The 12 Most Frequently Asked Questions of Yours Truly
I have been doing some research since January of this year, and I am going to let you in on it – the most frequent questions I get asked over email, on the phone, and one on one in my travels. I have been keeping tabs of what I get asked about. Here are the 12 most frequent questions (paraphrasing in some instances) – in order of frequency – up until the end of July…
1. Do you really believe homelessness can be ended?
I believe that chronic and episodic homelessness can be ended. I do not believe that we can prevent all homelessness. Some people/families will always be homeless at all times. No one can stop family breakdown, job loss, and life decisions with terrible consequences from happening. But we can make homelessness rare and of a short duration.
2. How do you really make money with the SPDAT?
We don’t. People seem to think we must have some sort of hidden agenda/money making scheme for the SPDAT. We honestly lose boatloads of money on the SPDAT. We are okay with that. If we thought it was important to make money on the SPDAT we would:
charge a lot more for the training
have an annual licensing fee/user fee
not give the VI-SPDAT away for free
charge for technical assistance in the follow-up from using it
3. Is all that travel hard?
Yes and no. The travel itself is not hard. You get used to it. I wouldn’t do it if I was not okay with it. No one forces me to travel. I own the company. After a while every airport and hotel looks the same. Almost every flight I am on is just an office at 32,000 feet – I do work on almost all flights.
Being away from my family gets hard – sometimes more than others. That is the only part of the travel that stings sometimes. I have missed dance recitals and first days of school and Christmas concerts and kid birthdays. Thankfully my family supports what I do.
4. What is your favorite city/place?
I don’t have just one. There are bits and pieces of several. I really love Brisbane, Australia. I could live in Providence, RI or Edmonton, AB if I was staying in one place for any length of time. Ann Arbor, MI has some amazing qualities. About one month a year I would love to live in LA. My favorite food experience is pretty much anywhere in Louisiana, though BBQ in Kansas City rocks my world. One of the best drives I have had in my life is from Denver to Grand Junction in Colorado, though the beauty of West Virginia is a close second. My favourite place to run when on the road is Traverse City, MI. I have great friends in several places…across Alberta especially.
5. Who (where) is really doing a good job?
Nowhere has completely figured it out. I would love to take a bit from here and add it to a bit from there and put together a super awesome hybrid. The truth is, there are lots of places making great progress.
6. Are you a HUD TA provider?
No. Black out period does not impact us. We sometimes accept work from other TA providers.
7. Has your hair always been long?
I have been growing my hair since before high school. I joke that my father is still waiting for me to get a hair cut and a real job.
8. Do you ever find some people are turned off/tune out your message of (Housing First, SPDAT, prioritization, harm reduction, etc.)
Yes. But I will keep delivering it. I will keep trying to convert people to the value of evidence.
9. Have you ever been homeless?
I do not talk about anything like this in my life publicly.
10. What do you teach?
For more than a decade I have been teaching a graduate course on Community Planning and Housing. I also sometimes teach courses on Public Involvement and/or Social Policy and Planning. I teach at York University in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, where I also did my graduate work. The program is near and dear to my heart. Barbara Rahder, who teaches there and is the former dean, has had an amazing impact on my life. So did Gerry Daly (now retired) who wrote a very impactful book on homelessness.
11.How many people work for OrgCode?
Me, Tracy Flaherty-Willmott, Ali Ryder, and Jeff Standell.
12. Are you presenting at (insert name of conference)?
My schedule gets filled up months in advance. I love presenting at just about any conference. But other than Alliance conferences that are booked into my calendar a year in advance, please let me know well in advance if you want me to speak.
Time is a Thief
Look into the eyes of any person hurt, broken, suffering, homeless, marginalized.
Are they wasting time?
No. Time is wasting them.
Time is a thief. Without precious resources to turn dreams into a vision of the future they exist in the in-between.
Fight too long and lose all the time, and you lose the will to fight. Though maybe we should ask why people ever had to fight in the first place to find a shred of dignity.
Each second ticking by is another indictment of our complacency in watching injustice occur before our eyes.
If Necessity is the mother of all invention, then I think Sorrow is the father. Answer the call to steal back from time what is taken away from those amongst us that deserve our time and we distance ourselves from Sorrow – even if that means having a one-parent family.
What does it mean to answer the call to steal back time?
It is not our charity. Not our sympathy. Not our pity.
It is our intellect. Our compassion. Our steadfast commitment to right the wrongs within our purview to influence. Our time.
