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Resource Report - 23 Integrate · Resource Report

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Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we
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share with you important information about local
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nonprofits and resource organizations that support
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the community we share, produced by Pathways
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to Agency. I am your host Rainmaker. Today's
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guest is Phoenix Holmes, current leader of Integrate,
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formerly Just Housing, an organization dedicated
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to fighting for the rights and welfare of one
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of Olympia's most vulnerable communities. Here's
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Phoenix. I am here at KAOS Radio Station. with
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Phoenix Homes, and we are going to discuss some
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interesting topics around an organization that supports
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the homeless. How are you doing today, Phoenix?
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A wee bit a little tired, but I'm okay. I'm still
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recovering from cancer. Today is one of the slightly
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better days, but the best thing I'm going to
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say as a little side note. To all those who are
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of the cancer awareness and cancer survivor herd,
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we are sisters and brothers. We can do this.
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And it's just one step in front of another. So
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I had to say that as a little aura towards everybody.
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Definitely. Definitely. I've even heard from
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a couple of people I've known who have struggled
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with that fight and have actually won. So don't
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lose hope. Very much so. Okay, so I am understanding
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that there has been an organization in the past
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called Just Housing, and it had a development
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that it went through that it transitioned to
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another organization called Integrate, and that
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you have been doing a lot of work with that.
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Can you give us a little understanding and insight
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about that? Just Housing at first was created
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by multiple individuals in the community, and
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I say to each of you, thank you for your service
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that you have done during that time that you
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were inside of Just Housing. So thank you. So
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can you explain what Just Housing was and what
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it did specifically? Just Housing was a grassroots
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organization that was built and designed to go
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to legislation and fight for the freedoms of
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the homeless family and any underdog individuals.
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They also did protests. They had fun many of
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the time going down to City Hall and putting
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up tents. And we had a good old grand time of
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having a barbecue and just going in front of
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the City Hall, telling them that their Ugly Laws
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and ordinances against the homeless is... are
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just an atrocity to human mankind. And that's
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just one of the simple things that they would
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do. Other stuff that they would do is getting
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donations and many other kinds of materials for
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the homeless. And then they would also help feed
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us. They would get other kind of donations towards
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the encampments, so that way we would have propane
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and water and all the other supplies. They also,
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they were human. They gave us hugs. And even
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the middle of all the struggle of all the laws
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and all the chaos around us, just to know that
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somebody was out there fighting for you was invaluable.
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Yeah, thank you for sharing that. So I remember
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previously when we first spoke at the power community
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dinner, I remember you saying how leadership
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from just housing had some unexpected life changes
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and they needed to step away. And then that was
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when you started. taking on Integrate. Yes, it
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was due to that shift change. Our leadership
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needed to do other things. And when the shift
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change happened, we shifted the name from just
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housing because it was not just housing anymore.
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When the new community came together for our
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new name, we decided Integrate because we're
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not just asking for just housing. We are asking
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to be part of the community, to integrate back
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into it, to be surrounded, to be loved. And so
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we decided that was the new name because we wanted
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to show the community a new foundation, a stronger
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one, and have that compassion be shown in our
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name. It takes everyone to make a community,
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not just some. Yeah. So you have taken on the
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mantle of bringing Integrate together. Is that
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right? Yes. It was a little on the side of scary,
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I might add. But it was necessary because many
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of a person didn't have the time or resources
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yet. And so I decided I'll just step up to the
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plate for now until... So what is the timeline
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for the inception of Integrate? When did you
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get started with that? About seven years ago.
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Yeah. So there's a lot. That's a lot of time
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that's lapsed from then until now. So can you
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tell me some things that Integrate has been able
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to achieve and work on seven years ago and then?
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How has that journey played out up until now?
