Latest / Our Community, Our Mission / Ep #223 – Uniting Community to Address Homelessness: A Conversation with Topeka JUMP

Transcript

Ep #223 – Uniting Community to Address Homelessness: A Conversation with Topeka JUMP · Our Community, Our Mission

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, lord, for this day.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: God, we thank you for all that you've done for us, God and we, as always, we just thank you for partnerships, lord, we thank you for collaboration and initiative and just thank you for our special guests who embody that.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Lord, pray your blessing over this conversation and, lord, the ears that would hear it today would be encouraged.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Lord, we love you and praise your name, amen.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Hello everyone.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: This is Lamanda Broyles, the Executive Director here at the Topeka Rescue Mission on this Tuesday, may 21st, episode 223.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: That was a mouthful.
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: It really was, and every time I hear that number it's really pretty amazing.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: It is.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Isn't it that we've been doing this?
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: 223 episodes For a very long time.
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: Yes, that's amazing, I know it's wonderful.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: And this really is a highlight of our week, Miriam.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: You know, I think it is.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: It's different.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: It's always neat to highlight either staff members or community members, yeah, and just to be able to really talk about you know, the title of it is Our Community, our Mission, right, and it's not just about the Topeka Rescue Missions mission, right, it's really kingdom work.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: Right and what we're all doing and everything that goes on in our community.
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: It's a very active community in a lot of different ways.
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: Yes, to get different perspectives, it's.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: It's amazing, yes.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: So I think the came up with this idea, but I don't know.
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: Was it Josh?
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I'd like to claim it.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: But, Barry, it was Barry.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Let's not give him credit.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: He's not here.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: It was me.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: We just have to be careful what we say, cause he still listens to all of them.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, you know, it's just incredible and I look forward to it every week to just highlight things that are happening, and this week is no different, and so I'm excited to not only have one and not two, but three guests on with us today.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: I know it's wonderful and so looking forward to that.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: But before we talk about that, it's a really important day today, miriam, well, lamanda, what day is it then?
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: It is Eat More fruits and veggies day, and you know that you're right that that is very important.
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: Maybe not my most favorite, but it's very important.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: I thought we were best friends, but I was just sitting here thinking I don't know what is your favorite fruit.
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: Well, I mean, I guess then you have researched, I guess.
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: So you think I'm just going to tell you have I seen?
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: you eat any fruit.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: I mean you, and I like steak and potato.
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: You know I am from a farm in Kansas.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think I've seen you eat more vegetables than fruit.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I probably do.
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: I mean, but I told you yesterday, just yesterday, that I picked up something at the grocery store.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: No, and I'm up something at the grocery store no.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: And I'm not talking about the cupcakes.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: I know, oh, that's right, I can't remember.
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: I think, okay, so I like water, I love the summer, right.
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: I love watermelon, I love peaches, I love cantaloupe.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: I love cantaloupe.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, but I like oranges.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: I do like fruit.
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: Maybe we should eat more of it.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: I'm guessing, maybe Because I like it too, but I never have it in my office.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: Now, this is more up my alley, but it's also National.
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: Strawberries and Cream Day.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: You know, what I just don't honestly understand is where they come up with this stuff, and I question Josh and Isaiah for just trying to come up with the most random stuff ever.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: Bless them.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Do you like strawberries and cream stuff?
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: Though I do too, because that's fruit Hard can't.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, there you have it, miriam.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: You can rationalize anything.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: I love it.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: Yes, I can.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love the little hard candies that are strawberries and creams.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: Those are my favorite I can't even think of what the?
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Brand is, but those are super yummy and I like fresh strawberries and whipped cream, it's fruit.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah, again, there's a theme I just always like the sugar with the fruit.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: So that's my problem.
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: I know I do too.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: This one really goes over my head, because I just don't know a lot about Yoda.
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: Well and honestly, this is one that Josh begged that he could talk about.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Well then, I'm just going to turn it over to Josh Do or do not there is no try.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: I'm not even sure what all to say to that, so I'm just going to read it, but it's Talk Like Yoda Day and it's an opportunity for diehard Yoda fans to honor the day we met the wisest little green guy in the galaxy.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: So thank you, josh, for blessing us with that.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: You're welcome.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: I know.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: Okay, is that all you know of Yoda?
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: I can't think of his other name, yeah.
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: So under pressure you clutch Correct.
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Okay, hey, I did the one though.
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: So that's like the most famous one.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: We'll say that it's one out of one, a hundred percent.
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: You're doing great, yeah, I mean.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: I think I recognize Yoda when I see him, but I'm not sure I know anything else.
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: Don't you remember when we had Barry in a picture?
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: We have a very fun staff right and since Barry was retiring and everything, we kind of made him well, he was holding a baby Yoda in the picture.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Some great Photoshop skills.
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: Photoshop.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: Yes, sooda is a kind of a fixture.
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: I think so for some people that are young enough to know well, hey, star wars been around a while I was waiting for that one uh, you know it is.
