It was good to get out of here just as it is good to be back home. I feel a little lighter. The weekend, back in my home town gave me a chance to reflect on why I left there and see how I am not running from those things anymore. Dallas is where I got addicted, where I got clean, where I lost a lot of other people who I never got the chance to properly mourn.. mostly because I didn’t know how to face that. I feel rested. I feel free. So let’s do a little what is new and good, shall we?
Canada has a new project that is flipping the narrative and giving the homeless a second chance. The New Leaf project took 115 homeless people who were confirmed not to have serious mental or substance abuse problems, and put $7,500 in the pockets of 50 of them to see if they could turn their life around. A year later most recipients still had $1,000 in savings and 67% were could still feed themselves every day. Many people might argue that the money would be spent irresponsibly on drugs or alcohol, but the results of the study were a refreshing perspective on the mindset of those living on the fringes of society. After a year of spending on what they judged to be important, average spending on alcohol or drugs went down by 39%, perhaps because the individuals recognized they had a real shot of turning their fortunes around or had less negative feelings or realities to numb. An impact report done by the Foundation for Charitable Giving found that recipients moved into housing two months faster than those who didn’t receive the $7,500 allowance. Two months may not seem like that much, but the two-month difference also freed up emergency services and saved the shelter system approximately $8,100 per person for a total of roughly $405,000 over one year. In the end giving people cash saved $600 per person for society. Actions like this give people the power of choice and it shows them society believes in them.
I love this. More of this! Homelessness has always been a cause held close to my heart. After an uncle of mine spent years on the street, suffering from PTSD, alcoholism and more due to his time in Vietnam I started volunteering in a shelter. I cooked there for years and invited all my friends to join me. I learned that homelessness could happen to anyone and I got to see a lot of people find their way out of it with a little help. Now that the tent cities are visible to everyone here in Austin I am hoping that as a whole we start to recognize them as part of our society and take care of them in turn. Last week I saw a woman in the grassy median of a major intersection outside of her tent. She was digging in the dirt and planting seeds. It was everything. It broke my heart and it filled me with hope. I totally believe in that lady and I have hope that the new leaf project will spread.
Day 266: Pumpkin Soup with yogurt, hemp seeds and scallions. I added the pumpkin purée I made last week to some bone broth and warmed it through. So damn good.