Mental Health Chaplaincy

10/27/2023

Joy still persists at the local level, despite the hatred and warmongering across the globe.

10/20/2023

Tiny Home service has been wonderful! Of course, this needs to be taken in context.

The residents are facing similar day-to-day challenges to improve their lives as those living on the streets. Yet, there is a sense of calm, respect and dignity in the air within the village that did not exist in the encampments.

Problems still occur. A family with a young, brilliant, and happy child was required to leave because of an altercation. This was a huge impact to the other kids of the same age.

Today was monumental as we have truly been accepted by the community because we hung out almost entirely with the younger generation. One colleague played catch and other outsude games with the 3 to 5 year-old crew. Another colleague chatted with a middle-school student for 30 minutes. I chatted with a high-school student for at least 30 minutes and made pizza deliveries to two mom's expecting in December.

I can't wait to see where this service goes as we build our relationships!

P.S. Thanks you for your donations to Low Income Housing Institute. Your angels in disguise as humans.

10/01/2023

It is a great feeling to be in partnership with the Low Income Housing Institute. I believe they feel the same way from this segment of their latest newsletter.

09/08/2023

Hello people! It has been a minute since I posted about our service as the encampment support scene in Seattle has been extremely challenging. More on that another time.

The great news is that, as of today, we are serving Tiny Home villages. The kick-off today at the Yesler Tiny Home Village was stellar. What a great community!

There will be many opportunities to expand our services within the Tiny Home complexes. One example is cooking classes (given the community kitchen)and another example is art , craft and board game activities with the kids.

Looking forward to sharing stories from our new service adventure with ya"ll.

05/05/2023

Our conversation started about a recent visit from Child Protective Services (CPS) at the encampment. CPS staff took away a bright and lively 2-yr old that was not being cared for very well. He was dancing around the encampment with socks (but no shoes) and no pants upon arrival by agency staff.

This led to a chat about his world. His eyes beemed with joy when he talk about his son's birth at Swedish Hospital 5-moths ago. He realized that the birth of his son was such a gift, yet...

He and his partners are drug addicts. They could not take care of him. The child is in foster care.

He and his partner tried to get their s**t together but can't. They are parting ways but he wants to adopt his son.

We talked about how this could truly work in the long term given his self-reflective nature and desire to be a caregiver. He knows he needs to be honest with CPS staff about his current situation but also share his vision of the future with them. And...he needs to show progress.

He has my name, email and phone. I hope to hear from him.

I feel so privileged to be part of theses conversations but am disheartened by the forward process in most cases. But, it is not about me.

01/21/2023

I wanted to acknowledge one of our Pizza & Coffee Chaplaincy donors - - The Station Coffee House - - for their weekly support over the past two years. Luis and his staff at The Station have provided 5-gallons of coffee to our program every Thursday for service at a local homeless encampment without missing a beat. The coffee has fueled many conversations as it allows residents to hang out and chat casually.

The Station is now opening a second location! Please consider supporting Luis and his team in their new endeavor.

We are so excited to announce to our beautiful community of Sea… Jose Luis Rodriguez needs your support for The Station is finally opening a second location.

12/26/2022

Yes, I am a practicing Buddhist in the Vipasanna tradition. However, I was raised as a Catholic by my loving parents in an effort to explain the mysteries of this world which they did not feel equipped or comfortable to discuss.

Many of the beautiful Catholic traditions remain embedded deep in my soul. Especially during the Cristmas season.

Thank you to Saint James for honoring the Vespers tradition. I am hoping to work with them in my Chaplaincy pursuits in 2023.

12/09/2022

Two topics for discussion from today's encampment service: the working homeless and the unexpected joy of service.

The Working Homeless

Our last resident we served tonight was on his way to work an evening construction shift. He was very appreciative for the pizza and coffee on the cold night.

It then hit me - a good portion of those we have served over the last two years have a stable job. How can this be possible? What am I missing here?

The encampment we now serve has its share of folks that have just given up on their life for whatever reason. For me, they still deserve shelter, food, medication, and to be treated as a human and not as an animal or a blight on civilization. That is why we show up each week without judgment.

I can accept that people are angry, confused, or mad about that "type" of homelessness. It is certainly frustrating as there does not seem to be anyway to provide real support to those that have truly given up on themselves. The only hope is to keep being present and wish fir the best.

