Bread & Roses will be holding an informational meeting for the general community on Thursday, June 25th at 7:00PM.  The meeting will be held at St Michael's Parish - 1208 11th Ave SE Olympia

Come find out the details about what's happened, where we're going, and how you can pitch in!

Please see our website for more details.  Comment at our website.

The new board of Bread & Roses has made several decisions that I would like interested members of the community to know about.

Our mission to serve and love the poor, homeless, and marginalized people in our community remains the same.

The advocacy center on 4th Avenue is now closed. This was anticipated when we lost the HUD grant that funded it, but is now official.

There will not be a street outreach program. This had been proposed to partially replace the advocacy center, using some remaining HUD funds, but unfortunately we not be able to use those funds.

The women's guest house remains open and filled. All the guests will continue to have a place to stay and will receive advocacy services.

The staff of Bread & Roses have been let go. They will be able to stay free at the staff house through April or receive a severance payment to leave earlier (their choice). (They were notified before I wrote this.)

Several other agencies are picking up all of the advocacy services for women in the guest house and as many as possible of the services formerly provided at the advocacy center. Unfortunately, there will be a reduction in services, as least temporarily.

Now, the board is working on a plan to build a solid organization, raise funds, identify the highest service priorities, and provide them more effectively. To do that, we will reach out to all our donors and community members for their input.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at 360-402-5529 or matthew.olympia@gmail.com.

Also, you can visit our new website at breadandrosesolympia.com.

Matthew Green

President of the Board of Bread & Roses

http://campquixote.org is up and running. I could only afford to get a hosting package for 25.00 a year. Next year I will put it on my server, and give the Website more space and bandwidth. Thank you for visiting! More development on the way!

Come see a Great movie during the Olympia Film Festival, "Great Speeches From A Dying World", AND help support EGYHOP, a shoe-string-budget, direct-service-providing, all-volunteer-run, non-profit group serving homeless and low-income populations in downtown Olympia.

First, about the movie (quoted from the festival guide):

• "Filmmaker Linas Phillips spent nearly two years getting to know nine of Seattle’s homeless population. The result is a unique and compassionate exploration of the hard luck, wrong turns, and broken dreams that reside on the city’s streets. This film uncovers circumstances that have landed (and keep) these people lost and penniless—most involving abuse, addiction, and mental illness. But it also finds kindness and hope. Each subject was asked to recite a famous speech from history that they felt related to their lives. The words of Shakespeare, Lincoln, JFK, and others are reinvested with meaning as they’re tied to these personal stories. From atop the Space Needle high above the parking garage in which she lives, Deborah delivers a speech by former slave Sojourner Truth asking, “Ain’t I a woman?” Jose’s recitation poses a question that most in the film have pondered: whether it is nobler to suffer outrageous fortune or to die. We’re reminded that the authors of these canonized speeches, the downtrodden folks reciting them, and each of us are all part of the same human endeavor. With beautiful photography and a musical score by Lori Goldston, Great Speeches is one of the most intimate encounters with homelessness on film and a moving meditation on the fragility of life.
• Director will be in attendance for Q & A following the screening. " 

And, then, a short description of EGYHOP:

The Close the Gap Coalition is seeking volunteers to help eliminate unsheltered or “street” homelessness. The Coalition aims to boost the volunteer base for existing programs to an extent that opportunities for capacity growth open up.

Olympia made a major correct move with Quixote. I watched as an outsider evolution of Quixote from tents on grass to tarps on chips. A contribution to the local economy is only possible once exterior motives like shelter, relaxation, and food are satisfied.

Advocates for the houseless-homeless-mobil homeless (rv-car campers) continue their grassroots efforts in Lacey and Olympia, as evidenced by recent Olympian and olyblog reports.

• Olympia council to discuss RV parking rules tonight Eugene, Ore., tells how it successfully controlled problem
• Lacey ban on tent city challenged
• "We all have a part..."

A little while back I referred to a lawsuit that is making its way through the state court system that might impact Lacey's new homeless ordinance.

Tomorrow (sometime after 9a) the state Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case between Woodinville and Northshore United Church of Christ. A few years ago, Woodinville passed an ordinance restricting how churches can host homeless camps. Basically, the church is arguing that the city doesn't have any business telling them how they can practice religion as it relates to their helping the homeless.

How the Supreme Court decides (at least I think this) will have a lot to do with whether Lacey is sued over their ordinance.

The arguments will be live on TVW and I'll post them here after they're on the internet.

Anyone know the typical turn-around on a state Supreme Court case?

They also have consistently done this without contacting direct service providers. Organizations like the one I work for, Bread & Roses, and our close partner EGYHOP, can at the very least provide harm reduction services to campers who are forced to move. I feel justified in saying that I don't trust the City of Olympia to effectively advocate for individuals transitioning from one campsite to another. It's not their job to be advocates, which is why they should seek out advice and help from those whose job that is. I should be very clear, however, that this is not a role I'm willing to fill over and over for years to come. I simply will not be a part of people being pushed around from one unsafe environ to the next. I think that viewpoint reflects the overall view of the homeless advocate community.

Being that there is going to come a point, likely sooner than later, where advocates are going to start refusing to aid the City in this capacity, the City should think long and hard on one question. 'Where can people go and be left alone?'

If Steve Hall, the Council, or Staff can quickly answer that question, then a lot of time can be saved on providing people with stability, which we've learned from Camp Quixote is therapeutic and empowering.

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