Shared Housing Services Makes "Home for the Holidays" More Than a Dream

     Lisa Conklin and I both love our work, but the tough decisions her job requires make me shiver as much as some of the people who need her help, many literally out in the cold. As a writer, I make decisions about things like which word to use in a certain place. As Program Assistant and Case Manager for the Transitional Family Housing branch of Shared Housing Services here in Tacoma, Conklin has to choose which families, from among the many worthy applicants, will end up with a temporary home and practical help in starting a more stable life. A word left out of a story feels no pain. A homeless child left without shelter does.
     "I currently have two, 'one-plus' bedroom units available," Conklin said. "However, I have about seven families that are looking for housing. The majority are living with friends, 'couch surfing.' One is staying in the car and motels when they can afford them."
     In addition to providing opportunities for home sharing through their Referral/Match service, SHS owns about a dozen housing units for their Transitional Family Housing program. It isn't a handout. The program offers a hand up, a chance for families to recuperate from whatever situation caused them to be homeless in the first place. The head of the family needs to at least be looking for a job and they do pay a modest amount for rent while receiving mentoring, counseling, and educational classes in life management skills and parenting.
      Have you ever tried to prepare for a job interview when you have no good clothes, no shower, no child care, and not even a good night's sleep because you spent it in a car? I can't think of anything more depressing, except not even having the car for shelter. Even people with homes, a wardrobe, and easy access to good hygiene can't find work these days, so imagine the courage it takes to even try when you have so many disadvantages. But by offering basic stability, SHS makes all the difference. They have permanently changed lives. You can read all about it in a feature article I wrote for a website called Neighborhood Life. The success stories told there will warm your heart, just as they do Conklin's.

SHS clients know the meaning of Thanksgiving

     That's all good, but in today's tough economy the need keeps growing. Each month Shared Housing Services meets 400 NEW individuals seeking alternative housing through their Referral/Match and Transitional Housing programs combined. That means 1,600 homeless people in this local community alone will desperately need the help of SHS between November 2010 and February 2011, the coldest months of the year.        
       "There is a tremendous need for affordable housing," Conklin said,"and with the holiday season fast approaching, a place to call 'home' is very important!" Your help could change the lives of people who are trying hard to get back on their feet. Please consider getting involved in this exercise in compassion. If you'd like to help, please click on this link.
         Many people in Tacoma have made a commitment to SHS. "A great big 'thank you' goes out to Auto Warehousing Company for supplying our TFH families and staff with Thanksgiving turkeys every year!" Conklin said. Her gratitude reflects that of all the familes she's met and helped.
     In the words of SHS Executive Director Byron Cregeur, "There is probably no other time of the year when a home is so much more than just a place to live. Home is where we invite friends and family to our house for a feast and they are greeted with the aroma of turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving! Home is where your Christmas tree comes alive with ornaments of memories..."
         I've met some of these kids and I hate to think of their memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas involving hunger and cold. Don't you? They are our fellow Americans, right here at home, and many more live only one missing paycheck away from the same situation. Think about it, please.



Remember that many victims of homelessness are children.
















Photos are the property of Shared Housing Services and cannot be used without permission. Text of this post is copyrighted by Candace J. Brown 2010















THREE GREAT IDEAS FOR THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF MAY

FREE OPEN HOUSE ON SCHOONER ADVENTURESS ON TACOMA WATERFRONT

Sound Experience invites the public to climb aboard the 97-year-old schooner, Adventuress, this weekend of May 1 - 2, 2010, for free, as part of the Partners in Preservation Program. And if climbing aboard isn't satisfying enough, you can also climb the rigging ,for a donation of $25, which goes to Sound Experience's educational programs. Be one of the first 25 families or guests and you'll enjoy a bonus: a free copy of a book about the history of this 1913 schooner. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4p.m. on Sunday.

In a recent blog post I urged you to vote for the schooner as one of 25 historical sites in the Puget Sound area, competing for the largest share of $1 million from Partners in Preservation, sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with American Express. This money can pay for expensive critical repairs. Please come down to the Tacoma waterfront for a free tour and you'll see for yourself why so many people care about this historic vessel. Then be sure to vote everyday, before May 12, when the program ends. It's easy, and by doing so you could even win a FREE SAIL for yourself and over 40 guests.