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: I love being around the Tamika Rescue Mission because so much of what we are entrenched in every day is tough stuff.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: I mean the amount of secondhand trauma that we experience because we're truly walking through people and their brokenness and and compassionately, as much as we can, humanly possible, and so to have humor and to do some of the lighthearted stuff and the fellowship that we do, you know, we just had a staff picnic out behind the children's palace and we grilled hot dogs and had chips and just a time of worship.
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: That stuff is powerful too, because the job is heavy, but a blessing too.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: So, you know, as we pivot to our three guests today, we're going to kind of do things a little bit different and we're going to kind of allow you, miriam, to lead just kind of these interviews and this discussion, so that I can kind of be a part of our partners here today and support what they have been doing, what they want to continue to do, and so I'm going to kind of turn it over to you to allow them to introduce themselves, to start the questions, and I think that, listening to what this group has done, you will see that their hearts are in the right place, that they have as much as possible, have looked at and evaluated community needs in an unbiased way, where they have done research after research, and I think this group also shows that sometimes we can be united.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: Sometimes we can have different beliefs, but we can all still be working towards the common good that our community needs, and to me that's a blessing.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: So why don't you take it away, miriam, and I'm looking forward to our time.
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: Well, and I'm so excited to have all of you here.
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: I've been involved with Jump since the very beginning and have kind of watched how it has evolved in very powerful ways in my mind.
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: So it's my pleasure to be able to introduce to our audience Sarah Balser.
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: Jason Maiman, Is that correct?
• 7:30
  Speaker 5: Did I do it or did I really butcher?
• 7:31
  Speaker 5: No, no, that was perfect.
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: Okay, and then Nate Marsh.
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: So take just a few minutes and, sarah, we'll start with you and just tell us a little bit about yourself and why you're involved with Jump.
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: Yes, so, sarah Balser, I organize with Jump.
• 7:46
  Speaker 4: I also attend Southern Hills with Miriam, so I got involved with Jump.
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: I grew up in central Kansas, went to Bethel College.
• 7:55
  Speaker 4: My background is in social work.
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: I think it became very clear to my professors that I was really interested in community change on that macro level, as opposed to the individual one-on-one type work, and so even after I graduated they stayed in contact.
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: They had gotten a jobs bulletin from a sister organization of Topeka, jump, and within a couple hours all of them had sent it my way and said hey, you have to apply for this, this is right, this is your work, this is yours, this is your work, and so it worked out.
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: So I was doing similar work in Lawrence for a couple of years before moving here over to Topeka, which I've loved.
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: Well, that's wonderful.
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: And yes, I am thrilled that Sarah goes to the same church that I do and graduated from the same college I graduated from, so there's a connection here.
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: So, you know thinking about her controlling me maybe not a bad idea, that's right.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: So, jason, you're also on staff with Jump, correct?
• 8:51
  Speaker 5: Yes.
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: So talk a little bit about yourself and what took you to Jump.
• 8:57
  Speaker 5: Well, it's a long story so I'll have to condense it.
• 8:59
  Speaker 5: I am not from Kansas.
• 9:01
  Speaker 5: I am originally from Chicago and then I lived in New York.
• 9:04
  Speaker 5: But more recently, before Kansas, I went to school at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, and studied political science and was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do after I graduate as all college students are doing and I figured I wanted to work with a nonprofit to just try and tackle a lot of different community issues, and I went to an info session for DART, the larger organization that Jump is a part of, and one of the people that interviewed me was the former lead organizer, Sinead Calhoun, who also went to FSU.
• 9:37
  Speaker 5: So I just took that as a sign from God that this is probably where I was supposed to be and that has not been wrong.
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: Well, that's wonderful.
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: Well, welcome to Kansas right, I mean a little bit different than the places you were before.
• 9:48
  Speaker 5: For sure yeah.
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: Well, we're thrilled to have you.
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: Well, and then, nate, you're in a little bit different kind of position because you're actually a volunteer with Jump, correct?
• 9:58
  Speaker 6: That's right, I am.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: Well, tell us a little bit about yourself and what drew you to Jump little bit about yourself and what drew you to Jump.
• 10:10
  Speaker 6: So I'm the lead pastor of First Baptist Church here in Topeka and I moved to Topeka in 2015, and I was a member of First Baptist before I actually started as lead pastor oh wow.
• 10:15
  Speaker 6: So Jump has always been really important to me and after I came on staff, I was asked a question during the interview process you know how supportive would you be of this church's continued support of Topeka Jump?
• 10:30
  Speaker 6: And I said I'm on board, let me know what I can do.
• 10:33
  Speaker 6: So it's just been this progression from just sort of attending Nehemiah Action Assemblies, getting involved in other ways, to serving on the executive committee and now with the homelessness steering committee.
• 10:46
  Speaker 6: So I've always been a big fan of what Topeka Jump does in terms of trying to really help out those systems of injustice within our community.
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: Sure, that's wonderful.
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: So, sarah, you know we use that name Jump, like everybody knows what it is.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: But I'm guessing there might be some listeners out there that don't even know what JUMP stands for.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: So tell us just in a kind of a nutshell, before we kind of dive into your most recent issue.
