2017 – What Will it Bring?

Welcome to the first blog of 2017. As I do every year, I want to kick off the first blog of the year with things that concern me and some hope for the year ahead.

Three things that concern me – and may concern you too…

That resistance to change means not doing the right thing.

Resistance is real. Star Trek would tell us it is futile. But that doesn’t seem to be true. On the one hand, people love the hypothetical of change, but go to great lengths to avoid the actions of getting there. On the other hand, there are those that – even with overwhelming data to the contrary – hold on to their views and diligently practice cognitive dissonance. When it comes down to measuring the amount of pain to the amount to be gained, person after person and organization after organization seems to struggle with working through the conflict and turmoil that can come with making change. I get that. Change sucks.

What pains me is when the resistance to change results in meetings rather than action. What pains me is when people want guarantees of success without even putting forth an effort to achieve change. What pains me is that those that are impacted most by our reluctance to change is an absent voice in discerning whether to change in the first place.

When the resistance to change means that we do not do the right things – as hard as it may be to implement those things – it is our selfishness that trumps our capacity to see the greater good.

That the unknown in politics distracts us from doing the right thing.

No one has a crystal ball to know how the political arena is going to fully impact the work that happens on the frontline. It seems wasted energy to me to guess how Ben Carson as HUD Secretary will change the homelessness landscape. People talk of “preparing” for what is to come, but that sounds like a lot of guess work when there is no way to know what we are actually preparing for, and what it will mean.

Once we have information and know how policy and programs and funding may change, then there is the opportunity for organization and mobilization IF it is warranted. I am at a loss to console or even help those that I know have been losing sleep and fretting about the changes that MAY be ahead – even when they are many steps removed from the decision-making and immediate impacts. Anxiety at this level is not going to make us more effective advocates.

That we focus too much on what seems to be barriers and become paralyzed by it.

We have problems. Everyone. I have never been to any place in the world that claims to have enough affordable housing or enough supportive housing. I have never been to a place that claims to have the right amount of money or staff. I have never been to a place that has the perfect politics or the perfect leadership. I have never been to a place that claims assistance rates are excellent or that other systems like health or justice are amazing at integrating with the homeless service delivery system.

What I have seen it community after community that uses these as reasons to not take action.

Work the problem. Coming around tables to talk about what cannot be done solves nothing. Repeatedly naming barriers without the courage to take risks to overcome the barriers is painful to watch. Too often we are long on excuses and short on a desire to try to make change happen.

We need to spend more time figuring out how to do the best possible work with the resources we do have in the environment we do work in rather than wasting time wishing someone else will create a utopia at some point.

Three things that give me hope – and maybe provide you hope too…

That we take time and invest in learning.

I see 2017 as the year for learning. It is dominating a huge amount of my time to read more, learn more and analyze our practices and training. But it is also a huge part of what we are trying to engage communities in for 2017. That is why we established the OrgCode Learning Clinics for this year, and are partnering with the likes of Community Solutions and the National Alliance to End Homelessness to deliver different parts of the content at some of the sessions.

If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got. If you do the same thing over and over again but expect different results, well Einstein himself would tell you that is insanity. But we cannot just flip an imaginary switch and assume we will change our practice and get different results without committing to learning how to do things differently.

I know some organizations and communities see training as a luxury. In this age of considerable change, the investment is a necessity.

That big change is possible and yields results.

When change is happening on a large scale and yielding results, I think we need to see these as hopeful developments – even when they occur in places other than where you might live and practice. So, when places like Los Angeles pass proposition HHH, don’t be jealous that your community has not passed (or even had) a ballot measure for housing. Learn from it and replicate in a way that is appropriate for where you live. When organizations and communities – like those I have highlighted in previous blogs – see decreases in homelessness that are sustainable and a direct result of the hard work in making change happen, don’t be jealous or say “that will never happen here”. Instead ask yourself how you can feel some of the warmth of their light from their beacon of hope. Anytime a person or organization would want me to believe that change is impossible, I think of those places that have put forth the Herculean effort to work problems, realign resources and get results – and I know that big change is possible.

