From Don Fornoff, Bishop’s Task Force to the Unhoused:
Brother David Vryhof of an SSJE monastic order once wrote: “Today, stay awake. Be alert. Be on the lookout for moments of wonder, signs of grace, revelations of beauty, glimpses into the mystery of life, and of God. Or we may well miss the miracle that is right before our eyes.”
I read that often from a note above my desk. I trust it keeps me centered on the tasks at hand. I have frequently read it for the Task Force members as we prayed into and out of our monthly meetings. I hope it will be centering for you, dear reader. That is important for us, as we go about our tasks for helping others to remain centered. Dealing with homelessness is difficult because it is one person at a time while competing against the swirl of major causes, regional and local policies, and challenges to working together to help large numbers of unhoused people and families.
Exploring the history of homelessness leads us to just after the Civil War, as veterans and those newly freed from slavery looked for jobs in urban areas. This is when we first see how poverty, race, and criminalization of homelessness are evident. Later, skid rows were places where homeless men found shelter. We also begin to see charitable religious services come into being to serve women and children. There is a continued history of helping into the 1980s when a lack of shelter began to be prevalent. Which is where we are at today. Of course, history is much more complicated and braided into many parts. But those are the cards we have been dealt; we must keep pushing back to help our neighbors throughout the State find their way into connection with community.
We need good news, too. A bright light is Sound Foundations NW, which helped over 2000 unhoused get off the streets in 2024. Begun in 2018, Sound Foundations builds tiny homes, over 500 to date, with a variety of organizations doing the volunteering. Faith communities are prominent in working with them to find solutions to homelessness. One current challenge is a lack of tiny house village sites. Go to the website at https://www.soundfoundationsnw.org/. Your parish may find a way to help, in any capacity.
Meanwhile, in Olympia, several bills are moving through the legislature which the Task Force supports. Please contact your legislators in support. Three have passed the House. HB1858 relates to the use of recording fees for funding in a tight budget year. HB1757 modifies regulations for existing buildings for conversion to residential use. 2SHB1217 is the most well-known, being the rent stabilization bill. All three are now in the Senate. Contacting your senator is imperative, as these bills form the core of solutions to caring for the unhoused and those at risk of becoming homeless.
Two other good bills have moved past the cutoff and into committee in the House. HB1380 relates to reasonable city regulations regarding the siting of homeless groups. 1380 is called Safe Spaces, Strong Communities. The other is SB5497, a companion to 2SHB1195, detailing requirements for permanent supportive housing and indoor shelters. Go to the legislature website, https://leg.wa.gov, to find all the information needed to understand these bills. Your State legislators are waiting to hear from you.
Be well, do good works, love one another.
Don Fornoff, Chair and member Bishop’s Task Force to the Unhoused
I would be interested in learning more about the task force. I work in the kitchen every Monday at Faith Episcopal Church in Poulsbo as part of their Fresh Start Program.