The Journey Continues

Dear family & friends,

I hope that this letter finds you well and enjoying summer!

One year ago I wrote many of you asking for your support as I prepared to begin a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest (JVC NW). I wrote in the wake of graduating from Seattle Pacific and the shooting which occurred there a week prior to graduation. Those events led me to more deeply recognize and appreciate how many people I love and how many people love me and have shaped me. During that time all I wanted was to be those I love and to be held by my community. But I had a commitment to keep, so, after a confusing summer, I headed to a new place, with new people to offer a year of service and discover what it held for me. I’m writing to share an update on my past year in Gresham, OR, and what I am up to next.

Of course, a single letter cannot contain what the last year has been for me, and I cannot summarize what all has happened, but I will try to share a glimpse of where my soul has travelled.

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I’ve dwelled in the sorrow of loneliness and loss of the community I knew at SPU. I’ve resided in the confusion of transition, feeling unknown and not knowing the place and people in my presence.

And, yet, I have also experienced the joy of new connections and new community. I have come to deeply love my housemates. When I have trusted others to be with me when I have sat in grief and anxiety, I have received tenderness and care.

I have borne the weight of accompanying people experiencing trauma in extreme poverty. I have stood in awe of what people carry, and I have struggled to be present to such suffering.

And, yet, I have also borne witness to the resilience, determination, creativity, and humor which people can demonstrate in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. I have stood in awe of people finding a way and overcoming.

I have witnessed violence, mental illness, addiction, racism, profound isolation, and the human toll of systemic injustice.

And, yet, I have seen the care, healing, and love that people are capable of, even when all material possessions are stripped away. I have seen individuals and communities come together to carry a vision and work together toward a city where all people may flourish and contribute meaningfully.

I have known frustration, uncertainty, and isolation at work. At times, I have felt unsupported, and I have not extended support. At times, I have failed or felt like a failure.

And, yet, I have continued to show up. I learned and grew through the challenges. I have taken ownership and felt accomplished.

I have wandered with absence. My faith has felt hollow. I struggle to pray.

And, yet, in the desert, in the absence, somehow life enlarges. Doubts and questions have been my prayers. Even as I do not always believe, I trust that I am not alone and that I am a beloved child. I choose to trust the mystery that God is present in the absence – for even Jesus knew this absence.

And I have encountered Incarnation - places and people have offered me a fresh water; I have drank in wonder and Presence.

I have seen the sun rise over desert canyons, beheld waterfalls by moonlight, gazed over endless forest with the sun and moon suspended over opposite horizons, stood still with trees and birds as my sole companions, and danced to the beat of ocean waves and singing of the sea breeze. And I have danced in the living room, talked late into the night, and received the gift of community in so many ways. With companions, I have walked, wept, adventured, been bored, laughed, sang, shared meals, shared stories, dared, prayed, played, questioned, listened, reconciled, loved and received love, sojourned, and traveled far.

This has been one of the hardest years of my life, but it has been good. It has been gift, and it has been grace.

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I want to thank you for your support. I appreciate the prayers, letters, messages, times people have let me crash at their place, and visitors I’ve received. Even for those of you who I have not directly been in contact with this year, thank you for how you have touched my life. Thank you for the love, care and wisdom and which has shaped my life and who I am becoming as I seek to live a life of service.

I would like to ask for your continued support as I have signed on for another year of service with JVC NW. I am committing to spend another year examining and deepening my practice of the values of community, social & ecological justice, simple living and spirituality. Come August, I will head off to orientation and then move into a JV house in Portland with seven new community-mates. In mid-August, I will begin my service as the Volunteer Coordinator, Editorial and Vendor Program Assistant with Street Roots, the street newspaper in Portland. I will accompany people experiencing homelessness and poverty supporting their work in selling the paper to improve their quality of life, and I will support the organization in fulfilling its mission to be a catalyst for individual and social change.

I am fortunate to be a part of a service program which covers my basic living expenses so that I do not need to ask for financial support. However, I still cherish your support in other forms. If you are a person of faith, I covet your prayer and blessing (I’ve included prayer requests beneath my signature line). I always love receiving letters and notes, and will do my best to write back. I do not know my address yet, but if you email me, I will send it to you as soon as I know. You also are welcome to follow my blog which I occasionally update and hope to contribute to more consistently next year. And, if you are ever in the Portland area let’s meet up! I love hosting visitors.

Thank you. Hope to see you soon.