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: Tell us what JUMP is about, what it stands for and the other platforms that you all are looking at.
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: Absolutely so.
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: Jump stands for the Topeka Justice Unity Ministry Project.
• 11:25
  Speaker 4: It's 29 different faith communities working together.
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: The mission is to provide a powerful vehicle for marginalized folks in Shawnee County to do justice.
• 11:35
  Speaker 4: And so yeah, 29 different faith communities working all together.
• 11:42
  Speaker 4: It's like you said at the beginning it's a lot of people with different perspectives and different backgrounds and different traditions, but we all manage to head in one direction.
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: I'm very thankful for that's great.
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: So, other than homelessness, which we'll talk about soon, what are the other three areas that jump is really focused on, right?
• 11:58
  Speaker 4: now.
• 11:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah, we've done a lot on affordable housing, mental health, crisis and violence reduction as well.
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: And I think that's amazing, because when we talk then about homelessness and the situations of people, all of those things really come into play around this one issue.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: You all arrive at homelessness as an issue that you all wanted to explore more about and possibly take on as a community effort.
• 12:31
  Speaker 6: I think one of the misconceptions about JUMP is it's a top-down organization and it really doesn't operate that way.
• 12:37
  Speaker 6: So many congregations partner together to really to work out the kingdom of God in this community.
• 12:45
  Speaker 6: So the homelessness campaign really started to spark at our Community Problems Action Assembly.
• 12:53
  Speaker 6: So it's not Sarah, it's not Jason or Jake saying this is what we're going to do.
• 12:57
  Speaker 6: It really is the individuals who are saying these are things that we're concerned about, those issues and then figuring out if God is calling this organization to address those things.
• 13:10
  Speaker 6: So at the Community Problems Action Assembly in 2023, it really became obvious that those individuals were very concerned about how do we help in this initiative.
• 13:21
  Speaker 6: It was just overwhelming as we went through that process of not only Community Action Problems Assembly but each congregation goes through their own process and sort of raising issues, kind of asking that question what keeps you up at?
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: night.
• 13:36
  Speaker 6: And so it really became obvious to the organization that we needed to do something in order to help with this issue within our community.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: Sure, and it's definitely a hot button issue right now, and not just in our community, but really across the nation, as we look at some of the dramatic situations that people are experiencing.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: So, lamanda, as you hear this, as you hear them talk about homelessness and how they arrived at this decision, what does that mean to you?
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: You know what does the fact that they're willing to take on this work alongside us, what does that actually mean to you and to TRM?
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: You know, I think, from just the larger perspective of TRM, we have proven that we value partnerships, whether that be from specific individual volunteers to businesses who partner with us, to other nonprofits, organizations, that kind of thing.
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: And Jump is no different when we see their hearts and what they are trying to examine, both on a national level what's happening, but then also really drilling down and understanding what our community concerns are from everyone's perspectives, from people that are entrenched in homelessness every day to people who are impacted.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: And so the education maybe isn't there, they don't know a lot about it, but someone's sleeping on their business doorstep or something like that.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: So, from a TRM perspective, I think I view this as just a very special partnership that we are thankful for, are looking into it.
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: Different voices are coming into the dialogue now.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: On a personal level, you know I shared, you might remember, miriam, but after the first Zoom we did with them, I was so emotional and you came down to my office and I could not get it together, which, let's be real, I wear my feelings on my sleeves, you know that kind of thing.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: But for the first time in almost two years of this role, I said I, for the first time, don't feel like we're alone.
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: And you said you know, explain that to me.
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: And I just felt like until Jump really got on board and wanted to start bridging together some of these different organizations and partnerships and perspectives, it seemed like TRM was really misunderstood, that we were kind of lopsided, all compassion with no logistics or all just faith-based and no type of accountability.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: Or we were just looking at it from this lens.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: Jump really came in and they wanted to know limitations of people that couldn't come into our shelters.
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: What were those?
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: What were some of our stances on things?
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: What were some of our challenges?
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: What are some of the things that we actually do?
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: And I just appreciated that they wanted to dive into what was fiction and what was truth.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: What is stuff that they just heard versus what we were practically doing.
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: So on a personal level, I just remember being so thankful that another group of believers were going to come in and not just agree with TRM, not just do stuff with TRM, nothing like that.
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: But it was another entity that was going to be looking collectively at the complexity of this and I just felt like man, they can look at it from such a different lens and there might even be times where we're on opposite ends of the line, but we're still going to do this and have a better understanding and momentum for moving forward with much different perspectives, but with the same heart, and that is to take care of our community, and so that's special to me.
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: Sure, yeah, it's incredibly powerful.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: So and I'm not sure who of you might be the best to answer this, so I'm going to just direct it at Jason but so did you only talk with churches or people you know, organizations like TRM, Kind of?
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: Who all did you talk with as you were doing your research?
• 17:51
  Speaker 5: So that's a good question.
• 17:52
  Speaker 5: When it comes to the behind-the-scenes research, there's a lot that goes on because obviously we have our annual Nehemiah Action and if you just go to that it's kind of hard to tell all of the different background research meetings that go on.
