WEBVTT 00:00:01.154 --> 00:00:08.847 - I'm really excited about this panel that we're going to be hearing from today. These are folks who are 00:00:08.847 --> 00:00:16.315 - in our community, have a specific perspective. As Tatiana talked about earlier today, a perspective 00:00:16.315 --> 00:00:24.008 - is really helpful to inform the work that we're all doing to build housing security and strengthen our 00:00:24.008 --> 00:00:25.950 - community and our region. 00:00:26.850 --> 00:00:36.284 - I will start out by introducing the panelist moderator, Erin Reynolds Nyland, who is Heading Home's 00:00:36.284 --> 00:00:45.246 - Housing Solutions Director. Let's give it up for Erin. Erin will be introducing the panelists. 00:00:46.626 --> 00:00:54.925 - Hi everybody, thank you so much for being here today. I have the distinct pleasure of moderating this 00:00:54.925 --> 00:01:03.387 - panel and getting to elevate the voices of people who have experienced the most extreme housing crisis. 00:01:03.387 --> 00:01:11.930 - So without further ado, I would like to invite Mandy New, William Corbin, and Angie Reed up to the stage 00:01:11.930 --> 00:01:13.150 - with me today. 00:01:38.370 --> 00:01:44.768 - All righty, so I mean, I think we've heard it a bunch today already, and most of us, I think, know and 00:01:44.768 --> 00:01:51.103 - believe that and apply it to our practice is that we're the experts in our own lives. Nobody knows us 00:01:51.103 --> 00:01:57.501 - and the path that we've been on better than ourselves. And so when experiencing a whole housing crisis 00:01:57.501 --> 00:02:03.899 - like homelessness, unless you've lived it, you don't know what it's like. So we need to make sure that 00:02:03.899 --> 00:02:07.998 - our policies and how we practice are informing what the real life 00:02:08.290 --> 00:02:17.599 - experiences of people experiencing homelessness or are in a housing crisis. So we have three community 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:26.818 - members here with us today to help us understand what kind of perspectives need to be involved in our 00:02:26.818 --> 00:02:36.308 - housing policies. So if each of you would like to take a moment to describe your experience and handling 00:02:36.308 --> 00:02:38.206 - your housing crisis, 00:02:38.338 --> 00:02:46.997 - In terms of that, what do you wish more people understood about those facing a housing crisis? 00:02:46.997 --> 00:02:56.477 - First of all, thank you all for coming. We appreciate everything that you do. It's easy to look at this 00:02:56.477 --> 00:03:05.683 - as numbers on a ledger instead of seeing us as people. And I thank you for the opportunity to see us 00:03:05.683 --> 00:03:06.686 - as people. 00:03:08.482 --> 00:03:16.207 - For the outreach program caseworkers who are out there in the field, they're the ones that are the true 00:03:16.207 --> 00:03:23.636 - soldiers. They're the ones who inspire us, kick us in the rear when we need it, and basically there 00:03:23.636 --> 00:03:27.870 - for our support. So I'd like to thank them specifically. 00:03:37.506 --> 00:03:46.992 - I think that becoming unhoused is not something that anybody ever dreams that could happen. And being 00:03:46.992 --> 00:03:56.849 - that I camped the entire time that I was unhoused for two and a half years. And the resources were there, 00:03:56.849 --> 00:04:07.358 - but they weren't always easily accessible. Because not having a vehicle or transportation and not having a phone 00:04:07.650 --> 00:04:19.722 - or not having the ability to get to the places that I needed to get to to gain the knowledge and the 00:04:19.722 --> 00:04:31.795 - attention to detail the things that I needed to know to become housed again. It was really hard. And 00:04:31.795 --> 00:04:37.054 - I think that if you've never been unhoused, 00:04:38.082 --> 00:04:44.138 - It's something that a lot of people take for granted, that you know you're going to have electricity. 00:04:44.138 --> 00:04:50.194 - You know you're going to have a bed. You know you're going to have food in your refrigerator and food 00:04:50.194 --> 00:04:56.250 - in your belly. But for people that are in the house, we don't have that. We don't know where our next 00:04:56.250 --> 00:05:02.247 - meal is going to come from. We don't know where our next shower is going to come from. We don't know 00:05:02.247 --> 00:05:07.294 - if we're going to be warm or if we're going to be cold. And it makes it really hard. 00:05:07.490 --> 00:05:16.350 - We have community members that look down upon us because we don't have that or because we aren't able 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:25.036 - to obtain it as easily. It makes it really, really hard. But with being able to get to where I'm at 00:05:25.036 --> 00:05:32.766 - now, it's given me a lot of grace and made me a lot more humble than where I was before. 