A platform for voices

All photos | Rajiv Kapoor

Tara and Daniel





Bookkeeper Tara and painter Daniel lost their jobs as property managers after a shift in property ownership. As a result they also lost their housing. Securing temporary housing through Seattle’s Solid Ground has enabled Tara and Daniel to focus their energy on finding jobs instead of searching for places for them and their two children to spend the night. Their temporary apartment is equipped with basic phone service but no way to receive messages. Through the Community Voice Mail program, the family now has a phone number to place on the mounting pile of housing, assistance, and employment applications, and a means to stay in touch with friends and family. The basic phone service allows Tara and Daniel to return messages placed on their Community Voice Mail number. Things are looking up. Kristjan and Sophia, ages 8 and 6, have weathered the storm remarkably and continue to do well in school. Tara recently completed a GED program with terrific success and is considering pursuing a college degree in social work.

Bill





Over the course of eight years, Bill spent countless days and nights in and out of hospitals and doctors’ offices dealing with stomach-related illnesses and depression. The former Peace Corps volunteer, social worker, and amateur photographer pressed on. Unable to work during this period of his life, it wasn’t long before Bill found himself sleeping in homeless shelters between hospital visits. Community Voice Mail was the only constant thing in his life. He used the service to track medical appointments and keep in touch with family and friends he made during his time in the hospital. He now manages his illnesses through a regimen of 30 medications a day. He’s off the streets and out of the shelters, residing in a tiny subsidized apartment. He still gets messages on his Community Voice Mail. Through his ordeals, Bill has learned that he is stronger than he once thought.

FIRST LESSON LEARNED

Posted by DrewBenton on March 10th 2009 in Organizations Edit

It seems like yesterday I stepped onto the property of SafeHouse Outreach (SHO) and was totally freaked out at the sight of several hundred homeless men and women. Being a middle class suburban kid I had never been exposed to such a sight.

At first, I was not sure how to respond. I did not know if I should go up and talk to people or keep to myself. To be honest, I think I was on homeless people overload. I felt as though I had stepped into a third world country. The poverty these people were living in was too much for me to bear.

My background in the suburbs had taught me these people were lazy, crazy, or addicted. Much of my impression of “homeless people” had been shaped by television and pop culture. These thoughts and others raced through my head as I began to walk across the parking lot of SHO and began looking into the faces of these people.

About that time I heard someone shout out at me, “Young man!” I turned and saw a man sitting in a chair wearing layered clothing and a sock hat, holding a cane. I went over to the man and introduced myself. He told me his name was Marlon and he could tell I was new.

Marlon and I had a good laugh at the fact that I looked totally freaked out. We then talked about all kinds of different topics. We talked about God, family, life, and more. His insight was incredible. The more we talked the more we began to connect. The more we began to connect the more I forgot I was talking to a “homeless” man.