• 18:04
  Speaker 5: And we try and really meet with everyone who touches the issue of homelessness in some capacity.
• 18:10
  Speaker 5: So whether it's Vallejo to try and address the mental health aspect of homelessness, whether it's Trey George at the Housing Authority to talk about how he helps with it, trm, even groups as small as like the Christian Neighbor Center I don't know if you guys know where that is it's like this little white house, one story house, where this guy has just elected to try and help people.
• 18:33
  Speaker 5: So we just meet with anyone we know of in the community that does some kind of work assisting those that are homeless, so we can get an idea of where the gaps are in terms of what resources we have and what we can address.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: That's great, of what resources we have and what we can address.
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: That's great, and did I hear correctly that you all also talked with some folks that are experiencing homelessness or had formerly?
• 18:56
  Speaker 5: experienced homelessness.
• 18:56
  Speaker 5: Yeah, so we had at least two different sessions.
• 19:00
  Speaker 5: One of our leaders, one of our steering committee members, she directly works with those that are experiencing homelessness.
• 19:09
  Speaker 5: Like she'll go out and drive and give out different blankets, toothbrushes, just kits that people might need.
• 19:15
  Speaker 5: So she helped us organize two different trips to do that with her, but then, like, take a chance to actually talk to people that are experiencing homelessness just talk to them about how they ended up in that situation, what resources they would need if they wanted to get out of that situation, and things like that.
• 19:31
  Speaker 5: Because we thought it would be inappropriate to do all of this research and not at least attempt to talk to the people that are in this.
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: Sure, absolutely so.
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: When you talked with folks that were experiencing homelessness, was there anything that surprised you about what you heard, what you learned?
• 19:46
  Speaker 5: about what you heard, what you learned.
• 19:47
  Speaker 5: I think what surprised us, at least just from my point of view and LaManda kind of hit this both at our rally and at our Nehemiah is just how many people are just native Topekans or at least just have been in Topeka for quite a while.
• 20:03
  Speaker 5: Because I think there's a common misconception, like LaManda has spoken to before, that there's just a lot of people coming in from outside Topeka because of the rescue mission or whatever other resources they think we have here, and that's really not the case.
• 20:16
  Speaker 5: It's also unique to see how put together people are.
• 20:22
  Speaker 5: I think another misconception is people just assume everyone who's homeless has some kind of mental illness and that it's very easy to see and I don't, at least from the two instances that we did talking to people.
• 20:32
  Speaker 5: That's not very clear.
• 20:34
  Speaker 5: There's a lot of people who just hold conversation as easy as any of us who have a home overhead.
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: So yeah, sure, just sort of seemed like any of our neighbors, right.
• 20:42
  Speaker 5: Yeah, exactly.
• 20:43
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, Absolutely.
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: So.
• 20:45
  Speaker 3: In the past, Jump has sort of had to do an incredible balancing act between raising the tension in the room right so that people have conversations while still bringing about peace and compassion.
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: And all of that balance that.
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: How do you bring about that sense of urgency and increasing the heat in the room right, so that we have healthy conversations and don't just kind of look at each other and smile and nod but right, get down to the parts where we may agree or disagree.
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: How do you all function in that kind of setting where you're juggling those kinds of things, you are looking at peace and justice, You're looking at all of those things while also trying to raise the heat in the room.
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: How do you do that?
• 21:36
  Speaker 4: Like you said, it's a balancing act, right, we recognize that what we try to do through our listening process, through our research process and at our action.
• 21:48
  Speaker 4: Like the tension is already there.
• 21:51
  Speaker 4: Like there is tension in oh my goodness, like I have to choose between making rent and feeding my kids.
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: There is tension in oh my goodness, like my daughter was just shot in the head and I don't know if she's going to survive.
• 22:11
  Speaker 4: And there is tension in like I don't have a roof over my head and I have no clue what I'm going to do to get back on my feet.
• 22:18
  Speaker 4: And every day without housing feels like a day further away from normal.
• 22:24
  Speaker 4: Like there is people feel tension in that.
• 22:27
  Speaker 4: And so for folks who, you know, like me, have a lot of privilege and aren't familiar with that, being confronted with that, like you feel that it is tense and it is uncomfortable.
• 22:43
  Speaker 4: But like the tension is already there, it's underneath the surface, and I think what we try to do throughout our process is allow folks experiencing that to lift that up and bring it to the surface and bring it to those who are in a position of power to make decisions to help alleviate that.
• 23:06
  Speaker 4: I don't know, Pastor Nate, do you have anything to add?
• 23:08
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I think when you go to a Nehemiah, if you don't feel the tension that's already in the room, then you may be looking at life through rose-colored glasses.
• 23:16
  Speaker 6: But by the time that those faith communities and those individuals who are concerned about the problems within our community, by the time that they arrive, they already feel that tension.
• 23:27
  Speaker 6: And what we're doing is we're simply inviting those decision makers to be a part of the change process.
• 23:34
  Speaker 6: I think we've been TRM has a little bit different perspective in terms of this tension and how we experience it.
• 23:38
  Speaker 6: Right.
