An End-of-Year Letter
| As we come to the end of another year in this difficult but gratifying work of aiding and empowering people experiencing extreme poverty, I feel an enormous sense of gratitude for all that has been accomplished. Beacon remains the largest nonprofit housing provider for people experiencing homelessness in our region. I’m proud of this. You should be, too, as you make it possible. At Beacon, we believe it is better to empty a shelter bed than to fill one. Unfortunately, emergency food and shelter are essential for now, but we never confuse those needs with our true goal. Everyone deserves a home. This makes Beacon special. And as a supporter, it makes you special, too. Because you are Beacon. You are the light. Following the closure of a women’s emergency shelter in Bloomington and knowing there is a large men’s shelter in town, Beacon shifted its own shelter, Friend’s Place, to increase the number of beds for women. A shelter that once supported 28 men and 12 women has more than reversed those numbers, now sheltering 32 women and 8 men each night. We’re preparing to move up to 36 and perhaps 40 beds for women if we see the demand rise. I’m proud of this. You should be, too. We are also a leading provider of a service called Coordinated Entry. This is a bit technical and maybe even a little boring, but it’s the way our community develops its real-time data for people experiencing homelessness, while serving as the main path for people to access housing support in our community. This is one of the ways that homeless services are not just a bed and a meal, but a professionalized approach to ending homelessness. Coordinated Entry is a remarkable collaboration and, honestly, a lot of work. But because of its importance, Beacon takes a strong lead in its management and operations. I’m proud of this. You should be, too. While I’m grateful for and proud of so much, I also struggle with a persistent ache for what more is possible, but not yet accomplished. Maybe that’s the way it always needs to be with such an intransigent problem as homelessness: glancing back, driving forward. A large burden is placed on Beacon. We are gratefully seen as a leader in homeless services in our community. We are often tasked with taking on challenges others can’t or won’t do. And those challenges have grown. Housing affordability has gotten dramatically worse. When I first began at Beacon nearly 15 years ago, there was always at least one place in town we could help someone move into, no matter their challenges or background. Now, the rent has risen beyond the reach of so many and the availability of anything affordable has little room for forgiveness of an imperfect past. While homeless numbers have remained steady due to significant efforts from us and others, we’ve seen major increases of severe mental illness, substance use disorder, and chronic health conditions within the homeless population, each more than doubling over the last five years. Whenever housing becomes unaffordable, the most vulnerable are the first to lose their homes. Because people with these conditions struggle so much, it’s become more and more difficult to offer the care that everyone deserves. I see these challenges and long to be the place that meets them. The new Beacon Center is extremely exciting. The Center with new permanent homes, improved and expanded emergency sheltering, and deepened services with partners, including Centerstone and HealthNet, working onsite will be a great advance. But, I also recognize that a building is only as valuable as the programming with which we fill it. As Beacon looks into the future of our programming and what we are called to be, three themes emerge for me: Excellence, Employment, and Essentials. Excellence: it’s common for nonprofits to operate from a place of survival. While organizationally healthy, Beacon has certainly stretched itself to its very edges in order to provide as much programming as possible. We know that if the shelter doesn’t open, someone sleeps outside. If the meal goes uncooked, someone goes hungry. If a case manager falls through, a person could face an eviction. But I dream of even more for our homeless neighbors – that our programming is not just available but excellent in every way. I envision every program fully resourced to the levels needed to provide the best security and care, offered by the most skilled and prepared staff who are all fairly paid. Employment: I envision Beacon as similar to a three-legged stool. Essentials, like food and shelter, are one leg. Housing (permanent, stable homes) is the second leg. And employment is the third leg. It’s our weakest leg. And for us to be balanced, we need to do more to support people here. The new Center is being built with employment in mind, including an employment center, a training kitchen, and five work exchange apartments, where residents can work in exchange for housing. I wish for us that we fill those spaces with the support people need to take their next steps into meaningful work. Essentials: I believe we need to expand to a 24/7, fully accessible center. This means shifting our day center resources into the evenings and weekends, providing dinners and weekend meals, daytime sheltering throughout the week, compassionate security to ensure all are safe, and added case management and supportive services availability to support people in their efforts to reach their highest potential. It is even possible that we could open an emergency winter shelter to help people get through the coldest times. These are the guiding lights of Beacon. Someone recently suggested to me that Beacon could mean a lighthouse that warns you of dangerous shores. But it also could be the many lights of a landing strip that light your way home. I love that. Each of you are one of those lights, lighting the way home. If you’d like to learn more about Beacon’s programs and the new center, please visit us at www.beaconinc.org. If you’re feeling called into this great work and want to help, we welcome a connection from you by phone, email, or even a cup of tea. The happiest of holidays to you and all whom you love. |