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Some of our struggle for the moment has been
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that we are a little smaller than just housing,
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and so that's one of our issues. But what we
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have been doing is going still to the legislation,
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still fighting and advocating for the rights
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of the homeless, still going out and getting
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donations for as many of the encampments as we
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can. We are still fighting the good fight of
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trying to give hugs out as best as we can and
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tears too. Just a faithful companion for now
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until we have the strength to move a little bit
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stronger in legislation because we need to stop
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these ugly beggar ordinances. And Susan, a very
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wonderful Susan Kay, a wonderful advocate, stated
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very clearly, Ugly beggar laws are no better
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than to having a human control another human
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and tell them that they are worthless, and then
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make them into a criminal, and thus make them
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into a pauper. our mankind, and our family members
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is nothing but cruel and inhumane treatment and
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punishment, which they have no rights to do against
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us because all we are lacking is a residential
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address. And that's not right. Have you worked
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with other organizations? Well, of course, Power,
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since we're talking about them and that we were
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doing that wonderful dinner also with the YWCA
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is another one, along with... We the United,
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who was a wonderful whistleblower program that
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helped us out. And We the People, also another
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whistleblower program that helped us out as well,
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including of which the veterans and how I can
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just keep going down a major list. So that's
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a lot of really wonderful organizations that's
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worked with you with Integrate. What are some
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challenges that you have faced as Integrate?
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Severely finances is one of the biggest issues.
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The library is one of our other supporters into
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our cause because they have the wonderful program
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of the $44, and I must do also another hurrah
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out to the library system. because without them
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helping many of a student or, you know, advocate
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out there, we would not have our system to be
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able to go get our flyers and many other agency
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needs to be met, especially because you have
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just given us the resources of the Internet,
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computers, and, of course, that $44 to print
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things. Grateful, grateful we are. So that's
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just one of our struggles, but I can say to you,
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we try. So what are the largest barriers that
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you have come across in the work that you are
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doing? First is hatred. That is the most and
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highest situation possible. i recall myself specifically
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I had a little wagon with all my possessions
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in it and the this people literally took their
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soda And out of derision started laughing at
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me and overturned everything and started kicking
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me down. And I was literally with no, not much
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on my back. I hardly had any clothing. And they
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took their soda and poured it all over me and
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poured it all over my possessions and kicked
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it all over. And then decided to proceed to call
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the cops on me saying that I had littered. the
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whole entire pavement, even though they had littered
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it and it was my possessions. And so the police
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officer came and actually gave me a fine for
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littering, a criminal fine for littering, even
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though it was my possessions that they had taken
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and destroyed out of their malice and their hatred.
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Wow, that's intense. Wow. And you're not the
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only one who faces this kind of experience. Many
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homeless people around here face that experience.
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Is that right? Yes, I will give you over at the
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Olympia Theater behind it. They decided to call
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the police on a wonderful individual. She was
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disabled, and all she wanted to do was sleep
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for just maybe five minutes. It is somewhere
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a little bit warm for a brief moment. And they
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called the cops on her. And when they arrived,
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they pulled her roughly, roughly, and started
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just dragging her along the pavement and hurting
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her legs and making her turn bloody. Meanwhile,
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she was sobbing and saying, what did I do wrong?
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What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong? Please
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stop. And all of us advocates that were watching,
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we were trying everything to get the police officers
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to stop and hand her back to us. And they said,
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well, no, we're hauling her way to the jail for
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criminal trespass. And we're like, no, all she
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was doing was sleeping for a moment. Leave her
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alone, please. And she was just sobbing. Help
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me, please help me. I don't know what I did wrong.
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Please help me. How can you face that? It's really
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difficult when you're on the street and no one
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provides you a place to be. That's definitely
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a challenge. And many people just don't understand
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that where are you supposed to go? There is nowhere
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to go. Every time, even a place called interfaith.
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even opens a door. And I appreciate the fact
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that we have Unity Commons and the secondary
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building that has been put up. But every single
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time that we even have tiny homes, like the Plum
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Street one and the one over, I forget where.
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But every time we have these tiny homes, it is
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still this gentleman behind the Plum Street tiny
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home specifically told me that he was 1 ,103.
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on a list to get into a place. Oh, wow. What
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other barriers have you experienced? All right.
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Other barriers is this, not just the hate, but
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also the fact that cities. due to their ugly
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ordinances, have decided that our encampments
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are illegal. Even though they have actually done
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public health crises and many other emergency
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measures, they are still considering us so destructive
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and so yucky that they have decided to start
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taking our stuff, meaning they go into our encampments
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without notice, literally. And at 6 o 'clock
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in the morning, they will show up with this big,
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huge green garbage can, and they will start bulldozing,
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even though we might be still in our tents, still
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sleeping. Some of our people are in wheelchairs,
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and they will literally destroy our ADA equipment.
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Thousands of dollars each encampment has been
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destroyed. Thousands. plus our ADA equipment.