00:05:34.210 --> 00:05:43.471 - I'm hearing not knowing is a huge, whether resources or what the next couple hours are gonna look like. 00:05:43.471 --> 00:05:52.553 - Yeah, Mandy, what about you? Just because you see an unhoused person doesn't necessarily mean they're 00:05:52.553 --> 00:06:00.478 - a bad person and that they're not willing or wanting or deserving of a change or a home. 00:06:00.610 --> 00:06:10.407 - Like she said, maybe they just don't know how to put certain steps into action or how to begin. And 00:06:10.407 --> 00:06:20.303 - so they just need a little guidance. Housing is hard. Housing is hard to navigate. And you just need 00:06:20.303 --> 00:06:30.590 - someone, even one, to show you the way. Absolutely. So in terms of finding the way and when things start 00:06:30.914 --> 00:06:40.467 - coming to fruition, what kinds of supports made a meaningful difference in your journey to becoming 00:06:40.467 --> 00:06:50.116 - housed? It's the person that gives you the support, not just the knowledge, but actually emotionally 00:06:50.116 --> 00:06:57.854 - connects with the person they're trying to help. Again, they see me as a person. 00:06:58.946 --> 00:07:09.345 - And I haven't felt that for a long time. And this is my way of saying thank you to all of you, because 00:07:09.345 --> 00:07:19.643 - without you, our lives would be a lot worse off. And is there more that can be done? Yes. But showing 00:07:19.643 --> 00:07:26.206 - up here, that's half of the battle right there. Yeah. Thank you. 00:07:29.058 --> 00:07:39.556 - I have one situation that's a little different than my fellow panelists. I'm a veteran. So my resources 00:07:39.556 --> 00:07:50.054 - seem to extend a little bit farther than what they had available to them. But I still, I totally forgot 00:07:50.054 --> 00:07:59.038 - what the question was. Sorry. What kinds of support made a meaningful difference to you? 00:07:59.394 --> 00:08:06.744 - having case managers on your side, having community members that were willing to step up when you're 00:08:06.744 --> 00:08:14.239 - having a really bad day and somebody sees that and they're like, hey, here's 20 bucks, go get you some 00:08:14.239 --> 00:08:21.952 - food or they bring you a meal or they just are willing to sit down and chat with you and talk you through 00:08:21.952 --> 00:08:27.774 - maybe one of the hardest times of your life. The community doesn't realize what 00:08:27.938 --> 00:08:40.626 - an impact they can have on someone in the hardest time of their life. We don't realize that people reach 00:08:40.626 --> 00:08:52.831 - out without really reaching out. And when a kind word is given or a hug is given or a simple gesture 00:08:52.831 --> 00:08:56.094 - of just being acknowledged 00:08:56.642 --> 00:09:05.042 - that we're not invisible, that we're actually seen, makes all the difference in the world. I'm hearing 00:09:05.042 --> 00:09:13.196 - so far a theme is people. Yeah. Anything you'd like to add, Wendy? Definitely people. My situation, 00:09:13.196 --> 00:09:18.334 - yeah, was different too. I was overcoming addiction as well as 00:09:18.626 --> 00:09:27.630 - Oh, I was sorry. I was overcoming addiction as well as homelessness. My support was one person that 00:09:27.630 --> 00:09:36.903 - constantly and consistently showed up for me and belief. That person believed in me even when I didn't 00:09:36.903 --> 00:09:46.087 - believe in myself. And that gave me the confidence in myself to keep moving forward. Human connection 00:09:46.087 --> 00:09:48.158 - is extremely powerful. 00:09:48.290 --> 00:09:55.508 - It doesn't matter if you know them. It's acknowledging their existence, because we're all people. 00:09:55.508 --> 00:10:01.694 - Thank you, guys. Yeah. So I'm curious. I mean, we're sitting here, and you guys are 00:10:03.138 --> 00:10:09.381 - You're experts. And we all have strengths. And we have built teams based on each other's strengths. 00:10:09.381 --> 00:10:15.623 - And we get through things based off of what we have internal to ourselves. So what did you rely on? 00:10:15.623 --> 00:10:22.116 - What kind of strengths did you rely on that people might not have seen? What were you working with that 00:10:22.116 --> 00:10:23.614 - you knew you had going? 00:10:28.034 --> 00:10:38.412 - My situation is a bit differently. I always thought I was doing the right thing, preparing for the worst, 00:10:38.412 --> 00:10:48.300 - hoping for the best. But it took just one bad day, followed by one bad decision. And then I realized 00:10:48.300 --> 00:10:54.174 - everybody's in that position. I'm still a work in progress. 00:10:56.258 --> 00:11:07.624 - I don't use the word normality anymore because they keep changing the goalpost on that. I prefer stability. 00:11:07.624 --> 00:11:18.464 - And thanks to organizations such as yours, I'm getting to that point where I can stand on my own. It's 00:11:18.464 --> 00:11:21.726 - just reaching out and helping. 