With love,
Scott

Prayer requests:
 For peace as I say many goodbyes and many helloes transitioning from my current community and service placement to the next
 For wisdom, hope, renewal, love and humility as I continue to be in relationship with people on the margins
 For healing, reconciliation and justice in the places of violence, suffering and oppression in our world, and in our own hearts

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The contents of this page, and all links appearing on this page, do not represent the positions, views, or intents of Jesuit Volunteers Corps Northwest.

Eight Reasons You Should Do JVC NW

I am currently just over halfway through my year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW, and I am loving it. Stepping into this year has been a huge transition, and I have struggled in many ways, but the challenges have spurred growth and they have been accompanied by great joys. I am finding my year with JVC NW to be transformative and  meaningful, and I am on a mission to get more SPU students to join the program.

Here are eight reasons you (specifically SPU students) should consider a year of service with JVC NW:

1. The Values

Spirituality. Community. Simple Living. Social & Ecological Justice. These are the values that center JVC NW and guide the JV experience. When I stumbled upon JVC NW during Christmas break of my senior year, it was the values which initially attracted me to the program. I believe that who you are becoming is of far greater experience than what you are doing. I wanted an opportunity after college that would offer me the structure and support to more fully align my values, passions and purpose. I wanted an opportunity that would shape me into a more loving, compassionate and just person. As a follower of Jesus, I desire to love God and love people with my whole self, and I see the values and holistic experience of JVC NW shaping me more into the person God intends me to be.

2. Community

At SPU, I experienced community like I never had before. As ready as I was to graduate, I was nervous for what community would look like outside of SPU. I desired to continue to live in intentional community, and JVC NW fit the bill. Leaving SPU and stepping into new a community in a new city, workplace and household has been hard. Really hard at times. I've struggled at times with what it looks like to maintain relationships from SPU while seeking to be fully present in my new place. It takes times to build trust with new people and there are the practical challenges of living with five people with different personalities, communication styles, and beliefs. But, I love it. I love my community-mates, and I love the struggles and joys that come with sharing life together. My housemates have seen me at my best and worst, and they have continued to love me. Living in community rewards you with new friendships, greater knowledge of your self, and experience which may benefit other current and future relationships.

3. Engage the Culture, Change the World...

I loved SPU's mission when I first arrived as a freshman. Over time, I have become less and less enthralled with it (It can feel like a savior-complex, and what does it even mean?). But the impulse behind SPU's mission to engage and seek the Kingdom of God in the here and now is good, I think. At SPU, I had my eyes opened to the great need for change in the world, and the great needs for change in myself. I don't know if I can change the world, but I can change the economics, politics, and social relationships in my personal and communal daily life. JVC NW provides the opportunity to enter into mutual relationships with people who are marginalized, and to let yourself be changed. I think this is immensely valuable no matter your vocation. A year of service as a JV is an opportunity explore what it looks for you to live out SPU's mission with intentionality.

4. Getting Out of the Bubble

As much as I loved my community at SPU, it also felt insular at times. JVC NW is committed to increasing diversity. The cohort of JVs comes from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and locations. While JVC NW is rooted in the Jesuit Catholic tradition, it is open to people of any or no faith tradition. It is not a missional or discipleship program, and I appreciate this. I love being in relationship with community-mates, co-workers and people I serve who look at the world in ways very different from myself.

5. Meaningful Service

JVC NW is not an internship. The service I do feels important, and I am treated as much as part of the team as anyone who works at my placement. There is a saying among JVs that none of us are qualified for the positions we are in, but we are capable. You may be a volunteer, but the JV positions are challenging, stimulating, come with a lot of responsibility and are of significant value to organizations. JVC NW partners with agencies who are working for structural social change and justice, and offering a year of service adds capacity to this work and make an impactful difference.

5. The Pacific Northwest is Best

From Montana to Alaska, and everywhere in between, I love the Northwest. If you do JVC NW, you will live in a beautiful place. And you automatically will have a place stay pretty much anywhere in the PNW.

6. The Structure and Support

JVC NW has been around for over 55 years. It served as a model for the PeaceCorps. You would be hard-pressed to find a better designed service program. From my initial interest in applying, to my interview, to orientation, to my actual experience in the program, I have been continually impressed by the staff and organization. The process of becoming a JV is one of mutual discernment and communication is very open and clear. The year begins with a weeklong orientation that made the transition into the year much better. Throughout the year there are three regional retreats. Every JV community has a Program Coordinator who visits two-times throughout the year and is available to offer support. Each community also has local support people. Our support people are two couples who let us borrow their car, occasionally bring us food, have us over for dinner, and generally are available if we are in need of something. There is an 80 year old retired priest down the road from us, who regularly brings us baked good. There also are former JVs in the area who can offer support, or at the very least come to our parties. You also can receive spiritual direction or mental health services. I am currently receiving spiritual direction for free which I have found very helpful. There is a tremendous amount of support available while recognizing that you are an adult and letting you have a lot of autonomy. 

