[Grovenet] September 5th Council Meeting

[Eric Canon]

I want to extend to all interested grovenuts an
invitation to make a difference in the lives of
some of your neighbors. Please consider joining
some of us as we go before the Washington County
Board of Commissioners and present four checks to
the counties four family shelters. We will do
this on Sept. 5th at 10AM in the council chambers
in Hillsboro.

As you may have read, a small group of us have
met since January with the intent of learning
more about homelessness. Was it true that the
homeless were lazy, drunk and male? To be sure,
some are. However, what we found out is that the
average age of a homeless person is twelve. That
fact certainly caused us to re-examine our views
of the problem.

In Washington County we have four family
shelters. Combined they have about 105 temporary
bed spaces. They take only clean and sober
families. Anyone else is turned away. And, they
serve one in ten who need assistance. All have
long waiting lists of people who have no home.

In the face of such a need, due to the failure of
the safety levy in 2004, shelters faced a
$90.000. cut in their funding for 2006. 

Our group was overwhelmed at first by these
figures. What could we possible do to lend a
helping hand? After many meetings and reviewing
much data we decided to do three things:

1) We would raise as much money as we could to
pass along to these four shelters which do such
heroic work with people who wind up on the
street.

2) Wo would attempt to share with our community
the true "face" of homelessness. The image most
of us have of a homeless person is wrong. If the
truth about this came out, people would be much
more likely to respond to these people who are so
desperate.

3) We would band together with other houses of
faith in the county to speak with one voice on
this issue.

To date, we have raised, primarily with an appeal
to Washington County Churches, over $7000. The
checks to the shelters we present next Tuesday
will be the first installment of what our
campaign hopes to raise. The campaign will
continue until December. Those gathered at the
presentation will wear buttons with the number
twelve to remind us all of the age of an average
homeless person.

One in ten families in Washington County live at
or below the poverty line. Those in housing are
one medical bill or one lost job from the street.
Imagine, if you will, what you would feel if you
were in such a situation. Then imagine how you
would find a job if your home was a car. No
address. No shower. To me, that would be utter
desperation. Then add children.

The shelters, after testing for drugs, give such
a family up to three months to get back on their
feet. In addition to a bed and a shower, they
provide financial counseling and job advice.
Shelters, with their very limited funding, can't
offer much, but people come out of shelter
assistance as contributing citizens, eager to
make a go of it. To me, shelters help all of us.
They would be there for all of us when there is a
need, were they adequately funded.

Please join us on the fifth at 10AM at 155 North
First Avenue in Hillsboro in the council chambers
for this presentation. Help change the face of
homelessness, and show your support for our
neighbors who need help. Vote "Yes!" for the
safety levy in November. It primarily funds
police and jails, but there is money for the
shelters as well. And, if you can, send a check
to the Bridging the Gap Campaign at:

Community Housing Fund
3700 SW Murray Blvd.
Suite 190
Beaverton, Oregon 97005

A poster is available here for posting in your
church or place of work:

http://www.webmedleysb.com/media/media-141878.pdf

If you'd like to read more about homelessness, go
here for two articles on homelessness:

http://www.foreigninterest.com/html/homelessness2.html