00:11:22.690 --> 00:11:30.060 - and knowing when to reach out and acknowledge that, you know, I can't do this by myself and I need some 00:11:30.060 --> 00:11:37.146 - extra, I need some knowledge. I don't know what to do. Like, that's asking for help is, you know, I 00:11:37.146 --> 00:11:44.516 - think people always say that is the hardest part, right? Yes. I know for me that I have failed at many, 00:11:44.516 --> 00:11:51.602 - many, many attempts to get sober and clean, which I've finally succeeded at. It's taken a long time 00:11:51.602 --> 00:11:52.382 - for me to, 00:11:52.642 --> 00:12:03.197 - overcome bad decisions and bad choices doesn't mean I'm a bad person. It just means I made decisions 00:12:03.197 --> 00:12:13.647 - that led me down a really dark path. And with the support of certain people like Allison and people 00:12:13.647 --> 00:12:20.126 - from my church and people from other organizations, they have 00:12:20.386 --> 00:12:27.957 - made such a huge difference in my life that I'm finally able to stand on my own two feet again and be 00:12:27.957 --> 00:12:35.453 - stronger than I was three years ago when I became homeless and leaving situations of abuse and a lot 00:12:35.453 --> 00:12:43.395 - of self doubt and a lot of self hatred. And I'm finally able to say, hey, I like myself again and learning 00:12:43.395 --> 00:12:49.630 - to love myself again. And that way I can make a difference in somebody else's life. 00:12:50.498 --> 00:13:01.905 - Like, you all are making a difference by being here today, because it shows that you care, which means 00:13:01.905 --> 00:13:13.201 - more than you know. Yeah, like he said, reaching out for help was hard for me. But when I finally did 00:13:13.201 --> 00:13:19.070 - admit I needed help and reached out, help was there. 00:13:19.810 --> 00:13:30.386 - paying it forward for me. When people reach out, it's my strength. That's how I give back. That's how 00:13:30.386 --> 00:13:39.614 - I stay strong now, both in my sobriety and in my community. I think it's a common theme. 00:13:40.098 --> 00:13:47.234 - I'm really good at that. Who can say? I am the best of the best, and I've made it, and I've done all 00:13:47.234 --> 00:13:54.511 - the things. I think patting ourselves on the back is very hard. But I think the fact that you guys are 00:13:54.511 --> 00:14:01.718 - here today. Resilience plays a big part. Resilience is, yeah. So I don't know if you guys heard that. 00:14:01.718 --> 00:14:09.278 - Angie said resilience plays a huge part in being able to wake up and show up and do it all over again, not 00:14:09.442 --> 00:14:18.558 - Maybe knowing what, if it's going to play out the same way, or the unknown is really hard, and you have 00:14:18.558 --> 00:14:27.498 - to be resilient within that unknown. Amazing. So was there a moment when you felt like things started 00:14:27.498 --> 00:14:36.614 - to feel positive again, or possible again? What led to that moment of feeling things are coming around? 00:14:36.614 --> 00:14:38.718 - Things are like, I can. 00:14:39.042 --> 00:14:51.185 - I can achieve this. I can be housed. I can do this. When did that feel possible? Well, I was homeless 00:14:51.185 --> 00:15:03.209 - for four years. And it took what she said, resilience. You have to have that. I always tried to keep 00:15:03.209 --> 00:15:04.638 - in my lane. 00:15:05.122 --> 00:15:13.931 - I knew things were possible. I knew the organizations were out there to render aid. I just didn't know 00:15:13.931 --> 00:15:23.167 - how to make contact with them. Fortunately, I went to an event affair that was held over at the switchyard. 00:15:23.167 --> 00:15:32.318 - And I met a caseworker from heading home. Can I mention her by name? Sure. Rosalind Doyle. She's my angel. 00:15:33.058 --> 00:15:43.861 - She didn't put up with any of my gruff. She encouraged me and motivated me and at times said, you got 00:15:43.861 --> 00:15:55.511 - to do this. But I needed that. And she knew that I needed that. That's when I realized what the possibilities 00:15:55.511 --> 00:16:02.078 - were. I think for me, being able to reconnect with my family. 00:16:03.298 --> 00:16:10.913 - and reconnect with my children and my grandchildren. Once I became housed temporarily, I became housed 00:16:10.913 --> 00:16:18.601 - in an apartment that, and being able to be more active in their life made me want to move ahead farther 00:16:18.601 --> 00:16:25.994 - and farther. And being now that I'm able to be a part of their life, and I have two new grandbabies 00:16:25.994 --> 00:16:32.574 - that are due one due in May and one due in August, and I get to be a part of their life. 00:16:33.346 --> 00:16:40.180 - and continuing. And, you know, I want that. I want, I don't want to have that, that faded, you know, 00:16:40.180 --> 00:16:47.081 - be in the faded background of that life. And I want to be a part of my parents' life and be there for 00:16:47.081 --> 00:16:53.847 - them as they get older and know that they can rely on me. And I don't want them to feel like, well, 00:16:53.847 --> 00:17:00.613 - we can't rely on her because she's not stable. So those are things that help keep me grounded in my 00:17:00.613 --> 