from: The Committee for the Development of Residential Work Sites for Green Training in Agriculture & Economics (R.W.S) This ongoing Project is promoting the dignity of self-support for those experiencing homelessness, while helping build a new green economy. May 14, 2009 Hello Again Friends of Simplicity, Here is an UPDATE of the Residential Work Sites Project: There's good news from many quarters in the effort to help people experiencing homelessness, and to help prevent further homelessness and hunger. * Nationally, President Obama's 2010 Budget Proposal includes big increases in funding for housing and homeless programs, including: $46.3 billion for HUD programs, an 11 percent increase; $1.8 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, an increase of $117 million over FY 2009; $1 billion for a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund; $68 million for the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program, an $8 million increase over 2009; $26 million for a pilot program to prevent homelessness for veterans This according to the May 7 summary report of the the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). See, http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/2312 * Locally, our City Council had the political courage to properly fund housing and other services to the poor - in keeping with the goals of the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. On May 1st, our leaders funded a $ 6.7 million shortfall despite a shrinking tax base - making other unpopular cuts to do so. We owe a debt of gratitude to them, and to all who effectively helped raise awareness and lobbied to get the City Council to do so! Let's all 'give it up' for Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, Sisters of the Road, Street Roots, and others who kept reminding our City Council leaders of how fast this crisis of homelessness is growing. See, http://streetroots.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/housing-and-homeless-service... * Also Locally, as part of the City's Climate Change Action Plan, there are plans happening through the Bureau of Parks and Recreation (Commissioner Fish's Office) to help Portlanders to develop 1300 new community gardens over the next 30 years or so. See, http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=123994030997687400 Add to this, the various ongoing efforts for improved food production and access by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability's Food Policy Council. Further add the ongoing efforts of many church communities and caring citizens to share food with those who hunger. See, http://www.oregonfoodbank.org/ofb_services/food_programs/community_baske... and, http://www.foodsecurity.org/ Really, the longer-term outlook for food supplies for poorer folks in the Portland area do not seem too bad for now. As for the longer term prospects for housing -- we must ask ourselves, "Can we continue to fund huge housing projects and rent subsidies while our tax base is shrinking or remaining stagnant?" I want to say yes, but the political reality is that this is becoming more difficult. Is there not a much more frugal way to provide housing for our homeless neighbors - many of whom have been on waiting lists for months or years already? Moreover, with ongoing job losses in the private sector, isn't there some feasible way to provide WORK for the unemployed, so that they might know the dignity of self-support? Yes there is! Forming and nurturing self-supporting GREEN communities among formerly houseless workers -- by teaching them permaculture and non-violence -- is not just a cool compassionate idea! R.W.S.-like projects are POTENTIALLY A MEANS BY WHICH THOUSANDS COULD FIND HOUSING AND WORK AT A TINY FRACTION OF THE COST WHICH GOVERNMENT IS NOW ANNUALLY BEING ASKED TO PAY BY HOUSING ADVOCATES AND LOBBYISTS!!! Not that there's anything wrong with multi-million dollar projects. But job losses and budget shortfalls ARE expected to continue for at least three years, most economists predict. Whether or not one likes this particular "R.W.S Committee,", or the specifics of our Mission Statement, or this author, the fact remains that well-governed, green-focused, working/ gardening communities for the homeless people are a good idea -- especially in the face of a severe economic downturn. From a public policy and planning perspective, as well as a humanitarian perspective, we would be wise to quickly begin developing and nurturing such communities here locally. R.W.S. Committee members have spoken with at least three hundred homeless people on the streets of Portland since March. So far, the clear majority of people I have talked with at any length about this project believes it's a great idea. Most housed people also like the idea of 'homeless gardening communities.' They want to address the growing problem effectively. Business owners whose storefronts are frequented by panhandlers also like the idea. It could help get hundreds of idle people out from in front of their shops, and into green work away from the City Center. Educators and permaculturalists especially tend to like the ideas of the R.W.S. project, because therapeutic, sustainable simplicity is our goal. Granted, most folks do think that the R.W.S. Project's NAME is way too long. Well, that is true. The "Committee for the Development of Residential Work Sites for Green Training in Agriculture and Economics" -- OH MY! We will change the name once the idea has circulated enough. For now, our name says what our purpose is, and that can be useful. Nonetheless, MOST folks really do like the idea, generally speaking. Ironically, it has been most difficult to cultivate real interest among representatives of the longer-established charitable service providers in Portland. It's been like pulling teeth trying to promote a perfectly good idea for giving real dignity to the homeless. Part of the problem is of course how young our Committee is -- just 3 months old, having spun out of Portland's Town Hall Meetings. Many are just SO skeptical of, "yet another new committee." Part of the problem too has been the sometimes blunt force of this author's personality. Forgive me. It has been difficult at times, I confess, to keep my ego from getting wounded in the course of promoting this great idea among "the experienced ones," who think it won't work. It's