Category Archives: Judie

Color blind does not describe the absence of color; it describes seeing color in a different palette. My brain and eyes work together to see a varying depth of color, from bold to muted. With automaticity, I perceive colors of objects and discriminate between the ones that intrigue me with their sharpness and ones that repel me. Some of my favorite colors are chocolate browns and deep purples or the color of blue when it resembles a robin’s egg. I abhor chartreuse and pale peach and cacophonies of color that overlap without matching.

In LA, I joined my fellow students in walks throughout the city. At times, we were moving directly from a bus stop to a building’s entrance, but other times… we wandered in search of something less specific. During those journeys, I became acutely aware of my surroundings. Colors that sang, colors that roared, colors that screamed, and colors that cried. They were on bicycles, shirts, and facades. The colors blew down the street when the cars sped past. Colors lay interspersed between waste that was tossed in garbage cans. Eyes that looked back at me held me entranced with white, yellow, and red perfectly matched with speckles of color within the iris. Hands that grasped mine or gave me change had colors I have never seen in a box of crayons.

The class in LA allowed me to visualize color with my senses –to see color without blindness. I heard color in the accents of voices and smelled color on the roses. I tasted color on my slice of pizza and I touched color when I pulled my shirt over my head. Returning home to Monterey, I have noticed that color permeates my life with flowers, filth, and friendships.

Reading the Reno news online today was interesting. A local reporter spent 48 hours living under a bridge near the Truckee River and Union Pacific train tracks. The reporter noted that 4000 people are considered ‘homeless’ in Washoe Country (Reno area). He wrote that 4:30 am is rousting time because local police officers ‘sweep’ areas with threats of arrest if the transients do not move. During the time the reporter was ‘homeless’, daytime temperatures hovered in the 60s while temps at night dipped to below freezing.

Comments from the article ranged from ‘Load them on busses and send them to LA where it is warmer.’ to a pastor sharing comments about his experience living among the ‘homeless’ for more than two weeks almost 20 years ago. Redevelopment in Reno has razed most of the weekly motels used by families and individuals while the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment remains at $800. The few shelters in town do not allow pets and have a combined occupancy of 400 people. All shelters close their doors at 8:00 am regardless of weather conditions.

Earlier in this blog I wrote about Housing for All, the action plan developed by city leaders to address the issue of affordable housing and homelessness in Reno. The long-term goals make sense and are achievable as long as the entire community continues to work together. The problem with the plan is that it overlooks the immediate need of individuals living in the encampments near the river or train tracks. When shelter space is unavailable or unattainable, the next option is a jail cell.

Hunger affects 1 out of every 6 people according to dosomething.org. Food insecurity and access to nutrient dense foods remain a struggle in the US. Many urban centers offer a large variety of fast food that is expensive –financially and long-term as a health risk. Local markets offer consumers payment options such as debit or EBT (formally food stamps), but lack a supply of attractive produce. Markets in the LA area were filled with an assortment of processed foods that were familiar to immigrant families and had a few brown bananas or soft red apples. Back home in Monterey, the neighborhood market has more produce options, but the fruit is overripe (and many of the dairy products have surpassed their expiration dates). Reno markets have a larger variety of produce that is more firm to the touch and fresher in appearance.

Today, I worked at a local event center as a server where over 35 different types of food and sauces were offered in a span of 6 hours. There were 100 guests in attendance at the event and their food waste (uneaten food) filled a 44-gallon container twice. The weight of food waste was approximately 350 pounds. Because work policy and county health department codes require disposal of food waste, staff was not able to repurpose any of the leftover food from plates. Some of the food tossed into the garbage included whole filet beef tenderloin, macadamia nut & panko crusted mahi mahi, and wedding cake.

I did not realize the extent of culture shock which I experienced after arriving home from the LA trip until I sat down to write this blog entry. I am mortified and appalled at the extreme waste collected from one event held in a small town. The cost of the food waste totaled hundreds of dollars and the amount of waste was duplicated all over the US in much larger quantities during that 6-hour period. I hope that following statistic from the USDA appalls you, too: In the United States, 31 percent—or 133 billion pounds—of the 430 billion pounds of the available food supply at the retail and consumer levels in 2010 went uneaten.

