Housing Insecurity – A Continuum Within the Heart of a Community

Written by Tim Buckley, September 2023

Photo Credit: Church @ the Park

Not far from CBEL’s office, not far from the neighborhoods that CBEL serves, live people in the most dire circumstances.

They are our unsheltered neighbors, nameless to most of us, shunned and resented by many, blamed for being homeless as if everyone can have total control of what happens to them.

Years ago, the solutions to homelessness were few. Mostly you got an emergency, short-term shelter and then you were out the door, as if a month’s stay in a shelter solved everything. Things are different nowadays, and the biggest reason is that, collectively, we now understand the many reasons for homelessness. With that understanding comes a smarter, more compassionate and comprehensive approach to solving the crisis.

CBEL’s strategy, called Building Community Resilience, is built into the work being done by Church @ the Park (C@P), serving hundreds without shelter, and partnering with some of the same community resource partners as we do.

The first innovation in homeless services is 24/7 staffing and on-site services, including a navigation specialist and case worker. These people, many with the lived experience of homelessness themselves triage the needs of families and individuals alike. Some need medical treatment or substance abuse counseling. Though many have jobs, the wages are insufficient to pay for a dwelling, food, phone and transportation, not to mention childcare. Others need education or a better job. A large percentage are homeless because of the cost of housing. (Photo Credit: Church @ the Park)

With at least 400 people on the waiting list, C@P also has outreach staff, assigned to help point those still on the street to other shelters and other resource organizations. Sometimes, just that referral and a free bus pass make the difference to a family on the street.

Like the “distributed network” model used by CBEL, C@P relies on partners like Arches for their ability to overlap and  collaborate on finding shelter, employment and other critical needs. Salem Health is another of those in the network, because their proactive assistance helps to reduce the load on the hospital’s emergency room, and saves everybody the added burden of unpaid medical bills.

From its first outreach in 2007, C@P has realized that another first step in reducing homelessness is to create an environment of hope, dignity and holistic care. This photo, at one of their holiday banquets in Cascade Gateway Park, gives you an idea of the impact of such kindness on a person’s low spirits.

Photo Credit: Church @ the Park

Another distinction between this and older models is the issue of choice. “To be unsheltered means that in most areas of life, the power to choose has been erased from their lives,” said DJ Vincent, founder, pastor, and executive  director of C@P.  “God gives human beings free will and the power to choose what is good, or what is not good.  There is dignity, agency, and respect in the power to choose.  Unfortunately, for people who are unsheltered, they often lose that power to choose.”

C@P’s staff is well-trained to support those facing the challenges and realities of homelessness. By providing a stable living environment and support, hundreds of people in the past two years left the micro shelter communities and have found more permanent housing and a way to support it sustainably.

A new effort being launched will give “guests” at C@P’s three micro shelter communities even more options to express and define themselves to a public still cold to the idea of micro shelter community located nearby. The C@P online magazine (“zine”) will feature artwork, photos and writings of those whose live experience is challenging, and whose new shelter gives them the security, dignity, choice and space to be creative and to share their talent with others.

Here is an example of a sketch and story from the first zine.

(Art Credit: Church @ the Park)