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We've had to literally race to try to protect
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each individual. Back in 2018, we were given
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a direct, beautiful celebration deal where we
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were told that a peace offering was given and
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that a homeless coordinator had been finally
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selected. And he stated that once it is built,
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that he would not harm us and that he would leave
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us alone and that he would go off of the public
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health emergency crisis. He would work with us.
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But then that very night that we were celebrating,
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having pizza, having our voter rights being written
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down on voter registration cards, we were getting
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all that done, having fun. thinking we were actually
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finally being treated human. We get a phone call
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from one of our census takers, because they were
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also doing census at the time, and the census
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gentleman says, Oh, the police have arrived at
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encampments all around the whole entire city.
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And we're getting phone calls all over the place.
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Well over 15 of them. And they have surrounded
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all 15 encampments. And they have literally started
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destroying every single one of them and are bulldozing.
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They are literally bulldozing right now while
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you guys are having pizza and celebrating. They
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are destroying your stuff. And we start piling
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out of the, they're trying to do everything we
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can to stop them. And they literally prevent
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us from going back into the campus to even stop
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them and grab our stuff. They literally, they
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betrayed us that day. They just wanted to just
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destroy all of our hopes and our dreams. There
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was nothing we could do. Nearly 250 people that
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night. They all stood downtown at the warming
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center with nothing except for the clothes on
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their backs now. And that was it. How can you
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even pick up and move forward in any kind of
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assistance program like that? So somebody didn't
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get the message? No, they purposely did it. It
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was the directive was to actually have us celebrate.
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Wow. And the directive was to actually bulldoze
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as we were celebrating. And there's evidence
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of that? Yes. And you have that evidence? Yeah.
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Can you share about that? I'm just going to tell
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them that I have a witness statement, and here
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is one of them. So I'm looking at documentation
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of the Olympia survival bans. What is that? February
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13th, 2013. Stephen Buxbaum, the former mayor
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of Olympia, Washington placed, quote unquote,
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Unsightly Beggar Ordinances, as they were called,
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before 1970 against the homeless family. And
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then the ordinances that are listed with Olympia's
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survival bans, this is the legislation that Integrated
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is currently fighting. And one in particular
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I'm looking at, 9 .16 .180. And then there's
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another ordinance, 18 .50 .040 and 16 .06. and
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then 10 .16 .030. And so these are ordinances
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that make it so... difficult to find a way forward.
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And what we are working on doing is finding a
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way to overcome these challenges to be able to
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have these people integrate back into society
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and move forward in their lives. If you also
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were to look at this other two situations of
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these paperwork, it says clearly here to buffer
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against those ordinances that you just read off
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and where it says clearly here. There are appeals.
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The appeals court states that people who live
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in tents have the same privacy protections as
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those in houses. This is written by... Heidi
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Groover, and this was October 11th on 2017. There's
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even a time stamp at 12:39 p .m. And also, if
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you were to look at the next particular information
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as well, it says... And so then we have March
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6th, 2000. I'm assuming that's... 2018. A homeless
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man's truck is his home. Judge rules in Seattle.
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So it's interesting how we have this ruling in
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Seattle, but not in Olympia, our state's actual
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capital. I had heard there was a support organization
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that was actually succeeding in... helping homeless
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communities in Seattle. Like there was progress,
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okay? There was very notable progress. And Seattle
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came in and said, no, no, you've got to stop
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doing that. You can't do that. You're not allowed.
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It is illegal for you to go in and do this work
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that you are doing. That's actually making a
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difference. That's our job. And then sent that
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organization away. And then the situation just
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got worse, and they didn't help anything after
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that. The organization was Homes Not Handcuffs.
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Homes Not Handcuffs, okay. But their motto was
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that you do not criminalize anybody whatsoever,
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period. And the unfortunate thing is that when
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that situation happened, There was actually a
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group down in California that was also creating
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tiny houses and they literally stole all 80 of
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them from him and removed all the tiny houses
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completely. And 80 people were back out on the
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street automatically. So, you know, all of this
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gives one the impression that The government,
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whether it be city, county or state or federal,
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there's like an unspoken conspiracy against homeless.
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Yes, we had. June 4th of 2018, where we had our
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public health crisis declared in Thurston County
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for our homeless family as well. Yet, Ty Mincer,
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who was supposed to be the commissioner over
23:38
the situation, when he was asked and commanded
23:43
to go to maybe the Red Cross and get help for
23:48
us, He didn't do a darn thing. He just sat there
23:52
and then lied to us saying, oh, I did everything.