Leadership.

For a couple years this has been a focus of my attention – how do we create leaders within the homelessness and housing services sector? What I am really hopeful for in 2017 is that I increasingly witness the impact of those people and communities that have taken the time to invest in leadership. Why? Because I see brave change and results. Why? Because I see changed conversations and reframing of issues that have plagued some groups for decades. Why? Because we are tangibly seeing the difference between managing contracts and leading an end to homelessness.

I think 2017 will be the year of more people stepping up into leadership. I am looking forward to holding another Leadership Academy (this time in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada at the end of March) and conducting another Master Class in Leadership (a return to Scottsdale, Arizona in the fall). I am looking forward to some already planned work with Boards of Directors and Executive Leadership teams. I am looking forward to some already booked staff retreats and reinvigorating a work force to achieve excellence. I am looking forward to the Executive Coaching I do for leaders this year, and helping them achieve personal growth and lead change in their organization and community.

To me, leadership is about being awesome. That means we embrace the privilege of inspiring awe in others. May 2017 be the year where the risks we take to achieve greater results in ending homelessness are worthy of the highest esteem of those we have the privilege to serve.

See you around this year.

The Best of 2016

That time of the year to look back on the highlights from the year before. There are many for us at OrgCode. So, I am focusing on those 10 things where we felt we had the greatest impact or the community really look a leap forward in ending homelessness, or events I just can’t keep smiling about when thinking about it.

Hawaii

Hawaii is a beautiful place to work, but it is also struggling with homelessness in some very unique ways based upon geography, politics, and the change process overall. So what has stood out for me so much in positive ways? The first is a group called HousingASAP. With the involvement and investment of the Hawaii Community Foundation, leaders in family homelessness are working with a dedicated consultant who is awesome – Liza Culick – to transform how they lead and change. We (OrgCode) have been so fortunate to be involved in providing some technical input to the group, and deliver some bootcamps on various subjects related to family homelessness. The second, which happens through HousingASAP, is our involvement in designing, implementing and supporting coordinated entry for families across all of the islands. Third, I have loved staying involved with Hope Services, which is a dynamic, brave organization on the Big Island. They have allowed us to work with them in transforming their service delivery top to bottom to focus on ending homelessness, and have radically altered some of their practices in the process. Finally, it has been awesome to have Bridging the Gap (the CoC shared across Kauai, Maui and the Big Island) invite me to do some training and systems work across their communities, as well as lead coordinated entry for singles on those islands. While Oahu still has its challenges, and there remains much to be hopeful about in Hawaii.

The Master Class

The group that went through the Leadership Academy in 2015 were invited to the Master Class in 2016 in Arizona. It was amazing to see so many people return and grow deeper in their knowledge of leadership as it applies to ending homelessness. I was challenged and humbled by the honour of preparing and delivering the materials. The more I lead others in understanding and using leadership skills, I grow deeper in my self awareness and opportunities for growth.

Leadership Academy II

If you build it, will they come again? Turns out, they do indeed. We had another sold out Leadership Academy in West Virginia this year. I feel I got all the kinks worked out from the previous year and sharpened the content and delivery. It was an honour that so many people from Australia, Canada and the United States wanted to show up and develop their leadership skills further to help their pursuit of ending homelessness.

The OrgCode Team

We expanded the OrgCode team this year, and I am so excited that talented people want to help us engage and transform other communities in ending homelessness. Erin Wixsten and David Tweedie joined us full time. Zach Brown, Amanda Sisson, Mike Shore, and Kris Freed became “bench players” who still have their day job but help out on specific projects that we are working on. Never did I think such an awesome group would want to come together under the OrgCode umbrella. We can offer way more talent to communities, and I grow deeper in my skill set too. Jeff Standell continues to offer a steady hand to most training. The OrgCode team really functions because Tracy Flaherty-Willmott is my right hand and keeps me challenged, organized, growing, and happy.

