‘Peace House Community Journal’ Archives
A Golden Age, or Fool’s Gold?
Peace House Community: A Place to Belong By MARTI MALTBY I try to find positive things to talk about in this space, but I also want to make sure the voices of the homeless and others who come to Peace House Community are heard. Those two goals sometimes conflict, as homelessness and hopelessness often go together, especially in Minnesota in February. The optimist in me sees how much resilience and creativity people have shown in the face of the covid pandemic. I admire and appreciate how these folks have found ways to carry on and even to thrive in adversity. I find hope in people”™s refusal to give up, and I am reminded of Saint Augustine”™s comment, “This awful catastrophe is not the end but the beginning. History does not end so. It is the way its chapters open.” (I have no idea which particular catastrophe Augustine had in mind, but neither it nor any of the catastrophes since have ended history.) But when I read [...]
Looking Forward
Peace House Community”“A Place to Belong By MARTI MALTBY A recent email from HousingLink, a local nonprofit that works on low income housing issues, contained links to news articles with depressing titles like: â— “Elderly and homeless: America”™s next housing crisis” â— “New report shows Minnesota LGBTQ teens and adults overrepresented in homeless population” â— “Homeless and facing winter in Minneapolis” â— “Homeless families struggle with impossible choices as school closures continue” â— “Homeless advocates blame Minneapolis”™ continued lack of affordable housing for ”˜Wall of Forgotten Natives”™ resurgence” â— “Neighbors object to Ramsey County plan to convert St. Paul hospital into a homeless shelter” While I try to find positive things to pass on to others, [...]