Diving in Headfirst in Everyday Ramblings

It finally stopped raining yesterday afternoon and I was able to get out and stroll around the neighborhood, after the snow and endless rain it is a boon to be able to just go outside. There are these little succulent gardens all around and the light was good for this one. I did get a shot of crocus shoots. And this morning out again, the first ever so small early daffodil bud under some leaf mulch. The snowdrop shoots aren’t up yet, at least where I know the bulbs are round here.

The winter storm watch is gone, the flood and wind watches and advisories are gone. It is a true break in the action. Not that the sun is out or anything and the ground is still wet. No one here is wearing masks outside or social distancing outside even though our Covid case counts are through the roof.

I taught all my classes this week. They are much smaller. Several people are sick. Now that I think of it, four of my students that I know of are sick. My voice benefited from the holiday break, but I am still working on it. Talking for over an hour still needs work.

On Wednesday I watched a Zoom presentation by a couple of folks who are responsible for this new 376 bed transitional housing project for those without a safe place to live north in the city.

There is much strife and mystery around the building that was created as a correctional facility. It cost millions to build and then was never opened. It has been sitting empty for many years. It has an industrial kitchen, fully outfitted, a medical wing, a vocational center and common rooms and dorms with bunkbeds for men and women. There are no facilities for families at this point.

They have a garden, which residents are encouraged to volunteer in. They are building a 28-slot kennel for dogs with a vet on call. They have a data bank that Dell volunteers set up to triage the needs of the folks coming in to help transition them back out into the wider community. They have offers of employment for residents from Columbia Sportswear up the street. A relationship with the local elementary school.

It is currently being leased for $1 a year to a non-profit Christian (of the born-again recovery variety) organization that is run by a former Meth addict who was houseless for the better part of 23 years, when he wasn’t in jail. His story was extremely compelling to the well-healed over educated church women watching the presentation. The leaseholder is a scion of one of the wealthiest families here who bought the property from the county and was going to tear it down.

He offered it to the non-profit with $1 million if they could match that. $1.2 million was donated to our United Way by McKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’s ex (so… dispensation of some Amazon profits) and the head of United Way jumped ship and took the money with her to be on the board of this place.

None of us knew anything about this. They are asking for volunteers on every level, teaching classes, helping in the kennel, the garden, cleaning… and I think that is awesome.

The community here has been so desperate to help these people, 30% with already diagnosed mental illness and a huge proportion with brains addled by the rigors of trying to survive and often drugs. This is an opportunity to bring them together instead of in opposition with the crime and endless trash.

They are not making anything having to do with their evangelical mindset a condition of receiving services. It is more an attract by example method.

By all the deities watching over us, I hope this works and people get helped and can make the transition to independent living with their basic needs met with dignity and grace. It is a huge gamble. But we need to do something, and no one seems to know what our Metro is doing with all the tax funds raised for services to move people into supported housing right now.

There is going to be no lack of drama here as I make my dive into local government and voter support. :)

For now though, I am grateful I can get out and about and clingy as Diego is, he is having a good day and I have heat and hot water and a safe comfortable place to be.

Last updated January 09, 2022