Michigan State Conference

This was, in my opinion, the best keynote I ever delivered. It was honest. It was raw. And I know it was transformative to many in attendance because to this day I get random emails telling me how they continue to go about transforming programs and policies based upon the things I said and shared.

Launch Housing 

Being in Australia is always a lovely thing, even when Melbourne is damn cold. Working with Launch was one of the highlights of my year because I see the amazing opportunity and transformation happening within a rather incredible organization. And I met some amazing people and deepened my knowledge of others. People like Heather Holst, who is the Deputy CEO, are an incredible inspiration.

Crossroads Rhode Island

I have blogged and bragged about this organization before, but 2016 they stepped up to the plate again in a new way. As they took over a large shelter from another organization, I was moved deeply as I saw how an organization like Crossroads living its values can almost instantaneously transform the culture of another program. I also loved how they can lean into complexity to take on the next challenge without having all of the answers first, and in living that bravery, be so focused on solving problems rather than making excuses for them. I’d have to say that Crossroads does housing-focused shelter about the best I have ever seen.

Shreveport and Lafayette, LA

There are reasons that these two cities are lumped together, and they are personal. At least once a year I take my eldest (10) on a road trip with me to understand what Dad does for a living. This was our second time in Louisiana. In Lafayette, the great people at Catholics Services of Acadiana created meaningful, appropriate engagement for my son in ways that helped him know me better. In Shreveport, he deepened his understanding of HOPE Connections, plus saw one of his buddies from a previous trip. Let’s also be clear that Louisiana is an awesome place to be if you are 10 and into alligators and other critters (READ – SWAMP TOUR WAS AMAZING!)

Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario is close to where I call home. Going there means I can wake up in my own bed, and I like that. But what I like more is how they are using professional development to drive through their approach to changing services. I am grateful I get to spend so much time delivering training in the community and helping service providers grow in their knowledge and applicability of very practical ways to improve housing outcomes. I am a better person for knowing leaders like Amanda who lead and manage change in such a brave manner.

Region of Waterloo

The Region of Waterloo exemplifies system thinking in ending homelessness and is perhaps the best example I can think this year of when it comes to municipal public service leadership in driving a policy and service agenda that is transforming homeless services to have a housing focus. Marie and Angela inspire me with their dedication to change over the long-term, and their approach to incubating new programming in different parts of the Region to get lasting service results.

Depression & The Holidays

Merry…uh…Happy….hmm…

If you live with depression there may be no anxiety inducing period like the holidays. In a nutshell, people want you to make the spirit bright and you may not feel like it, and then you feel even worse that you are letting other people down and destroying their holiday season. If you have a friend or loved one that lives with depression (like yours truly), some helpful tips:

If we are doing restorative things, encourage it.

If the person in your life living with depression is deciding to go for a walk, read a book or take a little bit of time for themselves, that does not mean they dislike you. Nor does it mean they don’t want you to be all social and carrying on with others. It’s just that they are taking care of their own needs. Love them enough to let them do what they need to do to be in a place of wellness. It is not selfish.

Don’t ask for the magic, imaginary switch to be turned on.

If the person in your life living with depression gets told to do things like “be happy for just one day”, or “be in a good mood for (insert name of person or relative)” or asked things like “can’t you just enjoy a meal and conversation at the table?” or “would it kill you to smile for once?” – it can be devastating. Often we feel like we are letting those around us down. But if we had the magic switch to make the world okay and feel less depressed, don’t you think we’d use it everyday? With major depression our mood is not a matter of our choice.

We don’t want to disappoint you.

This comes up in a lot of situations over the holidays, but let me focus mostly on presents. We already feel like we let you down a lot. Add onto that the stress of trying to find the perfect gift(s) for the one(s) we love. Help us out a little – give the person in your life living with depression a short list of things that would truly bring you delight rather than making us guess.

We may be tempted to alter our mood other ways.