There was a diversity in non-profit (NGO) agencies visited during the past week. LA CAN advocated at a grassroots level with a very limited budget. Peace Over Violence was housed in a beautiful building with even more beautiful employees. Why the disparity? Trendy causes attract the superstars that light up our TVs and movie screens, but scare away anyone who wants to avoid conflict. A Butterfly Ball means that designer gowns must be worn, but what does one wear when traversing the human waste of Skid Row?

Funding a mission statement requires a strong Board of Directors with connections to the deep pockets itching for the next big thing. Tax incentives encourage one to donate assets or cash to agencies with glossy Annual Reports and outreach personnel with short skirts. But… what if the cause is relevant to human rights, but housed in a dirty warehouse with a dirtier executive director? Do I donate? Do I listen? Do I hear?

If I empower the homeless of Skid Row and give them a voice, yet I opt to leave them unwashed and baked in the California sunshine, can they tell the donors a story that opens a wallet? If the woman without teeth and talking to the wall shows up at the red carpet event, will she be welcomed with open arms or avoidance? What makes Alzheimer’s attractive to your finances while schizo-affective disorder scares you?

 

A lack of culpability of the parties involved in a conflict can open the door to transformative justice. There is no need to blame one another… seek a bold way to look beyond fault. Accept that all parties play a role in conflict –whether to enable, discourage, or allow. Support of the parties is crucial to transforming the conflict and encourages healing which can open the door to positive dialogue that promotes a better outcome if the same issue is broached in the future.

Agencies in Los Angeles like Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) use restorative justice as a form of conflict resolution. Restorative justice allows victims or survivors and their offenders to play a role in addressing the harm caused by an action (or crime). This type of healing has been used in Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide in a process called gacaca whereby murderers were allowed to seek forgiveness for their role in the slaughter of their neighbors and kin, as well as the juvenile justice system in the US.

One of the toughest tasks that I face is saying ‘I’m sorry’. This may be caused by a youth of defiance where I reacted to actions that surrounded me. I often felt as if I lived in a war zone of punches, slaps, and vitriolic abuse. I have learned to atone by changing my behaviors and opening my mind to the fact that others may not feel the same as me. What I learned has taken a lifetime of experiences and therapy to ground me in nuances of kindness. When I look in the eyes of the youth at YJC, I see potential and joy because they are the light which extinguishes the darkness out of which their mentees must exit. In order to move forwards into a life filled with possibilities, it is essential to step backwards and learn from the decisions and choices of the past.

 

Transitional housing… what does it mean? Temporary accommodations due to displacement, couch surfing, camping, weekly motels, shelters, living in a car, and many more examples are forms of transitional housing. The displacement of an individual or family is caused by just as many factors: abuse, loss of income, death of a spouse, fire, and choice. Sometimes, there are warning signs preceding the move to transitional housing (ongoing domestic violence or a recession); but often the signs are not immediately present (wildland fire or runaway).

Safe shelter is a basic need that humans often fail to acknowledge. This can lead to poor financial planning and an acceptance of the status quo. Not everyone was raised in a household where foresight involving a tomorrow was discussed, so social service networks exist to help people when they are struggling to find housing. Federal housing programs like Section 8 (HUD) often have long waiting lists with inferior options for residences, but non-profit agencies have responded with affordable housing developments encouraged by local governments. After meeting requirements such as age or income, tenants can move into their new apartments within days or weeks.

Living within our means by paying 30% or less of our monthly income for safe housing is a lesson that I learned this week in LA. I have always paid a disproportionate amount of my take-home pay to housing –as a renter and a homeowner. The reason had less to do with a luxury apartment and more to do with the inability to calculate the actual amount I needed to spend each month on housing. While I am more fiscally aware today, I will still look for the safest home.

 

For many years, I was a member of an international women’s service organization called Soroptimist International (SI). As a member of SI Truckee Meadows (SITM) in Reno, NV, I helped establish Women of Achievement (originally Women Moving Forward). In 2008, SITM paired with a local hotel-casino which underwrote most of the expenses of the daylong seminar. Women of Achievement offered a ‘closet’ with professional clothing to use for job interviews, resume writing & mock interview workshops, and assistance from local non-profit agencies for housing & secondary education. The guests were referred to SITM from social service agencies and the local homeless shelter. The afternoon culminated with a luncheon where the guests were able to practice formal dining skills while talking with SITM members and enjoying a fashion show that highlighted what to wear and what not to wear at job interviews.

