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Over the last couple of years, I’ve been doing a lot of teaching in the Main Frame.   At first this was a frightening prospect for me, and I was quite insecure about it.  As time has gone on and my confidence has grown, however, I’ve begun to enjoy it.  I love witnessing the moment when a student learns something brand new…it’s almost as if a light goes on behind their eyes.

For me, one of the most interesting things about teaching is the way students also teach me valuable lessons.  It seems like the very second I start to think that I have a subject figured out, one of our students shows me that I clearly do not.  

This truth was illustrated for me again last month.  During that class session, a Main Frame student named Ms. L kept using a phrase that stuck with me.  She would say, “I just want to be the best me I can be.” There is a lot of wisdom in that statement.  Ms. L was not concerned with what others thought of her or with what other people were doing. She focused all of her attention and energy on taking steps to better her situation by finding employment and appropriate housing.  She recently found work as a caregiver for elderly adults and is simultaneously returning to school to complete her GED.  There’s no doubt she’s blossoming into the best version of herself.

Despite Ms. L’s struggles-domestic abuse, homelessness, family illnesses, and unemployment, she has somehow managed to find a way to focus on what truly matters in the moment by asking questions like, “What can I do to improve myself right now?”  “What can I learn?” “How can I grow?”

Over the past few weeks, when I begin to compare myself to others or worry about something going poorly, I try to remember that all I can do is be the best me I can be.   Thank you for that lesson, Ms. L.

by Brenna Lakeson

Many of our guests have endured different types of trauma.  From the questions we ask them during our intake process, we learn a lot about each of our guests’ stories and what brought them into their current situation.  Many have experienced or witnessed domestic violence, especially as children.  Many have experienced violence on the street – robbery, physical assault, and theft.  Others have experienced incarceration, often repeatedly.  These difficult experiences, when compounded, can influence addiction behaviors and existing mental illness.  All of these things combine create a situation that can make it nearly impossible for someone to rise above their circumstances without outside assistance.

Recently, I met with a guest named Ms. C.  Ms. C has been a regular guest over the past few months.  She struggles with mental illness, often conversing with people who aren’t there or experiencing drastic mood swings and anger.  Some days, she seems to be doing better than others, but it was clear that she would need intentional case management to overcome her situation.  On this particular day, Ms. C was interested in getting into a substance abuse treatment program.  The program that we refer to for women requires an extensive referral process and a lengthy form.  As I worked through the questions with Ms. C, I learned more about her life.

She told me about the history of mental illness and addiction in her family and the abuse she had experienced growing up.  She told me about her early use of alcohol and drugs.  She told me about the death of her husband and her son.  She told me about abuse she had experienced on the street, both physical and sexual.  After we had completed the form, it was clear to me that Ms. C had experienced a huge amount of trauma in her life but had never had the luxury of being able to process it.  She didn’t have a therapist or a doctor to help her and there was no way, in her current state, for her to gain employment to earn the money to afford the care she needs.

This catch-22 is the case for many of our guests – they need mental healthcare, addiction resources, and counseling, but do not have the stability to afford this type of care.  So, they continue to compound the trauma they experience, living in a constant state of emergency and anxiety on the street.  There are programs in place to help individuals like Ms. C, but without the awareness to ask for help from the right people, getting to these programs can also be next to impossible.

The good news is, though, that there is healing taking place for people like Ms. C.  She was able to get into the substance abuse treatment program after working with us and currently has a bed there.  In the program, she’ll have access to mental healthcare, counseling, and the structure she so badly needs.  I am grateful that I got to hear a piece of Ms. C’s story and hold space with her in her grief.  I am also grateful that she is getting the help she needs.  I have hope that she will be able to rise about her trauma and find new meaning now that she has a place to process all that she’s experienced.  In the process of filling out the forms for the treatment program, she mentioned that she loves gardening and would like to have an apartment to clean.  She also mentioned that she likes to do crafts and write poems.  I believe Ms. C will be able to do all these things and more as she begins the healing process.

by April Campbell

A couple of months ago, Ahren, our Main Frame Coordinator, came to the team with the idea of putting together a focus group with the goal of discussing the issues people experiencing homelessness face.  The focus group would also serve to improve how we, both as an agency and individually, could help advocate for everyone who comes through our doors. Everyone on the team thought it was a wonderful idea to provide a space for us to speak to our guests and gain firsthand knowledge of the problems they have experienced. The group was planned for December 13th, and I had the pleasure of being asked to co-facilitate the group with Ahren. I don’t think either one of us knew that by facilitating this focus group we would be introduced to so many personal tragedies, triumphs, and such a sense of community between the people in the room.

We began the group by having each person introduce themselves, if they felt comfortable, by saying just their first name. The group was quiet at first – no one said much more than what they were asked to share. Ahren and I then introduced ourselves and explained to the group how important advocacy is to the values and morals of this agency and how their stories can help us to fight the social injustices they face. We then opened the floor to anyone who wanted to share. Hands slowly began to rise, and the more people talked, the more energy was added to the room. It was amazing to watch! People were able to share their hardships with others who understood what they are going through.  People were able to share different resources they have found over the years, and in turn, helped others in the group.  People were also able to laugh together and forget, if just for a moment, what faced them when they left our doors. By the end of the focus group, our guests had come up with nineteen challenges that people experiencing homelessness face. Some of the challenges they mentioned were: affordable housing, stress and tiredness, evictions, job availability, addiction, medical care, mental health, and safe & clean shelters. One particular item that was on their list was lack of storage. When this was said, everyone in the room nodded or voiced their agreement. When the particular guest who brought it up was asked to explain what he meant, he stated, “I stay at a shelter at night and have to take all my stuff with me in the morning. I’m not able to leave my bags there. Do you really think people want me in a store or at a job interview with all my stuff? It just makes it known that I don’t have anywhere to go.” This was so eye opening to me. Everyday guests come through our doors to receive services, many times with bags upon bags in their hands. I never thought about where they would place their items if they needed to complete a task that did not allow for them to bring their belongings.

I write about this experience to say that everyone has a story.  I write about this experience to remind myself that every person who walks through our doors deal with daily challenges that I cannot even fathom. I write about this experience to say how important is it to understand what we are advocating for – to hear it from the people experiencing it and not just assuming we know their needs.  It’s because of stories like the ones we heard in our focus group that the OAC continues to advocate until all of our guests  have a place to call home at the end of the day.