Declaration Celebration

Hierarchy of roles in housing our homeless begins with you, yes, the one reading this now. Your vote and tax dollars, hopefully, are going into the coffers of a hierarchy of values: from international and national concerns down to State and our local community’s concerns and finishes right here with your individual contribution to the whole. Now, I do believe all the explosive booms and bangs, all the bright and colorful bursts that fill our night sky will be about independence and freedom, right? We celebrate our Declaration of Independence, our unalienable human rights and a right to direct our putative governance.

Oh boy, please do not get Doc going! Ever hear of how the United States’ initial colonies structured and designed our government? How about Haudenosaunee, People of the Longhouses, are you familiar with their role in the upcoming celebration of fireworks? Well, here at VSN, our previous Outreach Program worked similarly to how supportive services of indigenous nations worked and were instrumental in our acquisition of freedom from tyrannical rule. Doc claims the most important portion of the Haudenosaunee formula for governance is missing from today’s hierarchy of political values. Our Euro American design of government is missing the fabric of new laws considering sustainable lifestyles seven generations ahead. Why is that important, just ask Haverhill these days! You want to talk about excrement in doorways and parks?

Martin Saiz, anthropologist – community & social scientist: “this land is your land,” is the title of his academic textbook. Now if those words ring true for you, maybe you’re aware of his concept – a citizen-centered approach to governance. What does that have to do with our topic area? Well, we have been advocating client-centered approaches and harm-reduction protocol as imperative for attaining sustainable addiction remission. And for over a dozen years now, with still considerable resistance and controversy today. Other psychological maladies contribute, of course, to the confusion of how to resolve homelessness and that too may be an instance, in part, of a bystander effect. Does deinstitutionalization ring a bell, void of that seven generations ahead political protocol for making new laws?

Viva la Fireworks

The political and historical points we’ve been mentioning this year pertain to resolving our national crisis of an ever-growing subculture of homeless addiction disorders (HADs). Much of this pervasive situation has been due to a by-stander effect: our government will resolve things with tax dollars, the non-profit sector will with citizen donations, a philanthropist will finance it away. Our view is that all the money in the world is unable to resolve the situation without a viable designed structural process and one that is sustainable for seven generations ahead. One is going to arrive though, one way or another. It’s human nature, declared human fireworks for freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

Homeless resolve begins best in a campground/tent setting, or so it seems for our HADs anyway! The illicit nature of active addiction compromises compassion and provisions plus opens up a window of opportunity for those with less than our nation’s best interest at heart. The obscure nature and vulnerable population are fertile grounds for breaching our national security, meaning things like organized crime, cartel amenities, fugitive havens, and you get the idea. This is where Federal involvement is imperative. Things like where, when, and how to allow temporary camping grounds are more at the State level. And as for local government level, maybe a little help keeping things neat, clean, and making some hygienic necessities more readily available.

Hello, it’s me, Doc: I just have to personally chime in here cause of a near and dear acquaintance, associate, program administrator, friend, Ms. Val Maria. Going to refrain from last names, as confidentiality is usually a good call. It’s her excursions to tent-city that ignited our out-reach portion of the ARMOR Program. A few of our OUDs were on the verge of homelessness, due mostly to their pilfering and inability to refrain from bringing illicit drugs into the house. You can read plenty about these sorts of things in the upcoming Twelve Marble Stairs.

We explain harm-reduction to parents as best we are able, while much is still being construed as enabling and extremely controversial. Our modo: “keep clients alive long enough to heal.” Ms. Vulpes entered a living arrangement contract that granted housing in a two-bedroom for one year. Having already completed a year of program activity, she was volitionally willing to make a deal – psychiatrist, medication assisted treatment (Suboxone), and enrollment at UMass, Lowell. Oh, we also attempted imposing a curfew: in by mid-night and no overnight guests. Notice the words attempted and imposing. This is where Val became instrumental, as I had no idea of what a tent-city across town meant or entailed. The only tent city I knew was up the Weirs Beach, we camped on Rt. 106, Motorcycle Weekend during the early seventies. Well, when a client would go missing, Ms. Val – heals, skirt, and all – would trek on down to the Western Ave area, stepping through the debris, straddling the railroad tracks, and reel whomever back to safety. She also advocated five hugs a day to keep us mentally healthy!

By the time Ms. Slinky joined our network, the war on encampments was in full rage. Finding a location to hide your tent became their declaration of independence, their new pursuit of happiness. We had also formed a bond with the food ladies by now, Mathew-25, who became instrumental in helping save lives and find recovery. With Val deceased: love you Val, forever grateful Val, miss you Val, we needed an outreach replacement! To keep this brief, Ms. Slinky, now a year in remission from OUD, went from tent to tiny hut to who knows where next! A grateful philanthropist funded her two years of network participation.  

In closing, please refrain from judging people’s healing process, as misinformation can be lethal. A drug is not a drug is not a drug. Drugs are merely molecules (chemicals) interacting with our internal chemistry of molecules, all of which may be considered a drug, circuitously. To better understand harm-reduction, understanding the hierarchy of drug induced devastation to our human process may help. Top of the chart is Nicotine, followed by Sugar, followed by Ethanol (alcohol), all of which are legal to consume and cause more damage to people’s health and well-being than heroin, mescaline, weed, or you name it. Oh boy, no wonder our HADs avoid trusting hypocrisy! Share your handshake, smile, or hug and save your money, please. Happy Fourth of July!    

Featured image containing Alamy image: Micmac teepee hi-res stock photography and images – Alamy