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I did this and did that. I got a mitigation camp
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going. No, you didn't. It was Just Housing myself.
24:05
included and i ended up on august 1st of 2018
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go to court and actually protect that mitigation
24:15
camp from being closed down and we managed to
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make it survive all throughout this time but
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every single time we had anything going for us
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They literally turned around and betrayed us
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all over again. Including of which the date that
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they had done that horrible travesty of betrayal
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against us was January 25th and 26th of 2018.
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And where Anna Schelcht, Jim Cooper, and Steve
24:48
Hall betrayed us. They were Olympia City Hall
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council member slash council employees. And I'm
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going to tell you this. Jim Cooper commanded
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Anna Schlecht to do these atrocities to us. And
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Anna Schlecht just sat there and took all the
25:15
voter registrations and stole them and dumped
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them in the trash. And so when we actually went
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back to find out where we could be able to do
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our voice, she literally told us that she didn't
25:28
have any of it and tried to flee from me. How
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did you find out that they were thrown away?
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She told me specifically right in front of Tyler
25:40
Gundal of Just Housing, myself and Mark Goddard
25:45
and many others that she had taken them all and
25:49
thrown them in the trash. All of our voters registrations,
25:53
our voice was taken away from us. Our rights
25:57
as citizens to help our community. was taken
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away. 893 voter registrations. September 14th
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of 2020. I and 15 others were inside of an encampment
26:30
in Tumwater off of Tumwater Boulevard next to
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Quincy Inn. It was a hobo camp that had been
26:40
previously been used by us many of a time. And
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it was a beautiful location of 32 acres. And
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it was so beautiful because that could have been
26:51
dreams. By the time that if 20 all the way until
26:54
now, if we had been allowed to continue, do you
26:58
realize how many tiny houses we could have been
27:02
building and dreams that we could have built
27:05
into this situation? And on top of that, here
27:09
lies the beauty of that they actually stated
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to us, we were the cleanest encampment they had
27:17
ever seen. Because one of our rules as our nonprofit
27:22
is that as you were to walk out, we were to take
27:27
a garbage bag with you. We had standards and
27:31
we were following them very carefully because
27:34
we were going to turn this place into a family
27:37
unit tiny house village, which is very rare to
27:41
get anywhere else in this whole entire state.
27:45
We were given four written permissions and technicality.
27:49
We had five written permissions to be on a property.
27:54
To show how much betrayal can actually happen
27:57
is this. One of those written permissions happened
28:01
to be the mayor of Tumwater himself, Pete Kmet.
28:06
He actually told the Port of Olympia that he
28:10
was not going to remove us or vacate us off the
28:13
property at all at the time, and that we were
28:17
to be given full authority to be able to stay
28:20
on the property, including of which during that
28:22
time we were also underneath the COVID mandate
28:26
of no eviction. Because of the simple fact that
28:30
we had been there from August 3rd all the way
28:33
to September 14th, that had given us 14 days.
28:36
And according to the COVID rule, a mandate, it
28:39
said any persons who were on said property for
28:42
14 days was to be allowed to remain and not to
28:46
be molested or harassed. Period. End of story.
28:58
Within on August 20th, they literally came in
29:04
with a bulldozer in the middle of the night as
29:06
we were sleeping and threw a couple of trees
29:10
on top of us, almost hurting an actual ADA individual
29:15
who had disabilities. And half of the tent was
29:19
completely collapsed, almost right where our
29:23
individual was sleeping. They almost killed us.
29:27
in the middle of the night. That is not just
29:31
harassment. That is criminal intent. Then, when
29:37
that situation happened, we told them to cease
29:41
and desist. Our attorney actually went to Tumwater
29:47
City Hall and told them to stop, that we had
29:51
the mandate, that we were to not be evicted.
29:54
And thus, that's why Mayor Pete Kmet gave us
29:58
that written permission letter. Then, on September
30:05
14th, as I was getting ready to go to University
30:10
of Washington to a doctor's appointment for my
30:15
cancer, I get a phone call telling me to come
30:20
back. And here I'm on the bus, and I have to
30:23
now get off the bus, literally on I -5, and come
30:27
walking and busing it all the way back as fast
30:31
as I can to come find out that they were literally
30:36
setting up the stupid green garbage can again
30:42
and had bulldozers and had many, many sheriffs.
