The Merrimack Way

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Local Action Matters Last month featured experiencing homelessness from their eyes, nose, ears, taste, and touch, as best we are able anyway!... https://myvsn.com/local-action-matters/

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Wearing Moccasins

This month we are sharing stories of lived experiences, an effort to help convey the importance of anthropology while designing solutions to address homelessness, especially our homeless addiction disorders. If you have read the previous brief you were introduced to Saphire, if you haven’t, these build off previous Briefs. She continued interacting with our program and other network members for…

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Centering Human Voices

Doc, an avid twelve stepper for many years now, touching thirty, is grateful for an unexpected gift inside his PhD! He identifies this gift as discernment. Initially, it fell under the guise of words from his spiritual director, “you must learn to discern Holy Angels from Unholy ones.” Conducting research is like that, discerning phony research results from valid credible ones. A high school…

Centering Human Voices

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May Flower

Last month we shared a few ideas on research that may potentially house our homeless as part of its study. This month we look at different lived experiences shared by our clients over the years, case studies, if we may… Before heading into their stories, our editors group provided a few relevant and interesting articles for today’s News Brief. Two are from our Lowell Sun’s community newspaper…

May Flower

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A Freedom Trail

Wraparound Services When one of our editors, Mr. Tell, proposed the concept of a path from streets to housed, the concept hit home with Doc. Transitioning from one particular world view to another, or from a homeless lifestyle to a housed one, is a process, a path to follow. Putting our homeless from where they are currently into a housed situation, as in the housing first ideology, will require…

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A Path to Restoration

I can’t find my way home Love your work, Ms. Melanie: “Friday morning, the stench of urine in front of the shelter was overpowering despite the mild temperatures that didn’t get past 65 degrees. And it’s only April. Numerous people were seen disappearing into an alleyway-like path behind the shelter — perhaps there is a back entrance to the complex.” She continues: “To date, Lowell has not…

A Path to Restoration

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The Path

From Streets to Stability Just recently the concept of incentives was mentioned. Maybe you are wondering how incentives can help with Homeless Addiction Disorders! All they seem to focus on is the next re-up, or getting good, “you have a couple dollars?” The only care in their world appears to be scoring more alcohol, heroin, or cocaine. Well, let’s change the way we look at things. Let’s look…

The Path

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Clinical Peace Officers

The A in ARMOR represents Affirmation, which from a community psychology perspective is what we as community members provide for each other. Sense of community: A definition and theory. In the words of our city manager, “what can we do together?” Borrowed from John Vincent’s recent…

Clinical Peace Officers

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The Merrimack Way turned 4 today!

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First! It Works!

What “Housing First” really meansWhy housing is part of treatmentCommon criticisms of Housing FirstEvidence and success stories next The close of February offered a close-to-home perspective and early roots of how one might end up homeless. As we reflect today on what, why, and how housing first works, a dear friend comes to mind –Tall Jimmy. He liked to share, during our group meetings words…

First! It Works!

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Step into March

Month 3: Why Housing First Housing First Explained:Theme of the month! As already mentioned, this year we delve deeper into dialogue (brainstorming) of how to resolve our nation's homelessness crisis, with a different topic for discussion each month. After several years of working with our HADs (Homeless Addiction Disorders), we learned a great deal about our subculture and how best to navigate…

Step into March

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Homeless Roots

As mentioned in our earlier Brief, how folks end up homeless is extremely complex, it’s not just due to one or two factors. Folks like to assume things this way and that way, like their drug addiction, or mental health condition, or simply being lazy criminals puts them out on the streets. Sure, this sort of view alleviates responsibility, right? We can just kick back and lounge on the “Bystander…

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Balance for February

Doc’s going ice fishing now, more soon. Oh yeah, Happy Valentine’s Day, to all the wonderful ladies who have graced our ARMOR Program over the years. Wood Jeff, you are being honored today as well, for the many years of your service. My daughter found a Wooden Rose to give my wife today: wood is good and money does grow on trees! The “legally binding deal of a handshake” seems no more! Are you…

Balance for February

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Root Causes of Homelessness

An interesting, featured image, created by Ms. Emily LaBranche inspires today's News Brief! The artwork portrays a moon and the sun, plus two words. On the moon side it reads “clueless” and on the sun side it reads “sacrifice,” which made little sense until Doc’s daughter explained. This month’s theme looks at the complexity of “how“• Housing costs and wage gaps• Mental health, addiction, and…

Root Causes of Homelessness

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The PIT

Are we at a Point in Time when it may behoove the powers that be, you know, those making decisions for how best to deal with our homeless crisis, to better understand harm-reduction? After working endless hours and spending quality time for the past decade with our community’s cohort of homeless people, it’s very rewarding to see that many have genuine souls of integrity! Yes, they appear…

The PIT

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January: Understanding Homelessness

There is no way we are going to be able to explain homelessness in a single News Brief. A little bit about their culture though, from our perspective of course, and within communities a little north of Boston is a nice place to begin. Studies in the social sciences, with great mentors and professors, the concept of different societies, or social networks, and/or any group of people, being -…

January: Understanding Homelessness

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Families Coping when Someone they Love is Struggling 

Doc’s Resolution for the New Year This one is dedicated to a wonderful new friend, Ms. Lois Zeiler! Ever wonder what your role in, or how you are influencing, and maybe even fueling our nation’s homeless crisis? Well, it is clear as mountain air that no amount of money or services are about to find a new year’s resolution any time soon. The evidence suggests the more funding thrown in this…

Families Coping when Someone they Love is Struggling