HEAR CHRIS TYLE'S SILVER LEAF JAZZ BAND

The Silver Leaf Jazz Band of New Orleans fame is now enjoying a new West Coast incarnation, appearing this Saturday, May 1, at the Bellingham Traditional Jazz Society's monthly program and dance, from 2-5 p.m.at the VFW Hall on State Street. Come hear this talent-packed band play the classic 1920s-1930s jazz of New Orleans. Cornet/trumpet, reeds, trombone, banjo/guitar, upright bass, and drums bring you hot jazz and pop tunes in a venue with a great dance floor. Click the link for directions and details, and read more about Chris Tyle here.

After a fun weekend, who wants to cook on Monday night? Plan to come to JOESEPPI'S ITALIAN RISTORANTE at 2207 N. Pearl Street in Tacoma, from 4-8 p.m. on Monday, May 3rd, when SHARED HOUSING SERVICE'S many friends and supporters TAKE OVER the restaurant. This fundraiser will help Shared Housing Services to continue to provide affordable alternative housing solutions, through its program of matching homeowners who would like to share their homes with those needing affordable housing, as well as its transitional housing program. In 2009 they served 5,916 clients. Shared Housing Services changes lives and teaches valuable life skills. Please let them know you are coming. To reserve seating or a dinner time please contact SHS at (253) 272-1532.

The Power of Passion

You might not even know me, but I'm wishing you a Valentine's Day full of passion. In fact, I wish you passion in every day. It doesn't matter how old you are, what you look like, whether you're married or single, surrounded by friends or a loner. You can have it. But do you really know what "passion" means? The most familiar definition brings to mind a hot date, but look it up in the dictionary. You might be surprised by the others.

In some dictionaries the first definition listed refers to the Passion of Christ, or suffering. It can also mean anger, the feeling of being acted upon by outside forces, or intense, violent, overmastering emotion, or emotion distinguished from reason. You won't find wishes for any of those things expressed in a Hallmark card.

What I'm wishing for you, (in addition to the hot date, especially if it's your spouse) is passion described as love of the most intense kind, ardent affection, fervor, unbridled devotion, an overwhelming desire for, or interest in, an object, activity or idea. I mean the kind of passion that drives a person to practice a musical instrument, develop a recipe, work in a lab to find a cure for a disease, rescue animals, grow the perfect rose, volunteer at a clinic, stand in a cold river casting a hand-tied fly, race sailboats or canoes, teach children to read, stitch a quilt, or write. I have many passions and can't even imagine my life without them. They make me who I am.

I know so many people in Tacoma living their lives with passion, and they share it gladly. Hear and feel the passion in Lance Buller's music when he blows those jazz notes through his horn. Taste it in the organic produce Valerie Foster and her daughter Holly grow at Zestful Gardens. See it in the glint of curved glass that comes out of Mike Malovich's workshop at Oak Brothers Antiques. When he isn't playing music, guitarist Neil Andersson creates oil paintings that transport your mind and soul to a more peaceful place. Chef Bill Trudnowski brings passion to preparing exquisite meals at his restaurant, the Adriatic Grill. Meet Stella Jones, Ph.D., whose passion to help others means people who would otherwise be homeless can find safe housing, through Shared Housing Services. There are so many others I could list.

My friend Andy Anderson, a local historian, is meticulously piecing together an historic map of the South Sound region from about 25 other maps, just for his own use and enjoyment. That takes passion. Another friend of mine, an immigrant, is finishing up her education to become a teacher, after a long, hard struggle. It's passion that got her this far and when she talks about how much she loves working with children I see and hear it in her face and voice. I also have a friend who donates her time and skills as a medical professional, because she believes in giving. People like these bring us new technologies, the world of the arts, books to read, public gardens, education, better approaches to medicine, and more. They inspire us and improve our quality of life.

What's your passion? Mountain climbing? Designing bridges? Microbiology? Growing a garden? Saving a patient or a person in a burning building? Whatever it is I hope this Valentine's Day reminds you to celebrate your good fortune in having something you love to do, something that drives you to be your best. Without it, we fail to reach our full potential as human beings. It is the spark of the divine in each of us. So if you have it, enjoy it. If you don't, find something, anything, you truly love to do, something that makes you eager to get out of bed every morning. Don't just sit there. Live your life with passion.