30:48
And they didn't even have a court document or
30:52
any proof to state that they were giving us a
30:56
legal eviction whatsoever, period. They had no
31:00
writ of restitution. They didn't even have a
31:04
search warrant. They had no court paperwork whatsoever,
31:08
period. They came onto the property. They broke
31:12
our lock and proceeded to... to start harming
31:18
us. And so I managed to finally get there. I
31:22
started recording as I was walking in. And I
31:26
stood there at the gate and I asked the officers
31:29
to get off our property because you were illegally
31:31
on our property. The sheriff then proceeded to
31:36
state that we were under criminal trespass. and
31:41
that we were illegally there, and that if I did
31:45
not get off their property, that he would arrest
31:48
me. I told him, no, please wait until our attorney
31:53
arrives, so that way we could have appropriate
31:56
legal and lawful proceedings. He refused. Several
32:02
times I kept asking, please wait for our attorney
32:05
to arrive. And the sign, the huge one that was
32:09
standing at the gate, even stated clearly, Please
32:12
do not talk to any of the residents without our
32:16
attorney present. It was huge. And then I even
32:21
pointed to the green sign that showed all of
32:24
our laws and all of our written permissions that
32:27
was placed on it. And he still refused. And then
32:31
he said the ultimate fated words. You were under
32:36
arrest for obstruction, for daring to stand,
32:41
to make a stand for the fact that we were legally
32:45
there. And the fact that not only didn't we have
32:49
the mandate, but we had the public crisis that
32:53
had been declared June 4th of 2018, that stated
32:57
that we had every legal right to be there because
33:00
we were a... Non -profit, but also because we
33:05
were underneath ministerial and chapel help.
33:08
And the fact that they had no eviction paperwork.
33:13
Nothing. And they threw me to the ground and
33:17
put me into a cell. And then I finally get out.
33:20
And by that time, I'm being told that they had
33:23
bulldozed everything, including of which 15 tents.
33:29
one of which was our command tent that had all
33:31
of our food in it and everything else in our
33:33
kitchen, and three tiny house structures that
33:37
were being built, and one chapel that had already
33:40
been built, including all of our donated supplies
33:44
that was inside the chapel, and also they...
33:50
They took all the whatever left of the stuff
33:53
that they had and threw it into a storage container,
33:57
one of those semi ones. And by the time we even
34:03
got to the possessions, it was all wrecked, wet
34:07
and moldy and disgusting. It was basically we
34:11
just had to walk away. It was garbage by that
34:14
time we even got to it. As we were being able
34:18
to get our stuff going in the criminal action
34:24
for when I was illegally arrested, the new attorney
34:29
that took over my case... the criminal attorney.
34:32
His name is Kevin Griffin, and I appreciate him
34:35
greatly. Right as we were about to do trial by
34:38
jury, the yellow -bellied prosecutor, realizing
34:43
we had 800 pages of evidentiary processes against
34:47
them for their persecution and their destruction
34:51
against us, he decided that he was going to rat
34:56
tail and try to dismiss the case without prejudice.
35:00
Well, he did. But the thing is, is I objected.
35:04
And the judge looked at me and said, out of all
35:08
my 35 years on the bench, I've never had anybody
35:11
object to having their case be dismissed. But
35:15
young lady, I'm sorry, but the rules say that
35:18
you're being dismissed. But I will give you five
35:21
minutes to tell your story. and what is going
35:24
on. So that way it will be on record. And then
35:27
the last and final thing, young lady, I'm going
35:29
to tell you is this. I want you to go and sue
35:32
the living crap out of them because they were
35:34
totally wrong. I am appalled by them. And so
35:39
when I explained that in court, the judge had
35:43
to hem and haw for a second. He said, you know,
35:46
I'm really sorry because, you know, in reality,
35:50
yeah, our authority was usurped. to a point.
35:55
So I am asking and warning and I am now putting
36:03
a stand and putting this very clearly that any
36:08
of other authorities out there who are not following
36:13
the law. The true law. Not these ordinances that
36:19
are being placed in by cities, but the true law.
36:23
Meaning the state law and... federal law that
36:28
you must follow it. ADA standards apply because
36:33
of the simple fact that each of our homeless
36:37
family member might be inside of a classification
36:40
such as veteran, LGBTQI, or any other kind of
36:46
classification. You putting an ordinance against
36:49
us is considered discrimination and a criminal
36:53
act against us in all forms of the deal. And
36:58
if you can continue to do this, I will not stop.