00:17:02.846 - day to day now that allow me to, 00:17:03.458 --> 00:17:13.978 - keep that aha moment of, yes, I'm finally in a place where, yes, I can improve, but so can everybody 00:17:13.978 --> 00:17:24.914 - in their life. But I'm comfortable with where I'm at. And I'm just going to keep striving to keep moving 00:17:24.914 --> 00:17:33.246 - forward. Thanks for me. There was kind of a moment where things finally started 00:17:33.826 --> 00:17:46.185 - to feel like they were paying off and gaining momentum. It was when a very patient and kind case manager 00:17:46.185 --> 00:17:59.486 - that I had at New Hope sat with me like at the ready at section eight open time and clicked repeatedly apply and 00:17:59.618 --> 00:18:07.471 - I was finally accepted for the Section 8 waiting list and then accepted onto Section 8. And everything 00:18:07.471 --> 00:18:15.247 - started kind of moving forward after that. And it felt doable after that. And everything kind of felt 00:18:15.247 --> 00:18:22.871 - like this is what all of this was for. This is what I was doing all of this for. And since then, it 00:18:22.871 --> 00:18:28.894 - was like everything started moving towards a positive direction, being housed. 00:18:29.698 --> 00:18:40.354 - Having my own place and just everything after that. Taking care of my own yard, even though I grumble 00:18:40.354 --> 00:18:50.905 - about it sometimes. All of the things, all of the things, since that moment have just been great. So 00:18:50.905 --> 00:18:57.278 - that was my moment. I'm just sitting with that for a second. 00:18:59.170 --> 00:19:07.541 - I'm hearing a lot of connection. And I'm also hearing opportunity. And those opportunities aren't just 00:19:07.541 --> 00:19:15.830 - stumbled upon if you're not aware of what, like we said, the resources are. If we don't know where to 00:19:15.830 --> 00:19:24.526 - start, there's always opportunity. But how do we know how to capitalize on it? And it takes encouragement. 00:19:24.526 --> 00:19:27.614 - And it takes people to encourage you. 00:19:27.746 --> 00:19:35.784 - don't feel like you want to, or you just need the extra push. We talk all the time. My case managers 00:19:35.784 --> 00:19:43.902 - and I, I think just in general, we talk about how relationships are so important, because we don't do 00:19:43.902 --> 00:19:52.020 - anything by ourselves. I mean, if you live by yourself, you still have a community of people that you 00:19:52.020 --> 00:19:56.158 - use to charge your battery and your social battery. 00:19:56.482 --> 00:20:05.570 - and connect with. None of us do anything alone. We are social people. And I think that we need to recognize 00:20:05.570 --> 00:20:14.489 - we all do things in support of one another and with that encouragement, because we're just social people. 00:20:14.489 --> 00:20:22.988 - And we really rely on the support of others. And it's great to be independent and say that I did the 00:20:22.988 --> 00:20:26.270 - whole thing myself, but what does that 00:20:26.434 --> 00:20:36.670 - What does that really get us? Curious about what are some ways you feel like community members can show 00:20:36.670 --> 00:20:46.808 - up as better supporters and allies for people who are experiencing a housing crisis? Form a connection 00:20:46.808 --> 00:20:56.158 - with somebody. You normally wouldn't. Get to know them. Get to know us. Ask us how our day is. 00:20:56.386 --> 00:21:10.477 - how we're feeling. Engage. That's the best thing you can do to start off with. Just engage with someone. 00:21:10.477 --> 00:21:24.702 - You normally wouldn't. I think that being open-minded and knowing that everybody's situation is different 00:21:25.698 --> 00:21:32.772 - what your situation may be might be different than my situation, what your situation may be is going 00:21:32.772 --> 00:21:40.336 - to be different than my situation. And knowing that going into meeting somebody or trying to help somebody, 00:21:40.336 --> 00:21:47.550 - you can't be close minded and be judgmental because if you're that way, then you're going to push that 00:21:47.550 --> 00:21:54.974 - other person away or you're going to push possibilities away that could help both of you in the long run. 00:21:55.426 --> 00:22:05.928 - or even in short term. So just being open-minded and being empathetic and compassionate to knowing that 00:22:05.928 --> 00:22:16.126 - there's going to be setbacks. But with each setback comes progress. Even regardless how small it is, 00:22:16.126 --> 00:22:25.214 - even the smallest steps, it's still progress. And change will come and you'll see a smile 00:22:26.274 --> 00:22:34.347 - on that person's face. And just knowing that you can make even the smallest difference is, it warms 00:22:34.347 --> 00:22:42.663 - your heart. I think kind of building on what both of them said, reach out to someone. And just because 00:22:42.663 --> 00:22:50.898 - they don't necessarily want to talk to you today, it doesn't mean that they won't want to talk to you 00:22:50.898 --> 00:22:55.742 - tomorrow. Or just because they say, I don't need your help, 00:22:56.258 --> 00:23:07.712 - today doesn't mean that tomorrow they won't. Just be patient. Be patient with people. And practice gratitude 00:23:07.712 --> 00:23:18.325 - in your own life. Very well said. Thank you, guys. From your perspective, what systems, health care, 00:23:18.325 --> 00:23:26.206 - housing, businesses, those kind of systems, what's working well right now? 00:23:31.618 --> 00:23:39.238 - Me personally, I want to get off the assistance. I want to get to, I know I need it now, but I'm looking 00:23:39.238 --> 00:23:46.641 - forward to the day when I can contribute more than I'm taking. I'm glad that they're there. Could the 00:23:46.641 --> 00:23:54.189 - systems run a little bit smoother? Yeah, but every system can be said about that. As far as healthcare, 00:23:54.189 --> 00:24:01.374 - every three months I get a letter that says we need to re-examine your application for healthcare. 00:24:02.722 --> 00:24:10.147 - Usually it hasn't changed, but fortunately I am now employed and hopefully my employer will have that 00:24:10.147 --> 00:24:17.499 - problem. But it's getting to the point where I'm getting more stable and more on my own feet. So the 00:24:17.499 --> 00:24:24.997 - systems are there. You just, like I said, you have to know how to work with them and let them know you 00:24:24.997 --> 00:24:27.326 - don't want to be on it forever. 00:24:33.410 --> 00:24:42.265 - For me, I have the VA, and Health Net has been my biggest supporter besides the VA. Allison has been 00:24:42.265 --> 00:24:51.383 - in my quarter since day one that I met her. She has given me rides. She has pushed me to do things that 00:24:51.383 --> 00:25:00.062 - I'm not comfortable with and helped me make changes in my life that have been much needed and much 00:25:02.050 --> 00:25:11.627 - they're deserved for the things that I've done. And sometimes it feels like I'm just pushing against 00:25:11.627 --> 00:25:21.204 - myself to get where I need to be and I'm my own worst enemy. But with the organizations and with the 00:25:21.204 --> 00:25:30.686 - community that has been helping, I wouldn't be where I am today without you guys. And I wouldn't be 00:25:31.010 --> 00:25:38.918 - able to sit here and speak about my experience so openly if I hadn't gone through the trials and tribulations 00:25:38.918 --> 00:25:46.539 - that I had. So as much as I want to say I wish I had never been through them, I'm grateful I have because 00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:53.872 - hopefully if there's somebody else down the road that's going through this, maybe I can help them and 00:25:53.872 --> 00:26:00.414 - maybe it won't be as hard or as long for them because of the people that I've had help me. 00:26:05.954 --> 00:26:15.773 - From my point of view, something that I think that is going well is meeting people where they are. Like 00:26:15.773 --> 00:26:25.309 - she said, giving people rides to appointments, to interviews, to doctor's appointments. That affords 00:26:25.309 --> 00:26:34.750 - them the ability to have access to health care, mental health care, a job, or just anywhere really. 00:26:34.850 --> 00:26:43.947 - a housing appointment with BHA or for a walkthrough for an appointment, it makes a difference. So I 00:26:43.947 --> 00:26:53.043 - think that that is something that has made a large difference. The flexibility within those systems 00:26:53.043 --> 00:27:02.686 - of the frontline staff, to what extent are they able to support? And to what you said, William, everybody 00:27:02.882 --> 00:27:10.040 - we can all be doing a little better. I mean, the bar is high. We set the bar high for ourselves. But 00:27:10.040 --> 00:27:17.128 - I think the fact that we're all in the room together and we're talking about these things, it means 00:27:17.128 --> 00:27:24.782 - that we acknowledge that and we want to be a part of the solution. So I'm curious, a little rogue question, 00:27:24.782 --> 00:27:31.870 - area of opportunities within our system. Where do we feel like maybe something's just almost there? 00:27:32.386 --> 00:27:41.723 - And it just needs to happen? Or are there other areas of opportunity within these systems that are all 00:27:41.723 --> 00:27:50.880 - working within each other? Where could we see some improvement? Where are some areas of opportunity? 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:59.945 - I think it comes as no surprise that many of the homeless suffer from mental illness. Health Net is 00:27:59.945 --> 00:28:02.302 - great at helping the body 00:28:03.042 --> 00:28:11.465 - But there are people out there who need better help with their mental issues. They're not going to come 00:28:11.465 --> 00:28:19.725 - seeking help, most of them, because they found a solution out on the streets through self-medication. 