“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1: 2-4
I have to admit that I found this verse through a Google search as I was reflecting on this past month with In Our Backyard. There have been many times that my faith has been tested, my faith in this project, my faith in that we are doing something that is helpful, and my faith that God is guiding us. Maybe the doubt also had to do with all the turmoil in the political state of our country and the almost overbearing weight of the pain in the world…..
However, the month of April has brought many joys for In Our Backyard. The most exciting news is that one of our guests was able to move into permanent housing on April 1st! The guest is a 76-year-old Vietnam Veteran who found himself homeless right near the start of the pandemic. He had been employed since the age of fourteen. One thing we both have in common is that our first official job was scooping ice cream during the summer months! He had an unexpected hospital stay in 2020. By the time he was discharged from the hospital, his apartment building was empty and boarded up. He slept on the streets for a time until it got too cold; then he slept on the courthouse steps telling the officers that he would rather go to jail than die in the cold on the streets. Police officers took him to the hospital to get checked out. After that he was sent to various congregate winter shelters. Unfortunately, those shelters kept getting closed, leaving the residents with nowhere to go. For five years he drifted between congregate and non-congregate shelters. He had different case workers interact with him, but since he had to keep moving to different locations, there was no follow up. He lost his SNAP benefits, Veterans benefits, and Medicaid, mainly because his mail was sent to different addresses. When he moved into a different shelter, his mail was either lost or he received it too late and missed deadlines. He came to In Our Backyard when he was staying at the Cold Weather Shelter on 56th street. A Catholic Social Service (CSS) case manager referred him to In Our Backyard, and he stayed with us for about three months. During that time, he was able to connect with a case manager on a consistent basis, get connected to a case manager from Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF), get his benefits reinstated, and get housing support. With IOBY’s connections with the Fairview Community Council, we were able to find him an apartment in a fourplex in Fairview near the Senior Center. The Veteran’s office provided furniture, and we were able to provide a kitchen start up kit through a donation from a local neighbor. Since moving to his new apartment, we have visited him about once a week and he is very happy.
We were also able to welcome two new guests to IOBY. Both gentlemen are waiting for housing vouchers to come through and for their benefits to be reinstated. With the support of case managers that meet our guests at the site, those important tasks are in the final steps of completion. Volunteers have also been able to take guests to medical appointments that had been long overdue. A guest who has been with us for four and a half months now has a full time job and is actively apartment hunting. He has a housing voucher that allows him to move in as soon as he can find an approved place.
Doubts happen whenever we have had to exit a guest from the program. When a guest is consistently breaking rules, even with compassionate accountability talks, it is inevitable that they will be exited. Questions arise as to what we could have done differently to support the guest, how we could have screened better, what other resources could we have offered to the guest? Reflections are an important part of any program, but ultimately, if a guest is harming themselves or others and refuses to change the behavior, they will be removed from the program and given the opportunity to be housed in a program with more resources. For myself, and others on our Board, this is not an easy task. We have all given time, energy, and prayers helping the guest achieve their goals. The prayers will continue even though that person is taking a different path.
Joy is in the works as new buds are starting to burst open. We have exciting landscaping and gardening plans, a new 12×16 community building planned, and will soon be burying the wastewater line and installing a water line to the site. Thank you to the local Lions club who has been investing time and energy to secure a major Lions Club grant to support these projects.
In Our Backyard was also invited to participate in Anchorage’s Coordinated Response to Homelessness and to present at a meeting on the Mayor’s plan for Micro Units for Recovery Residences. Word is getting out that Central Lutheran and In Our Backyard are actively working to address homelessness in our community!
I recently gave a short update on In Our Backyard at the Alaska Synod Assembly. We were awarded a TEAM grant this past year from the Synod. Thanks to Carol Norquist for submitting the grant application and to retired Bishop Shelly Wickstrom for supporting it.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support.
Loaves & Fishes,
Julie