37:07
Stress creates mental health. Mental health then
37:12
creates the need for something of like a crutch.
37:15
And then that crutch turns into an addiction.
37:18
And then the addiction turns into depravity.
37:22
And then depravity into depression. And then
37:27
they can come in and create the solution. What
37:31
solution? A solution is going round and round
37:34
in a circle from service to service to service.
37:38
And then they send you back to the same service
37:41
you started at. You can't get anywhere. It's
37:45
a rat race. It becomes a horrible circle of dissolution.
37:50
But integrate has come up with as a better solution.
37:54
Okay. You get a place to live, tiny house. You
38:00
are able to lock the door, which creates a mental
38:04
health point of safety and security into your
38:09
head. Then from there, you then are able to start
38:14
relaxing. All the endorphins of the stress is
38:19
no longer there anymore. Thus, you no longer
38:22
need the crutches that are necessary. And you
38:25
can get your life back together and move forward.
38:28
We can see the light again. We are no longer
38:32
bound by this feeling of hopelessness. And then
38:36
finally, finally we realize we don't have to
38:40
survive anymore. Or we can actually... Get a
38:45
job. Yeah. As a responsible citizen. Yeah. And
38:52
be able to leave our possessions knowing we have
38:57
a security for that so we can go get that job.
39:00
And then we have self -satisfaction that we got
39:04
that job. And thus we don't need those crutches
39:08
anymore because the self -satisfaction is huge.
39:11
That's a different endorphin, a whole better
39:13
one. And thus, with that comes then you get,
39:18
because we're doing our citizen stuff, we're
39:21
paying taxes now. We are actually helping produce
39:24
into our community better now. So in retrospect,
39:29
if you were allowing us to actually get our lives
39:33
back on track. The track actually works. It's
39:37
baby step after baby step, but you got to give
39:40
us the chance, especially the ones who really,
39:43
really want it. Yes, I know there are poison
39:46
apples, but you got to work around them. You
39:49
got to keep moving forward and finding the ones
39:52
who really, really, really need it and desire
39:55
it. And even though the people have maybe gone
40:00
to jail, a second chance is actually good. If
40:03
I were to need to hire somebody, in reality,
40:07
I would like to actually hire a felon. Because
40:10
then I know that they've already known what the
40:14
consequences of their actions will be. And so
40:18
thus they will be willing to really work hard
40:21
and take that second chance with such gravity
40:24
and want to do it. Totally. So along with that
40:35
solution, what are some practical? One, take
40:42
the first step and ask for help. That's the first
40:47
and foremost, humbling, hardest thing you can
40:52
ever do in your life is ask for help. Two, trust
40:58
again. And that I say with great hesitation and
41:05
great understanding because I know it is very
41:08
hard to trust. So all I'm asking you to do is
41:11
to create what is called a deal of second trust.
41:16
So that way you are able to get through the systems
41:21
and all of their requirements and as needed,
41:29
the person that you went to first to ask for
41:33
help should be your navigator through those systems.
41:39
So three, you need to start journaling. Because
41:45
journaling helps you while you're navigating
41:48
and while you're going through it. And then once
41:51
you have finally gotten through it all, that
41:53
journaling allows you to go back and say, whoa,
41:56
what did I just go through? That is so totally
41:59
amazing. And then four, don't be afraid to take
42:04
the first step into the new unknown. I understand
42:09
that you are in a comfortable spot where you
42:16
have been placed so long so that way you can
42:19
be able to hold yourself in that survival spot.
42:23
But you need to be able to take the first baby
42:27
step. I know it's fearful, but you have to make
42:31
that step and be willing to say to yourself,
42:34
I want something better. Bigger and better. That's
42:39
what I used to tell my brothers. Bigger and better.
42:43
Keep looking not down, but look up. You see the
42:49
beauty. You see life again. So please take the
42:54
first step just to understand that you are self
43:00
worth it. You are worth it. Yes. And these are
43:07
things, this is a message primarily, it sounds
43:11
to me that this message primarily you're giving
43:13
to those who are in that kind of homeless situation.
43:19
There are a lot of changes going on in the world
43:24
right now with so many changes with technology.
43:29
I mean, you've got the digital ID rolling out.