If the person in your life living with depression feels the pressure to alter their mood, they may look to stimulation in ways that can be harmful. There is no shortage of alcohol at many holiday parties. That can help us feel inhibited, but lead to other struggles. Or maybe we engage in other harmful behaviour to feel alive.

Ask us if we want to come along, and be okay if we don’t.

I know you have the holiday party to go to. I know you really want us to come. And in our heart we want to come because we know how much it means to you. We will honestly try our best to be in the best possible headspace to attend. But if we are not, don’t be angry or disappointed if we do not attend. Know that we still want you to go.

Our routine gets out of whack.

For many of us, establishing a routine is what allows us to focus on our wellness and be in a good enough place to do things like parent, take responsibility around the house, be a good spouse, smile for the in-laws, etc. With so much going on around the holidays, our routine can get messed up. Before you know it, we are not sleeping well, or we are not exercising, or simple things that helped us feel better are out of sorts. This can be a difficult adjustment.

We love you.

We don’t always know how to say it best, nor are we always in a good place to express it, but we honestly love you. Our mood may not be one of super elation, but the actual emotion of love and what we feel for you – especially around the holidays – is real. We are grateful you are in our life. We sometimes wonder how we would get through life without you. We are thankful for your patience. We love that you love us for who we are rather than trying to force us to be or act in ways that are not aligned to who we are or how we feel.

Psst…You okay?

Sometimes I get worried about you. Yes, I am talking to you. I know you are working really hard to make this ending homelessness thing happen. I know sometimes that means you are not sleeping well and working long hours. I am also pretty sure you were the one worried about where things are going politically as it relates to this work (and America as a whole). Plus your friends and family are stressing you out a bit. I got you. Let’s do a little check up from the neck up, shall we? I have some questions to ask you, and all I ask is that you be honest with yourself as you go through them:

Are you exhausted? Are you struggling to get motivated in the morning? Are you still feeling wiped out after a weekend or even days off?

Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Are your dreams interrupted by thoughts of the people you serve and the work?

Are you getting sick more often? Is stress making you feel physically sick? Do you feel anxiety about the potential of a physical illness?

Are you using more alcohol than you used to? Are you having more than a couple drinks at the end of the day to deal with the stress of the day? Have you found yourself seeking a prescription from your doctor for pain so you get access to narcotics? Are you using drugs to escape or to excess? Have you been late for work or missed a day because of your drinking or drug use?

Feeling angry about stuff that never used to make you angry? Having outbursts with clients, colleagues, friends or family members in a way that is inappropriate or disproportionate to what actually occurred? Find your tongue sharper than usual and spending a lot of time apologizing or thinking you should apologize? On edge and read to blow up at a moment’s notice?

Crying a lot lately? Or on the verge of tears? And sometimes for the seemingly weirdest things or stuff that never used to make you cry? Or when you do have a good cry do you still feel you have more bottled up inside?

Avoiding your clients? Making yourself so busy you can’t possibly meet with them or talk with them on the phone? Do you know there are things that should be taken care of with clients that are not happening?

Things good with your friends? Still seeing them as much as you used to? Are you able to carry on an engaging conversation, or are you in a rush to go back to being alone?

Does your family feel connected to you – and do you feel connected to your family? If you have kids, are you performing all of your parenting duties adequately relative to the age they are?

Are you still getting your groove on with your significant other? Is the sex good and are you present in the moment? Are you able to provide and receive pleasure? Can you sustain your interest for the duration of the moment?

Can you still feel empathy? Do you find yourself being angry or irritated rather than supportive? Do you find yourself slipping into sympathy? Are you judging your clients or co-workers rather than trying to understand and relate to them supportively?

Do you feel you are making any difference in your job? Do you wonder if you still have what it takes to make a difference in the life of others? Do you wonder if any of this really matters?

Have you wondered what the world would be like without you in it? Have you thought about killing yourself? Have you thought about how you would do it?

