Dear Readers,
As part of my work with the GWRC, I have started reading as many books, essays, and poems, as I can to learn about the diverse experiences of the homeless. Our society has built a stereotype that all people experiencing homelessness are drug addicts, alcoholics, or criminals. Because of these stereotypes, we have begun to fear people experiencing homelessness and we have begun to isolate them from our community. In doing so, we are actively working to perpetuate their struggles. I wanted to share what I am learning with our followers, in conjunction with our other ongoing initiatives, to help dispel the myths that our society has created about what it means to be homeless and about those that experience it. I want to open this book club to start an open discussion in a safe space to learn about homelessness in the United States today.
I will be creating a separate post to announce each book, to provide a small background about the book and the author, and to provide an organized place for individuals to comment on and discuss each reading.
I invite all of you to read along with me. I invite you to ask questions and engage with your local CoC and with our community. I invite you to take a seat at our virtual table and participate in our discussion to improve our local community and embrace the diversity of those with lived experience. I invite you to be part of our solution to end homelessness within our region.
Happy Reading!
Reba