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: We experience it from the side of the guests that we serve or the people that we're outreaching.
• 23:59
  Speaker 3: We also feel it from community reactions to folks that are experiencing homelessness or the situation in general.
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: So, as you were sitting in that room at the Nehemiah, what were you experiencing?
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: You weren't supposed to ask that.
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: Oh okay, no, I'm just kidding.
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: Are you going to cry?
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: Probably Okay, that's okay, we've got tissues right there you know I was so honored and humbled to even be asked to just speak briefly on.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: You know my thoughts of a low barrier, shelter and just some of the needs that our community had, and so as I sat there, I knew that that was what my focus point was, and but there also was such a sensation to me from the Holy Spirit to say bring me into this, it's about me.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: And so one of the speakers gets up there and says a huge point of what I was going to say.
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: Second speaker gets up there, says what I'm going to say and and anybody that knows me, I don't write out scripts normally, like I'm, I'm just speaking from the heart.
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: But I did have in my mind, because we're at a time limit, right Two minutes, two minutes.
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: So by um, I don't know the third or fourth presentation.
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: I'm sitting there going.
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: I have absolutely nothing to say.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: Everybody has already said everything that I was going to say.
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: What do I say?
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: And so I'm like Lord, you've got to help me then.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: Because now what I thought two or three minutes didn't sound like a long time, but it is when everything that was on your mind and heart has to go out the window, that seems like a long time.
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: So then I get up there and I'm hearing the Lord say you have got to bring me into this.
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: And when I got on stage and viewed everyone instantly, what came to me was, in this environment, right, mixed with tension and love and seeking things and all of that it's still easy for us to say the right things.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: Okay, to say the right things, okay.
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: And so I opened by saying if we looked at everybody right now, it's really easy for us to agree that God has said to love him and to love people.
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: And we all looked around at each other and we did that.
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: And then my challenge was would we be able to as easily love the person on the street who smells loves the person on the street who smells loves the person on the street who is talking to himself or herself and obviously in a mental crisis?
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: And that's where this comes, where we have to walk the talk and not just talk the talk.
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: And so I spoke about how we can look at Jesus's example in the Bible and that that is not just something that we're supposed to reference.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: We as Christians and we as disciples are supposed to then still approach those things like he did.
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: And so there was this turning point for me where I realized we can have different beliefs.
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: Not everybody has to believe the same way that I do.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: I don't know what all things I'm right about, what I'm wrong about, but that I feel very strongly that the Lord has put me at the rescue mission, put me as a small part of of jumps journey, all of that, and my role is to speak on our need for Christ, and that we cannot just sit in churches and not be the church.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: And that action night I just thought to myself this is us trying to be the church.
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: We're not talking about things that are pretty.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: We're not all dressed in our fanciest dress.
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: We're not all saying that no one else is welcome.
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: It's that we're putting a bunch of opinionated, passionate, caring people in a room saying how do we navigate injustices and how do we do this together?
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: And so when I came off the stage, it was emotional for me because I just looked around and could see whether people want to give the Lord the credit or not.
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: That's with them, right?
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: We can all have differing opinions, but I truly saw how God had not all just been working the last two years that I've been a part of this, or the seven or eight years that you've been a part of this, or the seven or eight years that you've been a part of this, like there was even somebody on stage that talked about how his life was saved 22 years ago because of the rescue mission, and so I got back to my seat and I just thought I don't know what God is going to make happen in our time together.
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: So, you know, in Jason's position or Sarah's position, or where God's going to take Nate or me and you, miriam, but right now, in that moment, we were called to do exactly what we did that night, and I don't know what all we're going to get to see.
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: I don't know what all we're going to get to see come to fruition, but I do know that at that night, god had said you need to love people and you need to start talking about what's making other people uncomfortable.
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: Churches have got to rise up and start being the church, not worried about being politically correct, not worried about being put together, getting in the messy.
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: And I just saw that night as something where we are trying to get in the messy as lovingly as we can and respectfully as we can, and I think it was a turning point.
• 29:27
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a really powerful night.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: It was a really powerful night.
• 29:31
  Speaker 3: So Jump has now done all of this research around situations related to homelessness.
• 29:37
  Speaker 3: What did you all land on in terms of what might be the best next step for the community?
• 29:45
  Speaker 6: So, through all the research which was very intentional, I think one of the things that we really kind of honed in on was the fact that we need a low barrier shelter option here in Topeka.
• 29:56
  Speaker 3: What does that mean?
• 29:58
  Speaker 6: So we need a place where people can go, where there's not a lot of hurdles to cross.
• 30:03
  Speaker 6: I think when we needed the warming shelters, when everything got so brutally cold, we realized that there were so many people who needed options to just be able to get warm and have some place to go, but they may not have been able, for whatever reason, to cross the hurdles that were already in place.
• 30:20
  Speaker 3: Sure, sure, and it is in alignment a little bit with what we'll talk about in a few minutes, which is the work that the city innovation team has been doing.
• 30:29
  Speaker 3: So, lamanda, you know we're here at TRM.
• 30:32
  Speaker 3: We talk about different options or different things that are needed.
