A Relentless Hope
Chico. Hopper. Horace. Paul. Wigman. Georgianna. Marian. Ruth. These were some of their names. They were the victims of an economy that squeezed them out, failed social policies that let them fall through the cracks of a frayed safety net. While they bore their own deep wounds – decades of addiction, untreated mental illness, the psychological scars of war and post-traumatic stress syndrome – their presence on the streets of Center City Philadelphia in the late 1980s was the sign of a deep social wound.
They were a symbol of what was happening to our cities, our country. More than a decade of widespread homelessness was fossilizing into a permanent feature of the American urban scene, and with it a growing sense of anger and despair.
But we knew their names. And we knew that, despite the social stigmas that branded them as beyond help and as social pariahs, they had stories, lives, gifts, and potential. We sought to create a place where that potential could turn into reality. Many of the women, labeled “bag ladies,” had come off the streets into the Women of Hope residences, inspiring us with what was possible despite the many naysayers. So in the winter of 1989, a patchwork team of intrepid volunteers secured a small grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Mayor Wilson Goode and his Managing Director James Stanley White provided us with the vacant locker room of the Marian Anderson recreation center.
And the men came in. They formed a home, a community, and they encouraged each other to take positive steps in their lives. Over the four short months, many went into treatment and took critical steps toward breaking the harsh cycle of chronic homelessness.
That spring, the shelter had to shut its doors, but with the men, we laid the groundwork for a comprehensive program of housing, opportunities for employment, medical care, and education. We also identified the core values that would inform all our efforts: an affirmation of the dignity of each person, and the spirit of relationships and community that we recognized were the wellsprings from which all effective solutions would ultimately spring.
More than anything else, we learned that winter of the power of hope, the possibilities of recovery and transformation, and the reality of miracles.
This year, in 2014, Project HOME celebrates its 25th anniversary. We are amazed and humbled at what hope has birthed. We are grateful at the tremendous community that has partnered with us in developing 48 residences, more than 600 units of housing, a state-of-the-art technology and education center, a wellness center, and an array of services and programs. We are encouraged by ongoing public education and political advocacy efforts that have helped change the social landscape and fostered a widely shared conviction that we can solve homelessness – even in the midst of growing inequality and harsh economic realities. We are gratified that, working with numerous allies in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, we have put Philadelphia at the forefront of U.S. cities making progress in solving homelessness.
And there are the miracles: Folks from the streets and folks from all walks of life and all economic levels discover the gift of their shared humanity. A culture of recovery is created, and we see beyond the social hierarchies and pecking orders, and instead make space for the amazing tapestry of diverse gifts to emerge. A relentless hope grows where once was apathy or despair. Compassion and a thirst for justice spring forth in the desert of materialism and hyper-individualism. Love becomes a permanent feature of the urban landscape.
This coming year will be full of commemorations, galas, and celebrations. We will be opening new facilities, breaking ground for others. We will be touting the numbers, citing statistics of growth, highlighting success stories. But we also will remember Chico, Hopper, Horace, Georgianna, Ruth, and so many others. We thank them for the gifts they first gave us twenty-five years ago – gifts that have magnified beyond anything we could have imagined. And we thank all of you who also share your gifts – so that the miracles can continue.