Today in LA, my classmates and I were hosted by Chrysalis –a non-profit agency that offers similar services to motivated people on or near Skid Row. The downtown office is one of three that offers men and women with stable housing resources the opportunity to not only acquire a job, but retain employment once hired. Located in neighborhoods with pervasive homelessness and poverty, Chrysalis is staffed by people who truly care about the population which they serve. Like SITM, it supported by locals who ‘celebrate the journey’ faced by its clients. Its founder, John Dillard, saw a deficit in the community almost 31 years ago  and opened Chrysalis as a food & clothing distribution center. Today, it serves approximately 400 people daily.

 

A history of serving the needs of its vecinos in Boyle Heights of East LA is just part of the story of Delores Mission Church. Started in 1925, the mission has been dedicated to the poor and immigrants found in the less desirable areas of St. Mary’s Parish. Today, the mission includes a sanctuary with a large outdoor space for community gatherings, a childcare center, and a K-8 school that feeds into local Catholic high schools. The Jesuit priests who run the mission believe that Jesus ‘walks among us’, guiding the priests as they minister to the spiritual, emotional, and educational needs of the population surrounding the mission.

During the 1980s, churches became safe havens for Latino refugees and ‘guerrillas’ of the Central American civil conflicts that changed the dynamics of the US population. Boyle Heights became a home to displaced men fleeing the civil war in El Salvador. They could be found on streets, in parks, and on church stoops because their families lived nearby, but did not have space in their cramped homes to house them. Hungry, tired, and desiring work, they found themselves caught between government policies of the US and a lack of homeland back in ES.

Their abuelas, tias, madres, y hermanas found a way to help the men by opening the doors of Delores Mission Church to them at night and providing donated meals. While jobs remained scarce, the men were allowed to assimilate and slowly become productive members of Boyle Heights because the US government began recognizing their need for asylum. Proyecto Pastoral or Guadalupe Homeless Project (1988) has grown from just a shelter in the mission’s sanctuary to a more inclusive NGO that provides medical care, job & financial training, and housing placements today thanks to the dedicated women of the mission.

  

       My trip to LA began with a visit to my sister’s home in San Bernardino County in the high desert northeast of my final destination. I had an opportunity to study the ‘homeless’ encampment area in the dry Mojave Riverbed which is located on city, county, and private property. At this time, officials are moving anyone living there out of the area. It was unclear where the people would go, but the local sheriff mentioned that the problem would ‘solve itself’. While homelessness is not a crime, safety has been the biggest concern due to an increase in crime and fires in the riverbed. The issue is addressed by a collaborative approach of outreach and enforcement and supported by community members who spoke out about the blight and the need for treating the area’s residents with dignity.

 

 

Prior to departing for LA, I wandered around downtown Reno and reacquainted myself with the folks that live at the local shelter or reside in the bushes and under the bridges. I realized a number of things: Reno is cleaner than it was 5 years ago – there was less trash in the street and the rundown weekly motels had been demolished; the ‘street’ people avoided the strip area and congregated nearest the shelter; and the same two panhandlers in automatic wheelchairs were still sitting atop the covered train tracks nearest the Eldorado Hotel & Casino. Temperatures hovered around 28F at night, but that never really changed the amount of people that I saw outside in Reno. It appeared as if there was better management by city officials of the ‘problem’.

I delved into some of the reasons that the ‘problem’ appeared to have better management and found that Reno developed a 10-year action plan, Housing for All, in 2006 to address the needs of the community. Housing for All evaluates homelessness from a continuum perspective. Because the tax base within the state and the type of economy are not likely to change, Reno has chosen to address the needs and demands with more collaborative services designed in phases. The action plan included extensive cost analyses of homelessness, as well as setting both long- and short-term goals.

From an outsider’s perspective, Housing for All seems to be working. I look forward to learning more about Skid Row… its population, its services, its unique qualities, and its failures & successes over the next week.