00:28:19.725 --> 00:28:28.958 - And instead of solving their issues, they're merely masking them. So if there was better drive for mental health, 00:28:29.634 --> 00:28:40.093 - You'd see a lot of the side issues getting solved as well. Crime rate will lower, drug use will be lowered. 00:28:40.093 --> 00:28:50.165 - And the people who are even a mild elevation in their lifestyle can change their entire life. So mental 00:28:50.165 --> 00:28:54.910 - advocacy is one area I think could be worked on. 00:28:57.986 --> 00:29:06.118 - to go along with what William said, peer-to-peer counseling is a huge opportunity that you don't have 00:29:06.118 --> 00:29:14.331 - to have a certification for. Just by being there for somebody, being compassionate enough to say, hey, 00:29:14.331 --> 00:29:22.543 - I see you're having a hard time, maybe we can work through this together. But there are programs where 00:29:22.543 --> 00:29:27.486 - you can do and get certification for peer-to-peer counseling. 00:29:27.650 --> 00:29:36.498 - This is one Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. I know that they're doing a program with peer-to-peer counseling. 00:29:36.498 --> 00:29:44.622 - The reason I know that is my dad's done it. And my dad's now one of their counselors. And it's not a 00:29:44.622 --> 00:29:52.747 - degree, it's just certification. And if we are able to start more counseling programs throughout the 00:29:52.747 --> 00:29:56.286 - city or the county, maybe that might reduce 00:29:56.546 --> 00:30:06.653 - you know, self harm, harm reduction, the level of crime and just bring up more positive aura to our 00:30:06.653 --> 00:30:16.760 - town, to our city or to our county and just to people's attitudes and open their minds and hearts a 00:30:16.760 --> 00:30:24.542 - little bit better to seeing that, yes, mental health is a huge problem here. 00:30:25.890 --> 00:30:36.760 - And maybe by tackling it a little more head on and not just throwing away the key by putting people 00:30:36.760 --> 00:30:47.631 - in jail or throwing them in a psychiatric hospital, but doing groundwork of building up from there, 00:30:47.631 --> 00:30:52.414 - it might work a little bit better. I think, 00:30:53.986 --> 00:31:03.691 - Something that could be improved upon is communication between the agencies. I think we're getting there, 00:31:03.691 --> 00:31:13.030 - but it could use more work. One thing that I got frustrated with a lot when I was unhoused was having 00:31:13.030 --> 00:31:22.552 - to repeat myself so many times for each person that I had to interact with. And it's tiring. It's super 00:31:22.552 --> 00:31:23.742 - frustrating. 00:31:23.906 --> 00:31:31.860 - is traumatic in and of itself to have to rehash everything that you've gone through with each provider. 00:31:31.860 --> 00:31:39.737 - We use HMIS, which has a little bit of some of your barriers. So we have that, but it could be better. 00:31:39.737 --> 00:31:47.385 - You know what I mean? It's traumatic enough that you have to relive it once, but to have to do that 00:31:47.385 --> 00:31:53.886 - with each and every provider is frustrating. So I think that could be improved upon. 00:31:54.658 --> 00:32:02.348 - hearing mental health outreach specifically. I think that was a great point about people who are currently 00:32:02.348 --> 00:32:10.110 - in their reality are not gonna seek out support they don't think they need and building those relationships 00:32:10.110 --> 00:32:18.016 - and getting to knowing what counseling opportunities there are. I mean, we talk about peer-to-peer counseling 00:32:18.016 --> 00:32:23.838 - and those start with conversations like this with people who you can't be a peer 00:32:24.386 --> 00:32:32.643 - if you haven't had that specific experience. So it's really important to have those opportunities and 00:32:32.643 --> 00:32:40.819 - totally about communication. I agree that I think it's getting better. We're finding out how we can, 00:32:40.819 --> 00:32:48.995 - as agencies, better communicate with each other with the discretion of ROIs and things like that. We 00:32:48.995 --> 00:32:52.638 - don't want to be spilling everybody's beans. 00:32:53.570 --> 00:33:02.275 - At least on their well-being, currently. How is this person doing? Yeah, that's an important thing that 00:33:02.275 --> 00:33:10.645 - you said, Mandy, about every time that you tell a story or your story. That's that many more times. 00:33:10.645 --> 00:33:19.016 - What is defining you in that moment? And you just have to keep repeating it. And that can get very, 00:33:19.016 --> 00:33:20.606 - that weighs a lot. 00:33:22.082 --> 00:33:29.128 - What is that? It feels like it's being overlooked. Overlooked? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Thank you guys 00:33:29.128 --> 00:33:36.449 - for answering that real question. Because I think it's always great to talk about what things are working 00:33:36.449 --> 00:33:43.357 - well. But we always know things can be improved upon as well. So what is giving you hope right now? 00:33:43.357 --> 00:33:47.294 - Or what's something that's bringing you joy this season? 