7. The Jesuits are Rad

By becoming a JV, you become connected to a community and tradition that is nearly 500 years old. I am not Catholic, and was only loosely familiar with the Jesuits coming into the year, but I have enjoyed learning about the Jesuit Catholic tradition. This tradition is marked by openness, imagination, reflection, and faith lived out in service to the world. The Jesuits are rad both in that they are cool and in that they are very radical. There is space to embrace and learn from the connection to this tradition as much or as little as you wish, but there is a lot there that can inform your year if you wish. I also believe that this connection orients the approach to justice work which resonates with what I learned in my global development studies and through the Perkins Center.

8. The Benefits

By far the largest benefits of doing JVC NW is the transformation that comes with embracing and living out the four values of the program in service and community, and the relationship you form. But there are also numerous external benefits which make the program practical and doable. In contrast to many service programs, all of your basic needs are met during service. There are no financial costs to doing JVC NW. You receive money for rent, food, household supplies, transportation and a small stipend each month. Health insurance is also offered, if needed. Most JVs are able to defer their loans for the year. Additionally, the majority of JV positions are also AmeriCorps positions which brings along the AmeriCorps perks (if also more paperwork). At the end of my service I will receive a $5500 AmeriCorps education award which I can use toward paying back loans or future education. Many graduate schools will match this award, and other scholarships are available at many schools for people who have completed service programs. Finally, you have a year of professional experience and development which will benefit any future work and/or schooling. Oh, and you are connected to a huge network of awesome people doing awesome work.

Check out www.jvcnorthwest.org!  

If you are interested in learning more about JVC NW and my experience thus far, feel free to reach out to me! (call/text or email me, jacksons1@spu.edu) 

The priority deadline for applying is February 23rd, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis thereafter. 

You also can reach out to James, the JVC NW recruiter, to learn more (recruiter@jvcnorthwest.org). 

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The contents of this page, and all links appearing on this page, do not represent the positions, views, or intents of Jesuit Volunteers Corps Northwest.

Response(s) Pt. 2

So I got asked another set of questions for a section in the forthcoming Response magazine which will have brief vignettes of SPU alum meeting the challenge of homelessness. I enjoyed these questions almost as much as the first set so I thought I would share them on the blog as well. Feel free to read if you are interested in learning more about the service I am doing this year.

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1.      Please provide some additional detail on the immersion experiences you coordinate. How are they the same and how do they differ from SPU Urban Plunge experiences? These take place in downtown Portland? How does Portland compare with Seattle in how the homeless are treated? Students from many schools participate? You say most are students – what other people also do these? Would you describe what a typical day for one of the participants might look like?

The immersion program is designed as an educational experience for people to learn about poverty and social injustices through relationships and conversation. The immersions range in length from a half-day to a whole week. Through volunteering, tours, conversations with people on the streets, dinner with friends of JOIN (both housed and un-housed), discussion and reflection students gain insight into the lives of people who are experiencing homelessness, and, hopefully, become motivated to seek social change. My hope is that the immersion experiences will be both informative and transformative. Participants are provided with the opportunity to break down stereotypes and stigma, ask new questions, explore the root causes of homelessness, examine how their own lives are connected to social injustices, and begin a journey toward with compassion and justice.

The JOIN immersions share similar goals to SPU’s Urban Plunge though with different foundations and a bit more structure. JOIN’s immersions began in partnership with the Catholic Archdiocese and are informed by liberation theology and the Catholic Worker movement. JOIN is not a faith-based organization, so the immersions have no direct religious element, though there is space to discuss how spirituality is related to justice if participants bring this into conversation. This is in contrast to Urban Plunge which includes prayer and exploration of what a Christian response to homelessness ought to be. Also, whereas on Urban Plunge, participants have significant amount of unstructured time to explore in groups, JOIN’s immersions are more guided. The immersion experience is facilitated by myself and some of my friends who have experienced homelessness.