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: So is TRM ready to step forward to do a low barrier shelter?
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: You know I think that's the million dollar question and I get surprised, honestly, every week where I hear something that I've said and I'm like, oh, I said that, I didn't know that.
• 30:47
  Speaker 2: Honestly, every week where I'm here something that I've said and I'm like, oh, I said that, I didn't know that.
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: So you know, just to clear the air, what I have said and have been saying for a couple of years now is our community is lacking the continuum of care that it needs.
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: The rescue mission cannot turn into a low barrier shelter where our community only has a low barrier shelter, because there's a need for our community to have the structured type shelters that TRM is, and so when you look at, you know what Nate just kind of mentioned sometimes those hurdles are too big of a step for someone to take, and so we need something that is a little less invasive, a little easier for them to take, and that's a low barrier shelter.
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: I have never confirmed that TRM would open a low barrier shelter.
• 31:34
  Speaker 2: I have never confirmed that we would build one.
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: There are rumors out here that we acquired the North Topeka Baptist Church so that I could make it into a low barrier shelter.
• 31:42
  Speaker 2: All of that is false information from people who were driven to spread lies that spread fear, because there are people in the Topeka rescue mission area that is concerned about kind of this not in my backyard, you know this NIMBYism and yeah, we want to help people, but we don't if it's going to be located near me, and so I have never agreed to any of that.
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: What I have continually said and will continue to say is that the rescue mission will do what we've done for 71 years and that is what God calls us to do, and I think that if it is worked out somehow where we are needed for that and funding isn't an issue and staffing isn't an issue, ordinances aren't issues I mean, I could go on and on and the God tells us to do it, I think the board and I would be willing to say what are we supposed to do, but we also stand firm that if God doesn't call us to do it and someone else does, we will support them 110%.
• 32:44
  Speaker 2: We have all of our policies, our procedures, all of our logistics for running shelters, like we can be a helper, an expert for things, and we are willing to walk alongside people to help them get that started as well.
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: So I know that kind of sounds like a mix match answer, but it's because there are a lot of things that need to be answered from the county level, the city level and just us as a community of who's willing to do what and whose role is it.
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: And then I also am in charge with protecting the faith piece of TRM and the structured piece, and so what that looks like.
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: But what I can say is I hundred percent agree.
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: Our community needs a low barrier shelter, both a congregate option and an individualized option, because not everybody, especially at that PTSD, can come in and stay with multiple people.
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: I have also said that low barrier does not mean free for all.
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: So even in a low barrier shelter, if someone has unsafe behaviors and that conduct is not okay, they can't be in a low barrier shelter.
• 33:50
  Speaker 2: We're not saying no barrier.
• 33:51
  Speaker 2: And so the research that has been done by Jump by us, by the city innovation team, it's incredible and it gives us a good start.
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: Decision makers in this community and a lot of people that are general public that need to be involved, saying yes, there are examples of low barrier shelters, but here's also what we need to make happen for our own community.
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: That looks different.
• 34:17
  Speaker 3: And we're a part of that.
• 34:17
  Speaker 3: You know, what I think is so encouraging about this entire conversation and what Jump has been able to do and actually what the city of Topeka did too, with bringing about the innovation team is that it really is about more than just the work of Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 34:31
  Speaker 3: It's about our whole community wrapping around our neighbors, who are struggling in ways that many of us probably have never even considered and definitely have not experienced.
• 34:42
  Speaker 3: So there is something kind of happening tonight that is sort of a jumping off point Of the four of you who would like to address what's going on tonight at the city council.
• 34:53
  Speaker 3: Oh, look at them.
• 34:55
  Speaker 3: All I know I can start and then they can add.
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: You know, there has been a core team and an auxiliary team that have worked for approximately nine to 10 months now doing very similar work to what Jump has done.
• 35:08
  Speaker 2: I don't think that it's null and void.
• 35:10
  Speaker 2: I think that we needed the Cine Innovation team to look at things and to be structured through a facilitator, like we have been, but then I also think that it's powerful to see how Jump has done their research too.
• 35:23
  Speaker 2: So to me it complements both of them.
• 35:26
  Speaker 2: I don't think we should have done one or the other and not had both, and so I think there's power.
• 35:31
  Speaker 2: What's happening tonight is our core team is presenting to the council through our facilitator, brianna she will be doing the lead presentation of it of our findings and our recommendations, which is a multi-sector approach because the facilitator is almost done.
• 35:49
  Speaker 2: So who's going to run with this and how are we going to ensure that it's not just one person, one entity, that we still have this collective input?
• 35:58
  Speaker 2: So that's one thing that we're examining.
• 36:00
  Speaker 2: We're examining a low barrier shelter need for our community, very big on even the low barrier shelter, having wraparound services, and then looking at some type of transitional tiny home village because we're in a housing crisis that is not just low income, it's that we don't have enough of it, but then also, housing alone isn't the answer, and so those are kind of the three main focuses that will be presented to council.
• 36:29
  Speaker 2: You know, I think I'm getting a lot of people asking me well, what do you think the council is going to do with this?