Do you feel rage or violence about clients, coworkers, friends or family – even though you may not be acting on it? Have you thought about what it may feel like to demonstrate that rage or violence?

Are you missing work more regularly? Are you missing out on family events? Have you opted out of hanging out with friends?

Are you cynical about seemingly everything? Catch yourself rolling your eyes at others (literally or figuratively)? Do you snipe at others with condescending statements or sarcasm?

Is the stuff you are experiencing at work impacting your personal life? Do you find yourself having any irrational fears that stem from stuff that happened at work? Do you feel anxiety about the state of the world? Do you think the world is inherently an evil place?

Do intrusive images pop into your head about work stuff? Ever been driving and had a terrible image in your head? What about when you are trying to go to sleep? Do your dreams ever have intrusive images from work, or even been awakened by the thought or with the thought of an intrusive image? Have any of these images impacted your relationships with others?

Are you maintaining a life outside of work? Are you keeping your personal and professional life separated? Can you leave your phone alone when you are not being paid to look at it? Are you increasingly going in early, working through lunch, avoiding breaks, or staying late?

Do you still have hope for the people you serve and the work that you do? Do you still believe the world can become a better place and that our work matters in helping to make that happen? Do you have the ability to still believe that next week can be better than this week; next month can be better than this month; next year can be better than this year?

I’m your friend. I have had those feelings before. I know what it is like to burn the candle from both ends. I know what it is like to burn out. If you find yourself concerned or feeling uncomfortable with the responses to the questions about, it is time that you talk with someone you trust and maybe even get some professional help. If you are an American reader of the blog, you can get information about suicide prevention resources here, and if you are a Canadian reader you can do so here…just in case you need it. And remember, you taking care of you is self-preservation, not self-indulgence. Only you know if you are in a good place these days, and only you can take the initiative to address it if you are not.

Ending Homelessness is Simple, but It Ain’t Easy

Housing is the only known cure to homelessness. If your entire organization or community is focused on getting people out of homelessness as rapidly as possible and into housing with the supports customized by their choice and needs, then you are doing it right.

If your organization or community is making people jump through hoops, being engaged in programs that they must graduate through, demonstrate “readiness” or prove that they should be housed, then you are using housing as a reward and you are doing it wrong.

See, homelessness is a really simple situation to solve. If you do the right things in the right order with the right people, you get the same (positive) results over and over again – the homelessness for the person/family is ended.

That doesn’t mean it is easy.

First of all, it can be difficult for an organization to figure out what the right things to do are, especially if they are winging it and trying to figure it out as they go rather than being thoughtful and intentional in their planning and training.

Secondly, it can be difficult for an organization to figure out the right order in which to do things because by the very nature of working with human beings, each person/family is different and comes to the process with different strengths, as well as opportunities for growth. Complexity doesn’t mean it is impossible to figure this out, it just means that the order of what to do what will be customized. I can assure you, though, if anything in that order is not focused on permanent housing as rapidly as possible, you are doing it wrong.

And third, it can be difficult for an organization or community to figure out the right people to serve. Why? Because this means knowing what every single service and support provider does and does not do. All eligibility has to be known. You also have to know something about availability (flow through) within each of those services and supports. And you need a “centralized brain” to orchestrate the match between an opening in a program and a candidate for the program, otherwise everything comes down to luck rather than design. On top of this, it is difficult because organizations and communities rarely talk about and agree on what the shared principles are for anchoring the work, nor do organizations and communities have robust conversations and generally come to an agreement readily on which populations or subpopulations are the priority for which services and why. Without doing that, it is impossible to answer whether or not the “right people” are being served because that can only be measured against that which the community agreed was the “right people”.

Maybe if we can make the tough decisions we will realize just how simple it is to end homelessness. And the more something is done, the easier it gets.

Say Thank You to Your Haters

Once you find your voice and reason in life, it will be what expresses you. It becomes what you stand for, which inevitably also represents what you stand against.

