On Saturday Sept. 23 there will be a community conversation from 10 a.m. to noon at the Healdsburg Library to help plan for ways to shelter our homeless community this winter.
Guest speakers will include: Jason Liles, Senator Mike McGuire’s chief-of-staff; Healdsburg Mayor Shaun McCaffery; and Rick Cafferata and Colleen Carmichael of Reach For Home, the north Sonoma County organization providing services to the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless. hese speakers will report on the progress towards creating permanent housing for the homeless.
In conjunction with this event there will be an exhibition during the month of September at the Healdsburg Library of the photography of Daniel, a homeless artist.
Daniel’s biggest wish was to have a camera so he could take pictures of how he sees his world. From money generated by the art show “A Place To Call Home” last May, Reach For Home bought him a camera. This exhibition is taken from his first two months of photographing, letting us see what he sees.
According to Harvey Brody, who is helping organize the event “What Daniel sees holds the dramatic beauty of the common landscape we sometimes overlook. Art is one of our universal languages; it allows us to communicate and learn about the humanity and individuality of each of us and to make emotional connections where we thought there weren’t any.
“That is why it is such an important way for the homeless to communicate that they are individuals who have hopes and dreams, can see the beauty in the world despite their own miseries and to let us know they want to have a place in our community. It is a way to de-stigmatize being without shelter and break down stereotypes and prejudices. But it is hard for anyone to communicate when they haven’t eaten, haven’t slept or bathed. It is an exhausting existence, being homeless.”
To make a tax-deductible contribution to help with the expenses of providing shelter and food this winter, can send a check made payable to Reach For Home and mail to Gail Jonas, 521 Brown Street, Healdsburg CA 95448.
— submitted by Harvey Brody