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: And, quite frankly, I'm not sure how to say it in such a positive way, but I don't know.
• 36:41
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: My answer is I don't know.
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: It's not just a council issue.
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: It also needs to be brought before the county.
• 36:46
  Speaker 2: So we're going to be doing the same thing in June before the county commissioners, but we need to be looking at this, and I'm hopeful that council will truly listen and hear of the work that has been done.
• 36:59
  Speaker 2: I understand if they can't make decisions tonight, because let's be, honest.
• 37:07
  Speaker 2: We don't want them to make big decisions on just what they're going to hear tonight.
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: They need to hear more of jumps.
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: They need to hear more of jumps.
• 37:13
  Speaker 2: They need to hear probably more collectively, but I do hope that there is some type of acknowledgement that there are experts and people that are not experts coming together around this issue, and that we expect something to be done about it, not just one sided, not something that is just where we're told as a community what to do, where decisions are being made, but then it's not practical, and so I'm hopeful that tonight is a great listening session for council.
• 37:46
  Speaker 2: I hope that they truly hear it and that they see their power as something that is a blessing and a privilege, not something that should be misproportionated, and I'm anxious to see what all happens even past tonight.
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: Sure.
• 38:02
  Speaker 3: How about the three of you?
• 38:04
  Speaker 3: What are you kind of expecting from tonight, or what would you?
• 38:07
  Speaker 3: Well, I think we know what we would like to see, but what are you kind of anticipating might happen tonight at that city council meeting?
• 38:15
  Speaker 5: I'm imagining, just based on how these types of discussions usually go, that tonight will hopefully not be like a major vote or anything like that.
• 38:22
  Speaker 5: City council will probably just listen to this presentation, they'll deliberate amongst themselves and then later, either in June or later this year, they'll bring it back for an official vote.
• 38:32
  Speaker 5: But I think, at least from the jump point of view, this is the importance of our organization in tandem with what the Homeless Initiative has been doing, because it's not just the research but it's really like bringing the community together to build public support for these initiatives.
• 38:49
  Speaker 5: Because we have seen with other issues not just homelessness in the past where you know a consultant or someone will bring recommendations or proposals to city council and then they don't necessarily follow through on those recommendations because there's not really a lot of public support behind it.
• 39:06
  Speaker 5: But it's a lot harder to just automatically say no to something when you know a group of 775 people were gathered in support of it just the other week.
• 39:15
  Speaker 5: So that's the role that Jump is playing in this whole process and will continue to play.
• 39:20
  Speaker 3: So let's just say that neither the city nor the county move on this right, that they do just kind of that.
• 39:27
  Speaker 3: The city kind of puts the work that the innovation team has done on the shelf and the county doesn't really take any action beyond the commissioner cook having committed to trying to move it forward and being willing to go to minnesota.
• 39:42
  Speaker 3: Um, what's jump going to do if nothing comes of this?
• 39:48
  Speaker 4: go ahead uh well, obviously that would be very disappointing, considering the um city's team has done not nine months of work, and you know we've done our own five, six months of research now and we're probably just going to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't get there.
• 40:07
  Speaker 4: But you know, I don't think that's something we've considered too much as a group and we'll just continue to work with I mean, there's 30 to 40 different individuals who are working with Jump's homelessness team and so just with every step, that's a collaborative process and we will, I don't know just take what gets thrown.
• 40:30
  Speaker 3: Sure, of course, and that's wonderful, and I think, lamanda, you have said it more than once that this is not a quick fix, that we're in this for the long haul kind of thing.
• 40:40
  Speaker 3: So, as you ponder on, what if the city and county don't move on this, does that mean we just continue to go along doing what we do, or does it mean something different?
• 40:52
  Speaker 2: You know not to sound too Christian-y, right If that's a word, but I'm going to still boldly say the Lord is coming for his people and that, even if people don't believe that, this is a time where the Lord is really really kind of allowing the layers of an onion to be peeled.
• 41:20
  Speaker 2: And it's not just about homelessness, it's not just about mental illness, it's not just about violence, it's about also looking at everyone who is facing those things.
• 41:30
  Speaker 2: And we have been so shallow in trying to have this facade that you know, all of us have things together, or we're educated, or nope, that doesn't happen in my neighborhood.
• 41:43
  Speaker 2: Nope, that doesn't happen in my family.
• 41:44
  Speaker 2: And in all actuality, that's not correct.
• 41:47
  Speaker 2: And so I think the Lord has called me.
• 41:50
  Speaker 2: You jump all of us into this period of saying let's talk about mental illness in a way we never have before, let's talk about violence in a way we never have before, let's talk about homelessness in a way that we never have before, and then we're not just talking about it, we're doing.
• 42:07
  Speaker 2: And so I stand boldly on, I know, because of my beliefs, and if others don't believe this, that's okay.
• 42:13
  Speaker 2: I mean, I respect that.
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: But the Lord is going to do and he's going to bring to fruition what he wants done, and that will be through or not through government, um.
• 42:24
  Speaker 2: And so I don't know what that looks like, um.
• 42:27
  Speaker 2: I don't know if that means.
