20 years ago, upon completing training as a grief counselor, I was given a meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. It was nicely written in calligraphy on parchment paper. It had a theme of aspiring to learn and deepen the act of listening. Most in the fields of Caregiving, Healing, and Wellness know well that presence and listening is vital to engaging their clients. And as Thich Nhat Hanh said, “We know that just by listening deeply we already alleviate a great deal of pain and suffering in the other person. “
The meditation is framed and hangs on the wall of my office.
For the past year and a half, I have been supporting the leadership team of a small non-profit in the San Francisco Bay area called Hearts for Homeless. While many consider affordable housing as the primary solution needed to end homelessness, Hearts for Homeless has a vision of social re-integration through a holistic approach to support. Of course, affordable housing is key and a difficult problem, especially in the SF Bay Area. Yet, when we change the objective from finding housing to social re-integration, we begin to see some of the problems differently.
When dis-integrated, relationships, social networks, economic ties, and identity are lost. Add medical, mental health, and addiction issues and you are deeply alone. You are also likely to have regular experiences of being an outcast. The community in which you live is afraid of you and doesn’t want you around. Alone, shunned, shamed, and contending with daily challenges of health, safety, and authorities demanding difficult to maintain rules and behavior, it is tough to believe in, let alone stay resolved, to start again and persevere to building a new life.
Now, for where listening comes in. The people behind Hearts for Homeless have been working locally for over 15 years in shelters and on the streets. At the heart of it, they listen to the individual’s story and offer their time and presence. (Very much like my Thich Nhat Hanh meditation.) Yet, there’s much more.
Hearts for Homeless now has trained volunteers, from the local community, who are staffing programs for homeless individuals in their community including:
- Sustained one-on-one connections
- Developing community experiences
- Teaching mindfulness
- Enhancing access to services.
This support (and other connected social services) has helped to break the cycle between shelters and the streets for some, and to stay in support programs and reach stable housing for others.
Hearts for Homeless is now launching a campaign to raise funding (and gather more volunteers) to enable them to expand their reach and keep more individuals moving toward stable housing and re-integration into community.
I am supporting them and I’m asking you to take 3 steps right now:
- Watch their video (here or on their website)
- Share this post (or their website) with others you think might find it interesting.
- Consider donating or volunteering now.
For more see: https://www.hearts4homeless.org/
https://youtu.be/xhu8F-suEcw