Re/Unwind...

So, it's been a while since my last post and you have my sincerest apologies. Much has happened over the past two weeks and trying to condense it all into a few sentences is difficult. Anyway, here is a brief synopsis of the unfoldings at Samaritan House.

Last night (September 19) Samaritan House hosted a Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Unwind event and welcomed community members and other organizations at our Administration Center. Close to 150 people meandered their way through our large dining area, feasting upon selected dishes featured in our cookbook, Come To Our Table. Executive Director, Chris Krager, shared the heart behind Samaritan House and showed a gripping  video presentation made by one of the Flathead Valley's up and coming film makers.

We also unveiled a report we have been diligently working on, called The State of Homelessness in Kalispell, Montana in 2012. This comprehensive report addresses the causes of homelessness specific to Kalispell while also presenting some practical information on how we, as a community, can address this issue. We have these reports at our Administration Center (1110 2nd Street West) if anyone is interested in stopping by and picking one up. Here is a brief excerpt from the introduction and soon I will post some more regarding the solutions.

The last thing this world needs is another list of problems without an offer of hope, which seems to be a fleeting idea these days. Sometimes even the best intentions can become overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of problems facing us. This report attempts to provide more than a list of the issues regarding homelessness. We want to shine a light on this communal problem, but we also desire to offer some practical proposals. Homelessness is a social issue that affects everyone and requires both a personal and societal response.

As we begin a dialogue addressing the disease of homelessness in Kalispell, it would be beneficial to diagnose this epidemic for what it is: a social problem. Until we can come to terms with and then admit that homelessness is perpetuated by structures in society, we will simply be spinning our wheels with misinformation from a faulty platform. Homelessness has precursors and the pattern of a person’s homelessness reveals possible solutions indicating how we can intervene or reduce potential and future episodes.

We want to dispel some of the myths associated with Homelessness.  As a human, the only thing more devastating than allowing others to rob us of our dignity is when we forbid ourselves the opportunity to see ourselves in a dignified light. This happens when we construct a faulty ideal of what composes dignity based on the untruth of what dignity isn't. In other words, we let other people decide what is and isn't dignified and we contour our own values to accommodate them rather than stay true to what we believe. Dignity is lost before it was ever found because there is no standard of self respect. The stigmas attached to homelessness are the initial barriers to seeing the homeless as equal brothers and sisters.