Homelessness, as everyone knows, is an extremely complicated emotional issue. Systemic societal barriers along with personal mental health issues can pull or push people into homelessness, and a dearth of affordable housing and needed services can keep them there.

The complexity of this issue can be overwhelming and have people, literally walking on by, those struggling. There can exist a feeling that solutions need to come from the government, nonprofits, and our church communities in the form of larger answers.

After all, what can one person possibly do to make a difference?

Today we are talking with Meghan, a young woman whose life direction took an abrupt and unexpected turn.

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On this episode we hear from Sabra Boyd. For those of you who don’t know Sabra, she is the Editor in Chief of REAL CHANGE, Seattle’s award winning street newspaper. Sabra is also an award winning independent journalist, public speaker, consultant, and web developer. She covers stories about exploitation in all its forms including healthcare, homelessness, trafficking, tech, prison, food, and beauty.

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On this episode we are talking with Ryan Henry Ward. If you live in Seattle and you don’t know Ryan, there is a good chance you do know his artful murals seen all over town!

Ryan’s murals, which are signed simply “henry”, have the power to bring out a smile, even on the grayest days. The scenes of his characters and the quiet story being told, leave you with a good feeling about living here in Seattle. Now, that alone would be reason to sit down with Ryan and share a good conversation, but, there is something more that you are going to want to hear. His views on community, specifically around the issue of homelessness, are beautiful, ones that are grounded in his personal journey of finding himself through his art.

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A while back we interviewed Casey for a 3-part series titled The Skipping Rock. It was one of our most popular stories shared! If you missed it, we highly recommend that you take the time to listen to Casey's story. I believe it will shift your understanding and feelings about the sex industry.

Casey was kind enough to come back into the studio for this 4th episode to have a follow up conversation, in part to answer some of the questions submitted to us from our listeners as well as share her own feelings about having told her story.

Casey’s sharing of her first hand experiences of falling into and then finding her way out of the sex industry gives us an opportunity to move past the debilitating and hurtful societal understanding we have of sex workers.

We can begin to change the narrative by seeing the individual, their beauty and their worth. Casey, and her team at Light Of Love, remind us that the limited choices brought by trauma have people living unintended lives, often ones with very little hope. She will tell you, through the loving light found in relationships, we can begin healing our community.

Casey and her team are tireless in their mission. If you would like to learn more about their work, or look into volunteer opportunities, please visit lightofloveseattle.org

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In every city and town across America, our libraries are loved. I know I smile to myself every time I come through the entry doors of the main branch in downtown Seattle or any one of the other neighborhood branches. I think it’s connected to knowing ahead of time that I’m entering into a special place, similar to walking into a church, or a museum.

Common to these spaces is that there are rules of conduct, ones that ask us to be respectful of others. I’m guessing a good many of our listeners, at one time or another when growing up and visiting the library, were told they were being too loud, that they were disturbing others. By the time we are adults, we know most of these rules of conduct without being told.

For people experiencing homelessness, libraries have always been sanctuaries. They provide shelter from inclement weather and access to water and a bathroom. More recently they offer use of the internet and a place to charge devices. For many, maybe most importantly, they are a safe place to be. A place where they are welcome. As the number of people struggling on our streets increases, this has put a strain on our library systems. We wanted to know how they were navigating the complexities of this issue. I think you are going to be surprised by what we found out!

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On this episode we sit down with Ren and Adam, the co-founders of The Outsiders Inn. I met them 8 years ago. At that time Ren and Adam were living in the basement of a house where the owner, a Deacon in the church, let them be there for next to nothing.

He also allowed them to care for friends struggling through homelessness. This included being okay with tents and several small shelters being built in the backyard and folks living in their cars parked along the street. All of these people were receiving simple services provided by Adam and Ren. In those early days, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the city of Vancouver, WA would shut it down.

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Tracy and I met 9 years ago when she commented on the Facing Homelessness Facebook page. Her sharing was, you could say, a tour de force of emotional outpouring.

Today I want to revisit that exchange because something important happened, something I believe is available to all of us and provides a path for moving forward when discussing difficult societal issues.

Tracy’s comments on the Facebook page were, for sure, ones of disgust and even anger towards those living homeless in her neighborhood. They were not unlike the polarized back and forth emotional statements we often see in the world of social media. However, Tracy did something remarkable after sharing her comment. She remained open and willing to engage.

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David knows first-hand the impacts of mass incarceration, after receiving a life sentence at the age 16. In his words, “being thrown away at 16 years old wasn’t the event. It was an exclamation point” on the consistent messaging he’s been receiving his whole life from systems that failed to see his humanity.

He was released after serving 24 years, following legislative reform of juvenile sentencing standards due to a new understanding of youth brain science.

Today David is 46 years old. He is the Director of Vision and Values at The Black Rose Collective. He works to develop community partnerships with individuals, groups and movements who share an alignment with and affinity for dismantling systems of oppression.

David was in the second cohort of Unlocked Futures’ social entrepreneurs impacted by the criminal injustice system, formed through a partnership with New Profit and John Legend's nonprofit organization FREEAMERICA.

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