43:34
And people who are already being stripped of
43:39
everything that they own, access to everything
43:43
because they're refusing it. I'm seeing these
43:47
posts come up from all over the world. The UK
43:50
right now is very powerfully fighting this. There
43:54
are others in the world fighting this. I really
43:57
believe that the United States' turn is right
44:00
around the corner. I mean, regardless of that
44:05
happening, there are other situations and challenges
44:09
that people are going through where you might
44:13
be next on that list of getting homeless. You
44:16
know, like there are many people living paycheck
44:19
to paycheck and all it takes is like getting
44:24
COVID for a week or breaking your foot and being
44:28
out of working for a week. Bills are not paid.
44:33
Rent is not paid. And you've just lost everything.
44:37
Just like that. People don't realize how easy
44:42
it is to end up in this situation. And this is
44:47
where community really, really comes into play.
44:51
Because there's going to come a point where we
44:54
really are going to all have to come together.
44:57
One way or another. Your advice should be taken
45:02
for everyone. Everyone should have that. But
45:05
I think that supporting the homeless communities
45:09
all over the place is important because it shows
45:14
us where the humanity is. Because at the end
45:18
of the day, it's the humanity that's going to
45:22
win, not the people who are acting inhumanely.
45:38
So if I may give you a small little beautiful
45:41
tidbit. I was sitting with nothing on my back.
45:47
It was barely two days later after that incident
45:51
where I had all this stuff still sticking on
45:55
my body. That soda was nasty. But I was just
46:04
sitting there behind a bush, shivering. In darkness.
46:09
Depression. Basically wanting to die. Because
46:16
I didn't have anybody left. I was alone. And
46:23
then this wonderful gentleman sees me. His name
46:30
is Uncle Fury. And he comes up to me and says,
46:35
daughter, you want to come and eat with me? I
46:39
look at him and say, look at me. And he said,
46:43
no, I want my friend to come and actually have
46:47
a meal with me, please. He picks me up and takes
46:52
me to the bigger theater downtown. Not Olympia,
46:58
the other one. And they were having a Christmas
47:03
dinner. I balk and thinking I'm not invited because
47:07
I'm nothing. And he's like, no, no, no, no, no.
47:10
Come on. He drags me inside. The lady at the
47:15
front literally tries to throw me out and him
47:18
out and say she's not invited. She's not on the
47:20
guest list. And he looks at her and says, I'm
47:23
Uncle Fury. You realize anybody who's in that
47:27
building right now are all the ones that we are
47:30
here to do an actual charity fundraising for
47:34
the homeless. And if I told them that you were
47:37
throwing out one of the people we're helping,
47:40
all of us are leaving. So you better do it. And
47:45
then that's when automatically the manager lady
47:47
comes rushing over and everything else. He gets
47:51
me a seat at his table. He treats me like a princess,
47:55
a queen. The whole entire night. Gives me the
47:59
best food. And then when it came down to that
48:04
everybody got a gift. His was a purple blanket.
48:08
But it wasn't his. Because he turned around and
48:13
he drapes it over me. And says, here you go,
48:18
daughter. I knew it was meant for you. And it
48:22
was purple. Isn't that one of your favorite colors?
48:25
Yes. Wonderful. I'm sorry about crying again.
48:29
But he was so wonderful and he was so loving
48:34
the rest of the evening as I got to experience
48:38
a Christmas. And then he knew that he had to
48:44
take me back outside to the gold again. But he
48:50
ended up making sure that I got to the box where
48:53
they were donating all the clothes and got me
48:56
better clothes, shoes, and an outfit in me so
49:01
I could go back out, be warm, fed, and clothed.
49:06
Like Yeshua himself has stated, he recognizes
49:11
that we give the best we can. We want to love.
49:15
We want to give you everything that we have.
49:18
We are humans. We would love to just reach out
49:22
and say hi. And if you have something in need
49:25
too, we'll give you the clothes off our back.
49:29
We'll give you our last mite, our last penny.
49:34
And say, here, you need 10 cents to get on the
49:37
bus? Here you go. I needed it for food, but you
49:40
know what? You need it to get home. Here's your
49:42
10 cents. Just even simple stuff. We are willing
49:48
to give because we know how hard it is out there.
49:52
Yeah. How can people get involved and support
50:04
this work? We're struggling on finances is number
50:10
one. Number two, participation. We would like
50:15
to have a meeting at Power, and I would like
50:18
to invite you to come and meet at Power, and
50:20
we could all come together. I would like to invite
50:24
all former Just Housing members to come back
50:27
into the meeting. I would like to invite all
50:32
the rest of the community who has questions about
50:35
our homeless situation to also come to our meeting.
