A varied lot receive this monthly letter from me. You are poor or rich or somewhere in between. You live in a car or a house or a shelter or an apartment or maybe on a sidewalk. Your politics could be anywhere on the spectrum. I can only guess at your age, ethnicity, gender, language, or most of the characteristics that we use to distinguish ourselves from one another. 

 

But I do know a little bit about what we all share. We're all mortal. We all understand what it is to be sick. And we can at least imagine what it is to go without care, or to be hungry, or to be cold. Outside this January, it's cold for almost everybody.

 

I like to think that it's recognition of our common fragility that draws us together, at least on an e-mail distribution list. I like to think that you recognize in the work of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council a serious, principled attempt to fight the ills of homelessness, to reduce our collective burden of pain, to inspire greater kindness. I trust that our work is worthy of those aspirations.

 

In the sidebar of this newsletter, you can link to some examples of our recent work, including the first installments of a webinar series designed to help improve and support Health Care for the Homeless in an era of health reform. Or you can purchase a tasty and meaningful gift for a colleague or loved one for Valentine's Day, benefiting the Council as you do so. You can become a member of our organization, or make a tax-deductible donation. 

 

Asking you to participate and to give is part of how I contribute to the work, and is not the most comfortable part for me. A far easier part is thanking you for the ways that you contribute. Many of you are engaged in healing the wounds of homelessness every day; others of you have survived those wounds, and carry on to inspire us all.  Some of you have given money generously to our organization. And all of you, deep inside, identify with this work. Thank you for who you are, and for what you do.

 

Peace,

 

John N. Lozier, MSSW | Executive Director

615/226-2292 | [email protected]