A typical day on an immersion would begin at JOIN which is located in NE Portland. Participants wake up at 5am after sleeping on the hardwood floor in “the House” as a small act of solidarity with those sleeping outside. We then take the MAX light rail into Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood which is just south of the downtown business district. The first activity of the day is volunteering at the Blanchet House of Hospitality serving breakfast. Participants have the opportunity to see how a feeding center works, interact with guests, and volunteer alongside men who are in a recovery program at Blanchet and run the meal provision. After breakfast, my friend Larry and I co-lead a tour of Old Town allowing participants to see social service providers, neighborhood dynamics, and issues affecting people outside. Larry talks about the challenges he faced living without housing for over thirty years before returning inside with assistance from JOIN. Following the tour, the participants break into small groups for two hours of exploring Old Town. During this time, participants visit organizations, engage with people, observe the neighborhood, see what it’s like to be outside without a place to rest, and find lunch with only a $1 each. When this exploration ends, we take the bus over to a place called “the caves” underneath the Ross Island Bridge on the east side of the river. People camp in “the caves” which are underneath the roadway above a steep embankment. My friend Julius shares his story of being homeless for nearly a decade and points out exactly where he slept underneath the roadway. After this activity, there is a break in the day to allow participants to rest and process what they have experienced. Participants have a journal with guiding questions and additional information to facilitate their learning. In the evening, we share a dinner with guests who I have built relationships with in the day space or who have been housed by JOIN. Guests have an opportunity to share their stories, and we all get to share a meal together as one community. The day ends with processing through journaling, discussion in small and large groups and an evening reflection.

So far I have led immersions with groups from three high schools and one university with over 100 participants total between all the groups. Coming up in the spring and summer, I have about seven immersions scheduled with groups from high schools, universities and youth groups. The experiences are open to adult groups, and I would like the program more visible to adult groups that might be interested. Last year, JOIN’s board participated in an immersion.

I don’t know if I have enough knowledge to answer how Portland treatment of people experiencing homelessness compares with Seattle’s. Both cities are viewed as being relatively friendly to people on the streets and there are more resources available than many other places. At the same time, people outside still face significant stigma. Though both cities are known as very progressive places, there still is significant NIMBYism (Not in my backyard). Both cities have thousands of people sleeping outside without shelter beds available. Affordable housing is increasingly hard to find in both cities, and gentrification is transforming both cities. The Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) conducted interviews with 1,200 people experiencing poverty and homelessness and found:

“• 81% of survey respondents reported being harassed, cited, or arrested for sleeping.

• 77% of survey respondents reported being harassed, cited, or arrested for sitting or lying on the sidewalk.

• 66% of survey respondents reported being harassed, cited, or arrested for loitering or

hanging out.

• Only 26% of the respondents said they knew of a safe place to sleep at night.”

           

These statistics resonate with the stories I hear from people I meet at JOIN. While Seattle and Portland are much friendlier than other places, and there are strong governmental and private efforts to end homelessness, the reality is that in both places there are not enough resources and people are treated inhumanely.

2.      “The House” is a day center only, no overnight housing? You facilitate guests getting the help they need? All ages? Is this also located in downtown Portland? How many are able to transition off the streets into housing?

“The House” is a day center only. We are open 10am-3pm, Monday thru Friday and located in NE Portland (in the Montavilla neighborhood, which could be loosely compared to Aurora in Seattle). We are open to anyone and have a diverse group of guests in terms of age, gender, race, family, and housing status. We try to create a safe and welcoming space for all. Equity and inclusion are a high priority at JOIN, and we continue to learn how we can best live out these values in our work individually and organizationally.

I help facilitate our guests accessing the basic services we offer. I work with our volunteers to provide showers, mail, computer access, locker space, clothing, hygiene items, haircuts, etc. to guests. I answer questions and respond to requests for items and assistance. I greet guests and provide an overview of what we offer and how we run on a barter point system. To the best of my ability I also provide referral to additional services that people are looking for. I try to provide the resources people need which could be anything from information on how to get on waiting lists for housing, to where to get food, to how to use email, to making a copy of a document, to giving them shoe laces, and seemingly anything and everything in between.

Beyond the tangible resources I may be available to provide, I seek to offer a humble, positive presence. I try to extend human connection and care to each guest I encounter, honoring their dignity, worth, knowledge and resilience. I try to recognize that I have a lot to learn and receive from the people I am privileged to accompany in service.