Lately, I have taken to getting my own way in forgoing widespread agreement that something needs to be done sooner rather than later. I refuse to determine who is worthy or unworthy. I accept the challenge to help without judgment. I accept the struggle to find the goodness in every single person.
Lately, I will call to task those that vote against their own self-interest. I will challenge anyone that thinks it possible to pay less and get more. I will rally against indifference in the discourse of politics that suggests the mother-state knows what’s best for people with moral prerogatives that smack of doom if they knew the people they claim to serve. I will figuratively throat-punch anyone suggesting that the free market rights all wrongs and creates equal opportunities for success.
Or the seconds will become minutes. The minutes will become hours. The hours will become days. And I will be left – hopefully like you – bewildered and more frustrated than before. We could have done something. And did not.
Or at least done more.
I don’t feel the pain I once did…once upon a time. That bothers me. I don’t feel the shock I once did…once upon a time. That bothers me too. I don’t feel the outrage that I once did…once upon a time. Someone hit fast-forward and time blew by and I was paralyzed to watch it go. Shameful. People have died as time stole their worth. People have died as we have debated the value of indignity or the currency of want.
“There was a dream
I had it too
You could see it coming true
It would travel in the air
You could make it if you dared
But now the sun goes down”
– The Milk Carton Kids
I know that time is a thief. This has been my career. I see pauses in the spinning wheels of time with little victories here and there. But if each second is a moment of regret that more could have been done, then I feel an avalanche of overwhelming guilt.
My mission is to live more courageously with outrageous compassion and fierce intellect in an effort to stop time. Because those we serve are not wasting time. Time is wasting them.
Time-out.
2014 National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference: 10 Take Aways
For the 10th year in a row, I have been a speaker at the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference on Ending Homelessness. Here are my major takeaways from this year:
1. This is Still the Best Conference on Ending Homelessness.
The talent the Alliance can assemble for the conference is unparalleled and for that the Alliance deserves a major high five. The diversity of information and types of presentations appeals to a variety of learners. That said, there was a lot of youth and family content at this summer conference, which historically has been reserved for the winter conference. Is the Alliance moving towards one conference instead of two? (Well, not in the near term with the Youth and Family Conference in San Diego in early 2015)
2. Cory Booker and Michelle Obama and Jennifer Ho and Ann Oliva and Laura Zeillinger Rock
No one has ever moved me in a speech the way Senator Booker did.
No one has ever demonstrated the conviction of an administration on ending homelessness the way Michelle Obama has.
No one has shown me the commitment of HUD the way that Jennifer Ho and Ann Oliva have. They are not stogy disconnected bureaucrats with their heads up their butts.
No one has demonstrated the passion of making government agencies work together the way that Laura Zeillinger has.
3. 100K Homes Draws to a Close and Becky Signs Off as Campaign Director
The 100K Homes Campaign reached its goal through bucking trends, pushing forward, being relentless in putting action ahead of attempts at perfect planning, and the relentless pursuit of getting things done. At a special celebration at the White House and the Conference, the campaign communities got the direction that was well deserved. High five to Becky who moves on to other major social change now. The Zero 2016 movement is going to be worth watching and participating in.
4. Rescue Missions are Ready to Change
I was really amazed to learn about the major transformations that Rescue Missions have and are making to end homelessness. 81% no longer require people to pray/attend chapel in order to receive services. Many are embracing housing as a solution to homelessness. While I want to see this matched in my first hand experience in travels, I welcome this major change.
5. Showcasing Awesomeness Works
I had the great pleasure and honour (honor) of delivering a pre-conference session on Becoming Awesome with three organizations I have worked with and admire – Partners Ending Homelessness, West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, and Crossroads Rhode Island. Darryl, Zach and Karen – along with yours truly – kept a full house (standing room only) for three hours, eagerly engaged in the materials.
6. Moment of Doubt
I had a moment mid-conference where I realized that I have been speaking there for 10 years and homelessness had not ended. I wondered if it was all worth the effort (I do NOT get paid to appear at these conferences) and because there are only so many things I can say about ending homelessness. BUT, I was convinced by many that I should keep at it – for as long as the Alliance will have me.
7. Transformational Speeches are Great, But Require Better Content
The Alliance tried something new this year with three transformational speeches as part of a large plenary. Generally, I love the idea. The commentary by the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions was interesting (though need better PPT presentation). The examples by LA were impressive. The contributions from Multonomah County were downright dangerous and misinformed, suggesting that they never invest another cent in case management and put all money into assertive engagement – which proved to just about everyone not the value of bureaucracy but how misinformed they are about effective housing-based case management and what assertive engagement really is (and isn’t). Why the Alliance selected this speaker without vetting the message at a conference of this magnitude with a speaking spot of such prestige is out of character.