I am a recovering asshole. I have been inhabited by hate. I have hated. I have held others in disdain. I have been nasty. I have bullied. I have intimidated. I have shot down the dreams of others. I have pummelled people with my intellect in the hopes of feeling better about my own insecurities. I have avenged others for perceived wrongs. I know the hater, because I was one – and didn’t even have the personal insight to know it for many years.

Now, I choose to love because it is the strongest thing I can do. It proves that I reject hate, even when hated. I cannot control the hate of others. But if I am going to be hated for who I am, then I need to be fearless in being who I need to be.

Now, I say thank you to my haters. And there are plenty. Some hate what I say. Some hate how I say it. Some hate that I make them feel uncomfortable. Some hate the way I look. Some hate that I swear. Some hate that I am Canadian (oddly enough by other Canadians sometimes). Some hate that I have had opportunities they have not. Some hate that I critique the dominant paradigms. Some hate that I use data and evidence. Some hate that I am innovative. Some hate that I do not ask for permission from others before doing new things. Some hate that we are a private company. Some hate that we do no give away every stitch of research or testing we have done on our products. Some hate that some of the ideas we share are not published, even though we have loads of data to back up our position. Some even hate that I have a popular blog that people read.

Some haters tell me that they hate me. Some haters will couch that in language that sounds supportive, such as, “We are so worried for your soul because of the terrible things you do to the homeless that we have been keeping a prayer chain going for you.” Some haters just don’t invite me to stuff, even though I may have a lot to contribute. Some haters make false promises that they never deliver on (oh, the emails, phone calls and contracts I am waiting for!).

I could lie to you and bust out the “sticks and stones may break my bones” nonsense. But when it comes to professional colleagues and your life’s work, sometimes words of the haters do still sting. Sometimes when haters don’t invite you to a specific event or want you to kiss their ass to get asked to join in on something, it really bothers me. I could tell you I am a bigger person and it doesn’t bother me – but that would be a lie. If I make a conscious decision to not be filled with hatred myself, then I have to give myself permission to feel, as imperfect and bothersome as my emotions may be sometimes.

Haters prove to me what I do not want to be.

Love has proven to be possible when I stop comparing myself to others. If I am authentically who I am, and I am vulnerable with sharing my imperfections, then I have the ability to open myself up to being a gift.

I accept that there is darkness. I accept that even in a profession of people that state they are trying to help others, there is no shortage of people trying to tear others down. These are not helpful comments and feedback. These are shots intended to destroy others. It is all about ego. As a mentor remarked to me a few years back when we were just getting the SPDAT started, without darkness the shine of the stars would be lost. The more stars, the prettier the night sky is how I feel now.

I say thank you to my haters because they have taught me about resilience and perseverance. Without others telling me that I cannot or that I should stop, the value of continuing to move forward and succeeding would be meaningless. I can be remarkably imperfect, still have days full of self doubt, and yet still keep pushing forward.

Haters help me “work the problem”. When confronted with something in life or practice that is not working, it would be easiest to give up or blame someone else. For years in my career, especially when I worked in government, I could go to meeting after meeting just to outline what could not be done. I complained instead of creating possible solutions. I thought it was my job to dump my problems on the lap of another to absolve myself from responsibility. But if haters see you do that, it confirms all of their suspicions about you. So now I work the problem to find solutions.

Haters remind me of the importance of being fearless in telling the truth. And I live in that truth. The only people, it turns out, that are pissed off that I keep living in the truth are those that are living a lie. I am not saying all those that live in hate are liars, but there certainly are some.

Haters keep me motivated after I make mistakes, and challenge me to keep taking risks. Taking a risk is the only proof I can give you that I believe in hope. Continuing to try after tasting failure is the only proof I can give you that the idea was important enough to me in the first place. If I give up, the haters win. I have learned so much from my mistakes, I am committed to making even more.

Haters are going to hate. I cannot control that. But thank you to the haters, because you make life worth living, with greater conviction to be awesome and full of love. And without the haters, I probably would not be as committed or work as hard to end homelessnes.