00:33:47.394 --> 00:33:58.030 - about what we're here about for, what in this season of life are you really joyful about? For me, it's 00:33:58.030 --> 00:34:08.666 - seeing the progress. It's all good and fine to say, I want to do this, but getting it done, that gives 00:34:08.666 --> 00:34:15.998 - you so much satisfaction. You have no idea how we all feel about, yay, 00:34:16.546 --> 00:34:25.981 - We got a place to stay. We're comfortable. We're safe. It has changed our lives. And I'm sure these 00:34:25.981 --> 00:34:35.416 - two will agree with me. If it hadn't been for guys like you doing what you do behind the scenes and 00:34:35.416 --> 00:34:45.040 - the caseworkers who see the front line, we wouldn't be in this situation. We'd still be out there. So 00:34:45.040 --> 00:34:46.078 - thank you. 00:34:51.202 --> 00:35:00.907 - Springtime is a season of birth and renewal. And so, I mean, this summit being held right now is the 00:35:00.907 --> 00:35:11.093 - perfect time because we're getting a chance to see flowers bloom and grass grow and our trees grow leaves 00:35:11.093 --> 00:35:20.126 - and we're seeing animals come out after a long, hard winter with their newborn, their babies. 00:35:20.610 --> 00:35:28.874 - we're able to take in that joy and the fresh air and just kind of exhale and take a deep breath and 00:35:28.874 --> 00:35:37.221 - just be for a bit. We don't have to worry about, oh, when's that snowstorm going to come in? Or when 00:35:37.221 --> 00:35:45.485 - are we going to have to plow our driveway so we can park our cars? We can just take a step back and 00:35:45.485 --> 00:35:50.526 - just be grateful for what we've been given and to be able to 00:35:52.706 --> 00:36:01.370 - see that and know that I'm in a place in time right now that I feel like I can help others maybe. I 00:36:01.370 --> 00:36:10.120 - hold on to that hope that I can make as much difference as people have made in my life. I can make a 00:36:10.120 --> 00:36:18.957 - difference in somebody else's life or in people's lives. So I'm grateful for everything. I'm grateful 00:36:18.957 --> 00:36:21.470 - to be upright and breathing. 00:36:22.242 --> 00:36:31.593 - and being able to speak on a panel like this, because without this type of opportunity, who knows what 00:36:31.593 --> 00:36:41.125 - you all may have heard down the road or today. You wouldn't have learned things that you may be learning 00:36:41.125 --> 00:36:50.295 - today. But we're grateful that you've given us this opportunity. So thank you. What gives me hope is 00:36:50.295 --> 00:36:51.838 - seeing firsthand 00:36:52.034 --> 00:37:02.517 - all the people who are succeeding in getting housing and getting mental and physical health care of 00:37:02.517 --> 00:37:13.838 - their own, and not just getting it, but keeping it. Yeah, that makes me happy. Finding sustainable housing, 00:37:13.838 --> 00:37:22.014 - that's great. I think the theme here to this question is sustainability. Yes. 00:37:22.850 --> 00:37:34.147 - not being in survival mode and... Living. Yeah, and... Yeah, they enjoy living, and they get to see, 00:37:34.147 --> 00:37:45.668 - oh my gosh, let's sit with that for a second. That there's stability and safety, and they enjoy living 00:37:45.668 --> 00:37:50.142 - again, you know? Like, oh, my goodness. 00:37:50.690 --> 00:37:59.049 - A lot comes from that. And you can enjoy the spring. And you can enjoy seeing the tulips and everything 00:37:59.049 --> 00:38:07.810 - pop up and begin anew. I think that was beautiful. And I think that that really puts it into my perspective, 00:38:07.810 --> 00:38:13.758 - right? Because it's different maybe when you're not living in the spring. 00:38:18.434 --> 00:38:30.039 - If an organization would like to seek the expertise of people with lived experience of homelessness 00:38:30.039 --> 00:38:41.760 - in their program or policy design, how can they do so in a meaningful way? Go up to one of us on the 00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:47.678 - streets. Make a connection. Some of us don't bite. 00:38:48.610 --> 00:38:57.692 - Just the show of concern and learning about what our story is. Each of us has a story to be told. My 00:38:57.692 --> 00:39:06.684 - mother always said, you should listen twice as much as you speak. And I have been listening to each 00:39:06.684 --> 00:39:15.406 - and every one of you today, having conversations at your tables, showing concern for each other, 00:39:15.406 --> 00:39:18.014 - for us. You keep doing that. 00:39:18.882 --> 00:39:32.739 - You don't have to have 100% of the solution. If 100 people have 1% of the solution, there's no problem 00:39:32.739 --> 00:39:47.134 - that can't be fixed. I think that if there was an organization, and this probably sounds a little extreme, 00:39:47.426 --> 00:39:55.679 - If there were people that were willing to take a step and live in our shoes for, say, a week, find out 00:39:55.679 --> 00:40:03.931 - what it's truly like to be homeless, because you go from having everything to giving