We believe every human has value, wether those ravaged by trauma and addiction or by circumstance, those on the streets or those of us housed, lucky to have shelter.
We serve to feed every nomad because a bowl of soup can fill a soul.
In response to the abatements in early December we started nomad supply drives which serve to gift our family on the streets whatever may make them more comfortable, feel more human and stay alive.
Whether that is a warm meal or a blanket, or more importantly, a hug, a listening ear, and the validation that we see them, the Nomad Alliance serves humanity to those of us living on the street, because we understand, coming from so many backgrounds that have lived it or been darn close, that it can happen to anyone.
And we too would have loved a helping hand when we were at the depths of our dark night of despair.
We wish to be a light on a cold winter night, a hand helping to lift one another up.
Wether it’s connecting young foster kids who dropped out of school at 17 fleeing atrocious violence with a well-paying job and a bright future,
or teaching a young girl how to protect herself on the streets, or providing hygiene, and water, and a warm shelter ...
a tent for now, and ...
... dreams and strategies for a permanent tiny house settlement that can be the very solution ...
...we offer hope.
And love.
In all the ways.
Every human has value.
How many potential Nobel prize winners, or Picasso’s or Beethovens are languishing in their own hell? I have long said I see more Jesus walking on the streets, wearing rags which haven’t been washed in months, then I ever do among us who purport to have our crud together.
I see wasted humanity, humans who feel and see and heal, but who are so sensitive and traumatized the world has beat the will out of them.
Trauma and mental health and addiction go hand in hand, but I’ve long said, the question must be:
“what happened to you,”
not “what’s wrong with you.”
Let us not let lives litter the streets like pulled weeds, instead let us know that each life has value.
What is your story, and how can we help?
The city’s abatement which sparked this vehement and people-centered response are contributing to a problem that requires a community response. Nomads tell us if only they didn’t have to work so hard to find a place to rest their heads, they could have the energy to climb our of the dregs that life has presented them.
Therefore we have launched a GoFundMe Charity drive, a tax-deductible way to gift peace and stability to a population ravaged by life’s storms. We know a roof over one’s head can create miracles, and this coupled with a permaculture garden to provide a means by which they can feed themselves and benefit from the mental health aspects of hand in soil, face in the sun, and a workshop space in which tools aren’t stolen but shared, and trade talents can be optimized and taught to a new generation, can lend peace and harmony and self love in a way a life wrecked by bulldozers and cold nights can’t.
In memory of a woman who died keeping warm, we announce a community effort to prevent such tragedy from striking again. In a city ravaged by inequities and a sweeping of the problem under the rug, pushed from city block to other enclave, we beg and request collaboration of a solution.
Let Salt Lake City be the light for the beauties on the streets, and other cities looking for a way to solve the homeless crisis.
This is the place. Let us live it.
It takes a village.
Much love, and hope,
Kseniya
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