8. Prioritization and Coordinated Access are Uber Important
This is not so much a new idea or concept – or even conference topic – BUT, the number of sessions related to this was really, really impressive. The speakers – by and large – trumpeted the same messages and approaches. You’d have to live under a rock to not know that this is a really important (and difficult) thing to achieve.
9. The VI-SPDAT, and to a lesser degree SPDAT, are Growing in Popularity
I heard an overwhelming number of positive statements and claims about the VI-SPDAT, including commentary that the local results matched what I predicted the pretty much would in the breakdown of the typology of homelessness and effectiveness of matching people to interventions. It is NOT a perfect instrument, but it is well-researched and tested, and proving to be impactful.
10. There is Inspiration to be Found
I said in a tweet before the conference that this is like summer camp for those interested in ending homelessness. People learned. They were challenged. They had fun. But what I really loved was seeing and hearing about people feeling inspired and reinvigorated to go back home and implement what they had learned.
Going to the White House Today
Today I am going to the White House.
On July 9 I got the invite. Had the White House logo on it and everything. I admit, my first thoughts were of watching the West Wing. Then I wondered when/if I will ever be invited to Canadian Parliament. Then I thought about just how AWESOME this is going to be.
I was invited because of the work I have done with Community Solutions. The Community Solutions gang is pretty fantastic. They have coalesced community after community in working towards ending homelessness by focusing on the most vulnerable people first. They reached the goal of housing 100,000 people through the Campaign. They bucked the trend of excuses and the status quo. They rocked boats. They got things done. They are my kind of people.
Somewhere in the spring of 2013, we began the partnership between Community Solutions and OrgCode…though I had known people like Becky for many years before. The VI-SPDAT is the reason I am going to the White House, which is the triage tool that came about when the Vulnerability Index was merged with the Prescreen Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool. The VI-SPDAT is jointly owned by Community Solutions and OrgCode, though made available for free to whomever wants it.
Odd the road that life leads you down to get to a place like this.
There would be no VI-SPDAT if there was never a SPDAT. And there would never be a SPDAT if I had never gone into consulting. Life unravels in mysterious ways…and I am lucky to keep taking the journey, often without the benefit of experience first.
Guys like me do not get invited to the White House.
I do not wear suits (though I need to at the White House). I do not get things right the first time – in fact I screw up a lot the first time. I am remarkably flawed. I have a colourful history that I am not always proud of. I have learned from my shortcomings and flaws, but I have not conquered them all. And here I am, going to the White House.
I need to thank the Community Solutions group for putting me on the invite list. I am enormously honoured and grateful.
There are other people to thank for making this happen too – and at the top of this list are the thousands of homeless and formerly homeless people I have met with over the years that have provided the feedback necessary for me to be an effective practitioner, advocate, consultant, educator, policy advisor – and a more decent human being. I learn the most from those impacted the most by the things I do each and every day. There is an expression in the mental health community that I love, “Nothing about us without us” – and without each homeless person that has given me the privilege of learning from their experience neither the SPDAT nor this trip to the White House would be happening.
One Part of Me Just Needs the Quiet
“One part of me wants to tell you everything
One part of me just needs the quiet.”
-Toad the Wet Sprocket
Frightening can be the revelation that life has changed. When it isn’t as it was before.
In the space between revelation and full appreciation of new discovery, I choose to exploit the silence – the awkwardness of all that is quiet and unsettled…where the breath of anticipation is a whisper not yet revealed. In the depths of this sometimes lonely place is where we come to appreciate that we are not alone.
Sometimes we expect fireworks and cartwheels of gratitude, but are met with the hesitation of exuberance – the pregnant pause before the crowd realizes they can laugh or that they should clap…the beat the best comedic actors feed off of under the pressure to perform. Pinch me – is this real? I dare not speak for fear of awaking from the dream.
We can say too much.
We can interrupt the quiet prematurely.
It is not that there is a lack of desire to share. We will get there. But there is safety in the quiet…in the absence of revealing. The silence is the place where wisdom can be found…the recollection of past memories or words shared by trusted elders or good friends.
The air is always softer without words. The wind never feels as harsh when it is silent. Words will come when they are ready. In the meantime, the silence is the reassurance that we can hear our own breath without hearing our own voice…that the pumping of our heart is audible within our chest. We have the means of strength to hold it all together if only we can listen and not speak until we are ready. And when speech comes, it will be with words well considered and something worthy of being said.