It is a difficult question to answer how many people transition off the streets into housing. Our guests in the day space include people who are chronically homeless as well as people who may just be outside temporarily or episodically. The main mission of JOIN is to support people in getting off the streets and into permanent housing but this efforts is somewhat separate from our work in the day space. All of JOIN’s assistance with housing is done through outreach looking to connect with the most vulnerable populations and people who might not be accessing services elsewhere. We have eight outreach workers who build relationships with people outside or in their vehicles throughout the entirety of Portland and East Multnomah County. Workers come alongside people to support them where they are at, and offer a hand-up to so that they may overcome barriers to leaving the streets. Funds are available to cover application fees, deposits and first month’s rent when someone finds an apartment. In 2013, JOIN supported 713 individuals transition from homelessness to permanent housing (including 92 families with over 200 children under the age of 18). We also have five retention workers who support people we’ve helped transition into housing in maintaining that housing. Retention workers offer friendly visits, community building activities, occasional financial resource, and other resources to meet needs as they arise.

3.      Describe one of the more meaningful exchanges you have had with a guest.

It was probably September or October when I met a man whose name I will refrain from sharing to protect his privacy. Now I didn’t really know this man, but he came into JOIN fairly often and I had checked his mail enough times to remember his name. One day, as I was walking through the relative chaos of the day space with a number of tasks on my mind, I noticed that he was sitting alone and looking morose. I almost walked past him, but I decided to pause and ask him how his day was going. His day was not going well, and for the next twenty minutes he proceeded to tell me his story.

He had been with a woman whom he considered his wife for nearly eight years. During that time, both of them had experienced homelessness for periods of time and struggled with addiction. At one point, his drug use had caused his wife to lose the housing she had recently moved into. Yet after this, and through all the ups and downs, the two of them had always come back together. But over the summer, he had begun using again and lost his job. He felt so much shame that he stole his wife’s car and left without telling her. At the point I was talking with him, he had been away for a couple months and never let her know where he was. He told me that he loved her so much and wanted to make things right.

This man allowed me to bear witness to his life. He entrusted me with personal details and demonstrated a deep vulnerability in sharing with me much that he wished were different in his life. He invited me to be present with him in a way that I think many of us may find difficult. It can be scary to let others into our places of fear, loneliness, and regret. It may be much easier to hide or numb and never let into the light the deep sorrows, as well as the deep joys, of our lives. So many of the guests at JOIN have gifted me with their stories and allowing me to walk next to them on their journey.

My first conversation with this man has led to many more. He has offered me friendship which defies the roles of service provider and recipient. I have been able to offer this man continued support through a very difficult season in his life not because it is my job, but we because we have a mutual relationship of care and concern.

4.      Do you know what you might like to do after your year of service with the Volunteer Corps?

That is a great question! The short answer is I do not know. One possibility is doing a second year of service with JVC NW or doing a similar program elsewhere. Another possibility would be looking for employment at a not-for-profit or church doing justice work most likely in Seattle or Portland. I also am discerning the possibility of pursuing theological education or a masters degree in social work. Right now, I feel content to be in a place of unknowing, and I am focusing on being present. I want to be open to what this year invites me to, and I know it will continue to bring unforeseen opportunities. Rather than being concerned about what I will do, I am hoping to focus more on who I am becoming and place myself where I will be guided and transformed by God’s grace. I know that I have a lot to learn, and whatever I end up doing, I hope to be under leadership and within community that will challenge and inspire me.

5.      What keeps you optimistic about the service and justice work you do?

The people I work with keep me optimistic about the service and justice work I do. I have the honor of accompanying people facing some of the most difficult circumstances humans can face, and they keep going. I see the resilience and creativity people demonstrating in surviving. I have seen people make it into housing despite seemingly insurmountable odds. The beauty, worth and strength of the human spirit continually amazes me. I work with people who have their humanity reduced to labels and stereotypes “bum,” “addict,” “felon,”“lazy” – yet each person I meet has a story and a personality so much larger than their socioeconomic status.

I do not want to overly romanticize the situation. While people do live with hope and resilience, I do see homelessness crush people’s spirits. I have seen people do terrible things to others and themselves. I see a tremendous amount of need that exceeds the resources available. I see the deep effects of systemic oppression on individuals. Sometimes I feel like the work I am doing makes no difference.

Yet, while I see such great need and brokenness, I also see strength, redemption and change. I see the image of God in the people I work with and this keeps me going. 

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The contents of this page, and all links appearing on this page, do not represent the positions, views, or intents of Jesuit Volunteers Corps Northwest.