Enga mellom fjella

Homelessness in Kansas

There won't be time for a regular blog today.

Life gets in the way!

Janet got me and Saunny to a conference on Homelessness in Kansas in the Little Apple (Manhatten). That's in the beautiful flint Hills (where the sumac was bright red) just west of Topeka and home of Kansas State University.

I don't think I'd been there before ... enjoyed the ride. The day was clear, cool and dry.

The keynote speaker was Lynn Donohue who wrote the book, Brick by Brick. (I started writing a tritina about that!) She spoke a lot about goals, perseverance, giving others respect as ways to attain fulfillment.

I only got to go to one session as my ride left early (we both had appointments).

Sandy Swank, of Inter-Faith Ministries in Wichita, was awesome. Not just because she knows her stuff, but because she has a wonderful attitude towards people. She makes it work. They specialize on homeless who are SPMI (severely persistently mentally ill ... like schizophrenia among others ...). They are very supportive.

I missed the session by Beth Savitzky, of Kansas City Anti-Violence Project, who spoke about "The LGBT Community and Homelessness". I was especially interested as a targeted minority is easily victimized and being a minority and homeless is life-threatening. (for instance 25% of Lawrence homeless are 'people-of-color', a diversity that Kansas University will NEVER achieve ... nor do they wish to). Also, I know from personal experience how LGBT homeless in Lawrence have been brutalized by other homeless people and by the care providers. I could name names ...

On a lighter note ... Saunny got stuck in the back seat of the car and we had to get two other people to help us. Janet's car is far too little for us mature people! But everything turned out well.

I got to see Jon who has moved to Hutchinson and Jeanette who has been on my Montana mind, because she is thinking of moving there too ...

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