• 42:28
  Speaker 2: You know, at the end of the day, we still have to work together, they still have power to have um codes and regulations, and we want to respect that.
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: But I also know that there is no man, there is no woman, there is no governmental entity, there's no nonprofit that can stop the work that the Lord wants done, and I just have to talk about that openly and boldly, even if it's not popular.
• 42:52
  Speaker 2: And so will the rescue mission continue to do what we've always been doing, yes, and more right, um, whatever God calls us to do.
• 43:01
  Speaker 2: But will we be complacent in knowing better and not doing better?
• 43:06
  Speaker 2: Absolutely not.
• 43:07
  Speaker 2: What that looks like, I don't know, um, but what I do know is that we will not be distracted, we will not have mission drift, we will not stop caring for the vulnerable, and I also feel very strong that we need to remember sometimes the vulnerable is not just someone sitting on the street.
• 43:26
  Speaker 2: That vulnerable person can be a CEO level, it can be someone sitting in your church pew.
• 43:32
  Speaker 2: It can be someone who you can't identify because they're not in trash and they're not by the Kansas Avenue bridge, but that doesn't mean that they're not still hurting or impacted by violence or whatever the case may be.
• 43:44
  Speaker 2: And so you know, the rescue mission will continue to do the work we're doing, but we're not going to stop with the advocacy of talking about things that are uncomfortable right now, and I know that we have got to partner with government and we want to do that, but we will not do that if it's at the expense of doing right.
• 44:03
  Speaker 3: And I think that's what's been so beautiful about the work of Jump right.
• 44:06
  Speaker 3: It has encouraged.
• 44:08
  Speaker 3: From my perspective as a staff member at TRM, it has been so encouraging to see people learning right, learning about the people that we get to serve every day, learning about the challenges that people experience, learning just educating the community on different kinds of things, and we are so grateful to Jump for bringing that piece of this to the table.
• 44:33
  Speaker 3: If nothing else comes of it right, if nothing else would come other than people would have a different perspective on our neighbors and the people that we serve, there is success in that.
• 44:43
  Speaker 3: Not that I think that's where it will stop.
• 44:45
  Speaker 3: So, as we wrap this up, are there any final comments you all would like to make?
• 44:50
  Speaker 3: No, no, oh, just one thing, nothing.
• 44:55
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 44:56
  Speaker 3: Well, lamanda, I'm going to turn this back over to you, but Sarah and Nate and Jason, thank you so much.
• 45:01
  Speaker 3: Thanks for being here, thanks for the really hard work that you do.
• 45:05
  Speaker 3: You bring things up to our community that we may not all want to talk about, right, things that we would choose to turn away from and not see, and so the fact that you all are willing to kind of push us out there, push us into spaces that we're not comfortable with, is um is a blessing, even though it doesn't always necessarily feel like it in the beginning.
• 45:27
  Speaker 3: So, but we, we are grateful.
• 45:29
  Speaker 3: So thank you so much and thanks for being here today.
• 45:32
  Speaker 3: But, lamanda, I'll let you close out.
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know?
• 45:34
  Speaker 2: Um, I kind of just echo what Miriam has said.
• 45:37
  Speaker 2: Miriam, thank you for interviewing us.
• 45:39
  Speaker 2: Thank you for those questions.
• 45:41
  Speaker 2: I think that listeners are going to be intrigued by this.
• 45:44
  Speaker 2: I think that they learned a lot.
• 45:47
  Speaker 2: I want to thank the three of you for just all that you all have done in a very objective way, looking at problems, looking at concerns, but then also being focused on what are our next steps, what are those solutions and how do we do it?
• 46:02
  Speaker 2: Together, not separate, not siloed, but how does our community really care for the community?
• 46:07
  Speaker 2: So you know, I think, as we wrap up, I'm just reminded that there is so much good stuff that has already happened, that has happened before.
• 46:16
  Speaker 2: These three individuals were a member of JUMP before I was a part of TRM.
• 46:20
  Speaker 2: The Lord is showing us how to work together, how to love each other regardless of circumstance, and that work is continuing, and I hope that our role as the different entities right now is exposure and education and transformation and to show that we cannot just say some things.
• 46:43
  Speaker 2: We've really got to walk it too.
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: So thank you guys for all that you have done, all that you continue to do as a community.
• 46:50
  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening.
• 46:52
  Speaker 2: Thank you for learning.
• 46:54
  Speaker 2: If you are struggling, if you're struggling with seeing that trash, if you're struggling with not understanding why people don't work all of those things which there's more data out there showing there's a lot of working homeless right now in our community.
• 47:09
  Speaker 2: If you're interested in more, please reach out to me at the Rescue Mission.
• 47:14
  Speaker 2: I'm willing to share, I want to help, I want to educate, because the more that we can know things and not just think things, the more powerful we're going to be in moving forward.
• 47:25
  Speaker 2: So we thank Jump for all that they have done.
• 47:28
  Speaker 2: We thank all of you for listening and we hope that you stay in tune to learning more about homelessness.
• 47:33
  Speaker 2: Have a great day.