But the working homeless. How does this happen? What is the true cause? I need to pay more attention to this.

The Unexpected Joy of Service

A fellow came up to our table and one of my colleagues greeted him warmly by asking:

"How have you been as we have not seen your for a long time?" He then told us that he had been in and out of the hospital due to a variety of very challenging issues. He then said something that blew me away:

"I am so sorry if I worried you about my absence. I had asked people to tell you about my situation so that you would no I just didn't disappear. I hope you know how much appreciate you being here every week."

We were all stunned. This man was obviously in tough shape and in pain yet he was concerned about our feelings. Is this reality or dream.

We continued to talk. I then walked him back to his tent because he needed to use a crutch and could not carry his pizza and coffee alone. As I left he again told me how thankful he was for our service.

Unbelievable grace and character. I aspire to be such a human.

11/29/2022

Today is Giving Tuesday. Please consider supporting the Mental Health Chaplaincy!

MissionThe Mental Health Chaplaincy provides a compassionate, Companioning presence in the Pacific Northwest for people living in circumstances of homelessness, mental illness, addictions, trauma, and isolation. Our mission is to utilize the Companionship Model to provide...

11/11/2022

He looked like a thin and muscular version of Santa Claus but with a grey beard. Oh, and the tatto mural across his body minus his face. Yes, it was nearly freezing outside and he was without a shirt.

He had a captivating energy and was sassy in a playful way. I gently asked about his tattos and that led to a long discussion.

His first tattoo was the "number 1" on his foot and the second was an hourglass on his hand. Both are barely visible now.

We talked about sub-atomic physics, chemistry, programming, and his friend who worked with Bill Gates and was a genius when he was not shooting up and burgalrizing people he just met in a scheme he calked "dirt bag" crimes.

All of a sudden the conversation turned. I saw his eyes turn red and tears forming.

He has a terminal illness...he does not want to die alone...he does not want help... he has given in to the inevitable...he wants to do it all over again from the beginning...he wasted so much of his life..he was so mean to people...

One of his buddies came up to us letting him know it was time to go back into their tent. He wanted to keep talking but bad habits are hard to break after they have broken you beyond hope it seems.

As he was leaving, I let him know that I am able to connect him with medical resources if he changes his mind about seeking treatment. I could tell he appreciated it but I am not expecting him to ask. I will remind him graciously each time I see him until he tells me to knock it off.

11/04/2022

I have gradually started a ride service for encampment residents that simply can't use public transportation without great difficulty. It began with providing rides to the welfare office and Harborview hospital for a "older" couple that moved here from another State. It was a pleasure to get to talk with then outside of the encampment environment. They have moved back to their home state but we are still exchanging text messages.

Today's encampment service provided another great example for the ride service.

I had a conversation with a resident that had a doctor's appointment scheduled last week to get her broken ankle (most likely) assessed. She had a ride lined up with a friend. The appointment was at 10:15 and the plan was for the pick-up to occur at 8:30. That time came and went. She received a call at 11 am from her friend. The friend was apologetic but something came up.

The resident called and explained the situation. Her new appointment is now on November 28th.

Before she hobbled away, I explained that I could potentially provide transportation. She knew about me, apparently, from the couple I helped out. That made her comfortable enough to consider the offer for assistance. We will talk more next week.

Here is hoping she arrives to her next appointment on time in some manner.

09/22/2022

Encampment support has been a "joy" in the past few weeks in the midst of chaos; for the most part. Why?

1. I have been able to support a couple that recently moved here from another State. We hit it off over pizza and coffee and exchanged cell numbers. They needed help with transport to the welfare office. We developed a coordinated plan for drop-off and pick-up and all went smoothly. They got what they needed - mostly.

Now we are working on getting them medical appointments at Country Doctor Community Health - it is a bit more complicated as I can only provide a minimal amount of support for privacy reasons. Good intent. Bad real-life experience.

Finally, I am working with one of them to find a job where she can work from "home" over her computer. We'll see what happens.

2. I met this lovely fellow (see photo) from the non-profit "I Heart Seattle". Please look them up. They address garbage and other daily issues at encampments. We are looking for ways to partner and help address the day-to-day issues residents in encampments face.

3. We will have have four volunteers at the encampment tomorrow. Wow! It is so much easier to make connections with the extra hands on deck.

Regards,

Gary