Moving Parts

I like to golf.

The thing I like the most about golf is how completely uncomplicated swinging a club appears while in the same time and space how incredibly complex it is to actually accomplish a swing that actually hits the ball where you actually intentioned it to go. The golf swing has a lot of moving parts, and if you miss just one ... just one. Well, you get the idea.

There are a lot of moving parts to the golf swing.

Whenever possible, I like encouraging people to find their voice. Finding your voice, like the golf swing, is easier said than done. To have voice is dependent on many elements coming together. Many considerations are in play for someone to speak up - even in a room where there will be certain agreement.

To have voice means you've settled the small things in your life such as confidence, articulation and mental acuity. You've also developed certain disciplines. You've learned how to research in an effort to be clear, you've gained in personal management in an effort to be heard and you've become a great listener in an effort to be respected. Not to mention you've overcome possible historical barriers that can range from family to socio-economic realities, to race and or gender limitations.

There are a lot of moving parts to finding your voice.

Like the golf swing and the personal discovery of finding your voice - there are a lot of moving parts wrapped up in the simple statement; I would rather teach a person to fish rather than give them a fish.

This statement is a metaphor often used to describe the effective work in serving others, as well as an encouragement to those who are on the 'receiving' end of relationships.

Here are a few accompanying metaphorical questions:

• Who owns the water where the fish are?
• Are there barriers around the water?
• Who will be responsible to removing those barriers?
• Is this the right water?
• Does the water have the right fish?
• Is there a license requirement?
• Can anyone fish?
• How much fish can be taken at one time?
• Is equipment available?
• Who owns the equipment?
• Are their conditions to use the equipment?
• Is training available for cleaning the fish?
• Is there adequate facilities to cook the fish?
• How will the remaining fish be refrigerated?

There are a lot of moving parts when teaching someone to 'fish'.

We live in a platitude accepted, drive-by-conversating world. You and I will have to say something different, and be willing to do something different just to be the one in the 'row' of lined up public opinion who takes one step forward - awkward comes to mind.

Here's today's question: Are you willing to break cadence with the rest of the lock step world around you?

Dan
A Runner

The Unheard

For those who have followed this blog, you already know how I feel about the unhealthy and disadvantageous behavior exhibited when people when referencing other people, seem to prefer the adjective over the noun. Like when we talk about the homeless.

Homeless - clearly an adjective only describing a condition, the term lacks the depth needed to describe a person - which is the actual noun of our descriptional intent.

Many of us who work and serve within the human condition, who are experiencing homelessness, often refer to these our fellow citizens, as the unhomed. It's a feeble attempt, albeit a sincere attempt, to move the conversational descriptions and the need to describe people, closer to the person rather than the condition of the person.

In any case here's today's question: What would be worse, to be unhomed or to be unheard?

I can think of a multitude of people who are clearly homed, living each day in the comfort of the homed and yet are in relationships in which they are not heard.

They're frustrated.

It's not that they're not talking, not allowing their frustrations to engineer new ways to communicate - you may be one of them, you know what I'm talking about. You try to date the problem, sex the problem, talk the problem, yell at the problem, ignore the problem - all in an effort to be heard.

Yet for all of your good intentions and splendid efforts, you remain unheard.

Now imagine you are unhomed and unheard - what then?

What is your frustration level like?
Do you have a low-grade irritation all the time?
What is your attitude like?
What is your appearance like?
Are you approachable?
Are you skeptical?
Will you take advantage of others?

Voice!

Do you want to be effective in today's ever dynamic and fluid environment of service?

Then listen! It's a great place to start.

Dan
A Runner

HPRP Funding

Capacity; the ability to hold, receive or absorb.
Infrastructure; the basic structure or features of a system or organization.

The Federal Government through the Housing of Urban Development [HUD] is ready to distribute portions of the stimulus package aimed at restarting the American economy and providing support funding as well for critical issues - like homelessness.

A part of this stimulus focus is going for what is called HPRP funding. HPRP is a condensed acronym meaning Homeless Prevention Rapid-Rehousing Program. The City of Toledo is scheduled to receive 3.2 million dollars to distribute among agencies the City identifies as capable of this level of distribution.

The program is a good idea, and communities who are ready with the level of capacity and infrastructure to identify those persons and/or families who are near homeless and have the same structure to identify those persons and/or families who could be rapidly re-housed will do well to receive this funding.

There is a bit of a catch though, the money has to be spent quickly. By quickly HUD mandates the money must be spent within 18 months. Now, you wouldn't think this would be a problem because there is so much need - right?

Wrong.

The fact is the Government is on to a good thing here - but haste still makes waste. The need is in fact so great, there is a chance that without the right capacity and infrastructure in place unfortunate and rather unintended consequences are likely to occur.

Let me list just one problem related to how rapidly the money must be spent:

1. Without the dollars to sustain the housing, through what could be a need longer than 18 months, the people including families who have been helped, will find themselves once again facing difficult choices and balancing precariously on the edge of homelessness.

There is workforce development money within the HPRP funding. But without job creation there won't be jobs for those who are being trained to go to.

Like many leaders of Rescue Missions around the country I support, and Cherry Street participates in, the Continuum of Care [COC] within our community. The COC is designed to identify the organizations who are serving as well as identify the gaps within the service continuum.

Despite what you may hear, the COC in Toledo is not comprehensive enough in its capacity and infrastructure to adequetly distribute the HPRP funding. My concern, and I'm not alone, is that the funding could potentially create ultimately more problems than it solves.

What the availability of these funds should be telling us [City of Toledo] is that we don't have enough of the community at the table to make our COC comprehensive. These funds should be telling us we need to get our house in order so that when funds are available we're ready for them.

I'll hasten to add however, that if our COC house was in order there more than likely wouldn't be as a great a need for the funding as there is.

Here's today's question; 'Are you ready to activate within our community in ways you've never been active in order to have what you've never had or seen?'

Let me know: danrogers@cherrystreetmission.org

Dan Rogers
A Runner