(When I instruct people on Excellence in Housing-Based Case Management I walk training participants through the home visit technique of learning to listen and the importance of silence in order to encourage others to fill the space with their own voice. I have been reflecting more on the importance of silence and the quiet times that we share in our engagement, especially in the early stages of home visits or more intensive engagement with people during outreach. This blog was inspired by thinking more deeply about the importance of the silence.)
Guardians of Stories
This is a guest blog by Jeff Standell who is a full-time intake specialist and works part-time for OrgCode doing SPDAT training and advising. On top of that, he is a stand-up guy who teaches me loads about patience and the privilege of service. I am a better person for knowing Jeff. If you like the blog, reach out and send him a note jstandell@orgcode.com or hit him up on Twitter @jstandell
I attended a funeral today, and I realize that by the time this blog reaches the light of day my today will be long past. The funeral in question was not for a loved one, family member or friend, not for a past colleague. I came from a funeral of somebody who used to be homeless, and after crossing my path, and that of other people in our community who battle daily to end homelessness, was not homeless when she passed away.
My job as a centralized intake worker involves meeting people when they are in difficult situations, sorting through their story, and trying to help navigate them to the appropriate supports. Sometimes this is housing first, sometimes rapid re-housing, sometimes to an emergency shelter, sometimes to government offices to try to gain some support. During my time with them, at our initial meeting, I generally complete an SPDAT with them, should that be appropriate. However, in the early minutes of our time together I often ask other questions. This serves two interests, first, I find it helpful in establishing rapport, and second, and perhaps more importantly, I’m genuinely interested and honestly care. When our interaction is done we part ways, sometimes briefly until a program space opens up, sometimes forever as they move on, either to find housing on their own or perhaps into the wind. Regardless of the outcome, that interaction impacts me, it stays with me. Many hundreds of times in the past three years my life has been impacted by these interactions. I have described my position in many ways to many people, but my favorite descriptor is that I am a guardian of stories. Our housing first providing agencies only ever hear the stories from those few who make it into their programs. We, during the intake process, get to hear them all, and I feel it is our duty to make sure that these stories are heard, treasured, and never become just another number.
And then I went to a funeral, and my perspective changed. For all of the rapport I had built with this woman, for all of the times we sat across a table from each other, and there were numerous interactions in the past three years, I learned that I really knew nothing about her at all.
There were over a hundred people in the room, I knew the handful of other service providers, but I didn’t know any of her friends and family. When we had last spoken, about 5 months prior, she shared that she had isolated herself from her supports. Clearly that had changed.
Another thought entered my mind as I watched the slideshow that had been prepared. As I saw for the first time pictures of her as a baby and young child I realized, not for the first time but it is always a good reminder in our work, that when she was growing up she didn’t aspire to the life she ended up living. She had hopes, dreams, goals, and ambitions. I am almost certain that being homeless in her adult life was not part of her plan. Just like everyone else in that room she dreamed of a future, and somewhere along the way that dream turned into a reality that at times resembled a nightmare. Her life took a detour, a rocky road the details of which I cannot share without breaking the trust she placed in me, but suffice it to say it was rocky. By the time our paths crossed for the first time she was focused more on her survival than any ambitions she had growing up. Yet through it all she maintained hope and never gave up. She had found some supports, but the ability to find, secure, or maintain stable housing was, and would remain, difficult for her.
I pride myself on doing a good job, of being thorough while being respectful. I can reasonably believe that most of the service providers that I work with would concur. I love that I have a job that allows me to be curious and genuinely interested in people. I’m good at assessing, at gathering information that is important in determining acuity and prioritizing. I am proud to be a guardian of stories, and today I realized how little of the stories I actually get.
And then I wondered how often this is true of the rest of us?
How often do we forget that the person sitting across from us, whether it’s our boss, our colleague, our client, our best friend, our child, our parent, or just the person in front of us in line at the coffee shop has a story that we haven’t heard?
I went to a funeral today and saw at least a hundred people impacted by the life of one person. I thought of Girard’s Law of 250, even though it applies to sales it still made me think about the number of people we impact in our lives, and the spin off impact that they will have on others if we have had a positive impact on them. If you look at your own work, whatever role you play in ending homelessness, just imagine how many lives you have impacted. Just imagine how far the ripples extend, because you became part of all those stories.
I am the guardian of hundreds of stories.
Today the final page was written for one of those stories.
After I composed myself and got back to work I became a part of someone else’s story.
My pledge to myself is to not forget the people I serve, or forget that even my small part on their journey impacts countless others who I have never, and most likely never will meet. My challenge to you is to do the same.