hard to be ignored when telling of a great idea! I do keep reminding everyone that they are perfectly welcome to "steal this idea!" That'd be fine, just as long as they carry the ball -- working locally for low cost green work & housing programs for homeless people. "Feel free to change the name and do things a bit differently," I tell the big charitable providers, "just as long as you give them working, sustainable community." That's where the real personal growth is at - in the sense of belonging and dignity that can only come through cooperative self-support. There is not much opportunity for real growth in being merely fed. Even the provision of food plus housing, if without work opportunities, can cultivate dependency -- offering limited opportunity for that real dignity which can only come through work. It is part of what makes us human. We are also continually reminding whomever will listen that really - this "vision" of green, therapeutic working communities does not "belong" to this Committee, nor is it new. The idea of living in communal, egalitarian, agricultural/ gifting economies is in our nature! Our ancestors have often lived so - especially when economic necessity called them to it. It's NOT a new idea! I simply know that the time for this approach has come, and I feel a strong need to say so! As surely as 'poor farms' cropped us everywhere in the Great Depression days, it will one way or another likely happen among us in the Portland area these days, as we move into more dark economic times. That is in part exactly why we feel a sense of urgency about this work. That, and all of the frightened, real-time current suffering -- growing daily with each new job loss, each new foreclosure, each new eviction, each new addition to the government's waiting lists. We feel called to keep saying, as loudly and as cooperatively as possible: It would be best if we could set a high standard for helping those experiencing homelessness by developing and nurturing working, educationally-focused, sustainable communities which are wisely and compassionately overseen by a committee or coalition of local people. We should NOT wait until larger, less-in-touch government agencies set up 'work & housing' programs, likely to be run by for-profit corporations! Even under Obama, many greedy companies are lined up and sniffing out opportunities for this kind of thing -- just as surely as Blackwater rushed to the scene in New Orleans after Katrina. There are many corporations on K Street which view the mass suffering of jobless, homeless people as an 'opportunity' for profit, and nothing more. So we will continue to call on local charities and service providers for the homeless to come together with extra-ordinary cooperation, and to join this Committee to help bring food, housing AND the dignity of work to as many people as possible -- as inexpensively as possible! Really, I am surprised that many 'homeless gardening projects' have not already taken root here in progressive Portland. Please do take a look at the 'Homeless Gardening Project' of Santa Cruz, CA if you get a chance - as it is an inspiring model! See, http://www.homelessgardenproject.org/ In other developments . . . we plan to address the PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL, Wed. June 17th, 9:30 AM (likely closer to 10:30) Three people will be on the Communications Agenda to speak in favor of the Residential Work Sites Project to the City Council on that day. Ahead of that day, we will be sending letters and attempting to arrange meetings with our Mayor and Commissioners, in hope of encouraging them to consider making 'set asides' of certain public lands - appropriate for agriculture - where homeless, willing workers might form well-governed communities, build simple shelters, garden, barter, and share their surpluses with anti-hunger charities. The City is lately in the midst of working with the Metro Council -- trying to determine our urban growth and rural preserve boundaries for the next 'Twenty to Thirty Years.' http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=277 This is a good time to be asking our elected officials to be proactive, and to have the foresight to plan ahead for this wonderful possibility of self-supporting gardening communities for so many otherwise economically disenfranchised people. The other reason to come and be present before the Council is this: Now that the City Council has reinstated the anti-Sit/Lie law until October, the BIG question which we must be asking them now is, "Ok, WHERE THEN DO THE HOMELESS HAVE ANY RIGHT TO BE ? ? ! So far, the answer from our Council is apparently "nowhere" for most. In the long run, the R.W.S. Committee hopes we'll all have RIGHTS to be gardening and building simple shelters on certain public lands, of course! But in the MEANTIME, we ALL now deserve the human RIGHT TO SHELTER - to just be able to camp in a do-no-harm manner - SOMEWHERE! So on June 17, we also plan to deliver more Petitions, signed by many of you already, asking that the Council immediately establish several Hassle-Free Camping Zones. These should be close to the City Center (mass transit and services), and should each have a water supply, a restroom facility, and trash receptacles. As the numbers of people sleeping outdoors grows, we have a duty to demand that there be more places where folks can legally camp in peace --- without being hassled by police or private security guards. See details about the ongoing Petition effort at our Wiki site (link below). The more who show up that day in the City Council Chamber to show support for those speaking, the better! Thanks for your willingness to think outside the box, -- Dave R. Committee for the Development of Residential Work Sites for Green Training in Agriculture & Economics (R.W.S.) ______________________________________________________________________

The RWS is OPEN to your SUGGESTIONS, ongoing!  Residential Work Sites Committee

P.O. Box 3482 Portland, OR 97208  Our next Meeting will be at the Red & Black Cafe, SE 12th & Oak Streets, Portland, at 2 pm on Sunday, May 17th. As always, ALL are welcome to attend and to share their story. e-mail us at: Res.Work.Sites.Committee@gmail.com for more information. Visit our temporary website at: http://green-projects-for-homeless.wikispaces.com/

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