From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: The easy (or easier) days of summer seem to allow us a respite from the hard issues of our days. So, it may appear to be for those who are unhoused. Yet, several recently written pieces detail the challenges facing the homeless and those on the edge, now and in harsher weather. Those challenges underscore the need to do as much as we can to serve these folks, our neighbors, as faithful
From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: It has been a moderate summer, heat-wise, so far. But that doesn’t mean that the heat has not negatively impacted unhoused people. That just means that most folks can deal with the weather as we’ve experienced it. But when the weather changes quickly, we need to react quickly—for ourselves, our neighbors, and the unhoused who are also our neighbors. Individually, be aware of the circumstances around you and be prepared to care
From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: Paul Carlson wrote an excellent piece about homelessness for the Seattle Times this past Sunday. I hope many of you, dear readers, read it. Carlson is retired, formerly serving as regional coordinator for the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. In his piece, Carlson cites his own frustrating experience of trying to work with Grants Pass, Oregon, the petitioner in the Supreme Court case. He writes about what-ifs, as the conversation revolves around
** I apologize to John Hoyte for the incorrect spelling of his name in the June 28 column, whose name appears here in its’ correct form. Thankfully, John is still speaking to me. The Taskforce has been keeping an eye on the Supreme Court relating to Johnson V. Grant’s Pass. In this case, the city challenged the law which disallowed its’ ability to remove the unhoused from public places without providing shelter as well as being able to Impose a
What part do relationships play in outreach at your parish? As I think about the programs highlighted in this column over the past year, what strikes me is how integral relationships are to each program. The relationships we build with those we serve. The relationships we build with our fellow parishioners. The relationships we build with the ecumenical groups with whom we partner. While at an outreach gathering for my own church, I reflected on how much I respected and
From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: Please allow me to make something as clear as I possibly can. I look for articles and information about homelessness not so much to inform but to give hopeful insight into what we, as Jesus’s people, can do about it. Motivation to do so is also a factor. In any given week, I rarely fail to find and read articles about homelessmess (as I call it). Not all that is in print
From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: Homelessness continues to be an in-front-of-us topic in the news, the Supreme Court, and politics. The Supreme Court case Johnson V. Grant’s Pass is due for a decision to be made public in June. Interestingly, I read that Mayor Harrell of Seattle says the decision for or against cities won’t make any difference for Seattle, as the priority is to provide as much shelter as the city can provide. A report in
From Don Fornoff, the Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: The title is the name of the St. Luke’s redevelopment project in Ballard (North Seattle). About such a project, it isn’t often any of us get to observe something special, much less experience that activity in some way, and very rarely do we meet and talk with one or more of the leaders of that effort. So it went for me over the past few weeks with my encounter with the
From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: Your task force met last Saturday, sharing and considering many ideas as we are wont to do – and I want to share one of them. We met a week earlier than usual in deference to the gathering of the Diocese to elect a new bishop. So, keep that event in mind and check in by Sunday to see who will lead us into the future. The main discussion centered on a
From Don Fornoff, the Bishop’s Task Force on Homelessness: Your Taskforce correspondent spends a lot of time reading articles for up-to-date information on homelessness. Others I read to gain more and better understanding of the depth and breadth of homelessness. I write of these to help our parish supporters develop answers for problems that need to be solved. One article said building more housing won’t make it more affordable. It made me annoyed that this thought was likely planted by