up everything for 00:40:03.931 --> 00:40:12.424 - a week, to seeing what it's like to actually live and breathe being homeless, and then coming up, pulling 00:40:12.424 --> 00:40:16.350 - together, coming up with ideas that might be not 00:40:16.770 --> 00:40:24.767 - I think coming to, you know, to maybe my mind to put forth as an idea to try and create sustainability 00:40:24.767 --> 00:40:32.765 - for somebody. Those, I think that would be something that would be worthwhile and it might create more 00:40:32.765 --> 00:40:40.840 - compassion for people that have a harder time understanding why people do become unhoused because there 00:40:40.840 --> 00:40:46.430 - are people that make that by choice and then there's others that don't. 00:40:47.106 --> 00:40:57.513 - I think that for me, that's always been something that I would love to see happen is people live that 00:40:57.513 --> 00:41:07.920 - way for just a short amount of time to gain a little more compassion and empathy and understanding of 00:41:07.920 --> 00:41:16.286 - maybe a breakthrough ideas to come help end it. I think just active listening and 00:41:16.482 --> 00:41:23.470 - compassion and the understanding that every situation, like they said, is different. Every person is 00:41:23.470 --> 00:41:30.528 - different. And what works for one person isn't going to work for every person. He is different. She's 00:41:30.528 --> 00:41:38.000 - different. I'm different. And so a cover-all solution isn't going to be effective. You have to be flexible. 00:41:38.000 --> 00:41:39.038 - You have to be 00:41:39.202 --> 00:41:47.568 - understanding that you're going to have to come up with different ways all the time to keep things moving, 00:41:47.568 --> 00:41:55.386 - to be able to make things work for each individual. That's how we're going to be successful. I feel 00:41:55.386 --> 00:42:03.830 - like rarely ever one size fits all is just not a thing anymore. And it shouldn't be in policy. It shouldn't 00:42:03.830 --> 00:42:08.286 - be in how we interact and encourage and motivate just as 00:42:08.514 --> 00:42:15.655 - All of us up here are different. Every single one of you are different. So I think it'd be crazy to 00:42:15.655 --> 00:42:23.010 - think, how would a policy that applies to somebody with different circumstances, how would that affect 00:42:23.010 --> 00:42:30.223 - me? And how would we feel about something that has no, it doesn't make any sense for me to be a part 00:42:30.223 --> 00:42:38.078 - of this umbrella because it just doesn't work with where I'm at or what I need or what my ability levels are. 00:42:38.178 --> 00:42:46.237 - So yeah, we're wrapping up here. I'm curious, you know, what would you like frontline staff, policymakers, 00:42:46.237 --> 00:42:54.221 - community to hear directly for you? I think you guys have shared a lot of consistent messaging and things 00:42:54.221 --> 00:43:01.904 - like that, but if you had the hot, you know, you have the microphone, what would you like for them to 00:43:01.904 --> 00:43:04.766 - hear or sink in? What's your message? 00:43:07.906 --> 00:43:16.350 - We're people, too. That's it. We're not a case number. We're not a file. We're not a statistic. Each 00:43:16.350 --> 00:43:24.877 - and every one of us is an individual. You have your stories. We have ours. If we learn to share those 00:43:24.877 --> 00:43:33.906 - stories, we can find common ground. I think we want you to understand that we appreciate you. We appreciate 00:43:33.906 --> 00:43:36.414 - everything that's being done. 00:43:37.346 --> 00:43:45.880 - Sometimes I may not come across that way. It might come across as being rude and gruff, but deep down, 00:43:45.880 --> 00:43:54.249 - we truly appreciate everything that's being done because without you guys, we could be so much worse 00:43:54.249 --> 00:44:02.783 - off and that your effort and your kindness go a long way because it lets us open ourselves up a little 00:44:02.783 --> 00:44:04.606 - bit easier each time. 00:44:06.498 --> 00:44:16.543 - I know I'm grateful and I'm forever in debt to the hands and hearts that have helped me. I feel like 00:44:16.543 --> 00:44:26.489 - they hear me a lot, but if I had to pick one thing to say, it'd be don't give up on people. Because 00:44:26.489 --> 00:44:35.838 - I turned down a lot of opportunities for help. And if the one day that I reached out for help 00:44:36.418 --> 00:44:46.855 - that door had been closed even a little bit, I would not be sitting here talking to y'all. So don't 00:44:46.855 --> 00:44:57.500 - give up on people. Leave the door open, and just always be willing. I feel so better off having heard 00:44:57.500 --> 00:45:00.318 - what you guys have shared. 00:45:00.674 --> 00:45:13.972 - everybody take something from hearing these conversations and the themes. I would really just love to 00:45:13.972 --> 00:45:27.140 - hear a round of applause for our community members up here and showing up for themselves. Thank you, 00:45:27.140 --> 00:45:28.574 - everybody.