t all have to look the same and it’s really up to each one of us and each community empowering homeless people to find new and effective ways to solve homelessness, even if we have to split our bricks and rub our pennies together to do so.

Great words that are applicable for any problem. We are all part of the solution. Every little bit helps, whether it’s donating towels and toothbrushes to GMC, attending a Help the Homeless fundraiser, or lobbying against budget cuts to homeless services.

Last Friday, a group of six MBA interns from Danaher Corporation gave Georgetown Ministry Center four hours of their time and knowledge to assist us with any business/administrative obstacles we were facing. We experienced what was probably the most productive four hours we’ve ever had. On the agenda: a road map to success for our members; tracking and reporting metrics; and strengthening GMC in all aspects.

We couldn’t have asked for a better or smarter group of volunteers. Andrew, Bryce, Danish, Fiete, Jake, and Trip were organized, focused, and worked cohesively together. We started out the morning creating a road map to success for our members that begins with engaging an individual and ends with housing.¹ The group also created a spreadsheet dashboard for us to keep track of just about everything: case management, grant applications, volunteer hours, social media analytics. We learned so much and felt so energized and excited after working with them.

Thank you so much, Andrew, Bryce, Danish, Fiete, Jake, and Trip! We hope you’ll come back to visit soon!

¹ But it doesn’t end there! We also try to keep in touch and provide supportive services to those we are able to get into housing.

At Georgetown Ministry Center, we talk about community a lot. There’s the community and camaraderie in the center, and there’s our relationship with the Georgetown community, which varies from love and support to frustration and resentment. We do our best to strengthen our community by bridging gaps of understanding and communication, whether we are attending Block by Block meet and greets or inviting members of the community into our center to meet our awesome guests.

At this week’s house meeting, Officer Atkins from the Metropolitan Police Department came in to meet and speak with our guests. It was our most well-attended house meeting to date; even those who usually don’t participate in our weekly house meetings came into the room to hear what Officer Atkins had to say.

In addition to encouraging our guests to introduce themselves to his fellow officers, Officer Atkins had his captive audience discuss panhandling laws and define “agressive panhandling” to each other. He also pushed our guests not to leave their bags unattended, as it uses a lot of time and resources when authorities have to examine suspicious bags. Some of our guests had no idea that the FBI, canine unit, and bomb squad all respond to calls in which their bag might be the focus.

Above all of his talking points, Officer Atkins stressed that we, whether we have a house or not, are all part of the same community, and that this community is only as strong and cohesive as we choose to make it. He urged everyone report suspicious activity, understand where others are coming from, and to reach out to those in need.