50:38
I would say... Since Thanksgiving is coming up
50:43
rather quickly and all the rest of the holidays,
50:45
maybe we should have a meeting rather in the
50:49
middle of all the holidays. That makes it easy
50:52
so nobody's stressed out. Other than that, I
50:57
would say also keeping informed is a huge, huge
51:03
task as a community member. So that way we are
51:06
no longer left in the lurch knowing that there's
51:10
something that's going on. We need to make sure
51:12
that we are informed of whatever might be happening,
51:16
especially with our legislators, our city council
51:19
members, of how they might be causing more cause
51:22
and effect. And so if we didn't have those who
51:27
were informed by the community that kept us involved
51:31
with it, so that way we knew that these ugly
51:34
laws were going on, going into effect, we were
51:36
able to thus keep them at bay so that way they
51:40
weren't as enabled and put into retroactive effect.
51:44
So inform is a huge, huge, powerful point. This
51:59
meeting at and that would be at the actual power
52:04
that's on, is it 4th or 5th Avenue? 5th Avenue.
52:09
5th Avenue that's next to Orca Books. And Rainy
52:12
Day Records. Yeah, it's right between Orca Books
52:14
and Rainy Day Records and is November 24th at
52:18
6 p .m. at power located between Orca Books and
52:24
Rainy Day Records. So is there anything else
52:27
you would like to share? You have a phone number
52:31
that we could put out there for people to reach
52:34
you. Yes. My name is Phoenix Holmes. My phone
52:38
number is 360 -522 -1516. Thank you. And people
52:44
can call you or text you? Call and text is fine.
52:49
We would like to request for donations especially
52:53
coats, hats, blankets are the hugest thing along
52:59
with ADA supplies especially such as warming
53:02
materials. We've had too many bulldozings lately
53:07
that we can barely keep up with canes. Even crutches
53:13
or wheelchairs are just amazing if we get a hold
53:20
of those. And where can those donations be sent?
53:24
Most of those donations at this moment, I do
53:27
have a prior small temporary permission to be
53:31
sending them to power. or if you need to, you
53:35
can call me again at the phone number of 360
53:38
-522 -1516. We would like letters as a reference
53:45
of interest to stating clearly that we do not
53:48
like what is going on and that definitely we
53:51
do need to have our financial aid not be harmed.
53:56
we should have had our emergency services be
54:00
allocated to us, that Ty Mincer should have gotten
54:05
all those necessary materials. And those letters
54:08
should be sent to? To our commissioner's office.
54:11
Okay. And reference it to Ty Mincer or Emily
54:15
Klaus. Awesome. Thank you so much. The last and
54:18
final request that we would also like is this,
54:22
is that as you come upon us out on the street,
54:26
instead of ignoring us and insulting us, that
54:30
you give us at least a handshake to give us a
54:35
smile and make us feel like we are worth it,
54:39
especially during this holiday season. We go
54:42
to our family. Well, can we go to our family
54:46
down on the street as well? Please and thank
54:48
you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing. If you
55:02
would like to get in touch with Integrate, you
55:04
can reach out by calling or texting Phoenix Homes
55:07
at 360 -522 -1516. You can also swing by their
55:14
meeting on November 24th at 6 p .m. located at
55:18
POWER, Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic
55:21
Rights at 309 5th Avenue Southeast between Orca
55:26
Books and Rainy Day Records. Also, if you would
55:30
like to know more about the city ordinances mentioned
55:33
in today's show, or would like to know more about
55:36
the events shared by Phoenix, you can go to our
55:39
website where they will be shared with permission
55:41
to post. The ordinances are stated there, and
55:45
you can also find them by going to olympiawa
55:48
.gov. That's it for today's resource report produced
56:05
by Pathways to Agency. At Pathways to Agency,
56:09
we are driven by the belief that everyone should
56:11
have the tools and support to achieve their goals
56:14
and thrive in their communities. Our mission
56:17
is to bridge the gaps in understanding, accessibility,
56:20
and trust by connecting individuals to resources
56:24
and sharing information and processes that can
56:28
lead to personal and community growth. Resource
56:31
Report offers information about existing and
56:34
emerging nonprofits and resource organizations.
56:38
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56:45
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56:59
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57:02
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