I’m grateful to have spent long enough doing this work, and to have grown enough as a human, to absorb emotion without pushing it away or making someone feel wrong for having it.
Tears, anger, silence: these are all outlets people use to express the hard things they’re going through. We see that every single day.
HRC isn’t a religious organization, but there’s a verse in the Bible about rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn. I think that’s a vital part of living life with each other. Being able to sit with people in the different versions of their human experience, without judgment and with real encouragement to feel what they need to feel, is so needed.
It’s easy to feel embarrassed or “wrong” for having big emotions, but the truth is that everyone deserves space to process them. Most of us have private places with doors that lock, where we can experience the extremes of life on our own terms. Many of the people we serve don’t have that right now, so we need to be comfortable, and even intentional, about HRC being that safe place.
At the end of the day, our goal is to help each person exit homelessness. But while we’re on that long and difficult journey, we also want to help people truly live, not just survive. Living requires feeling. Feeling requires safety.
The Homeless Resource Center is that safe place. If you need space to feel and express your emotions, you won’t be judged here. Tears are okay. Frustration is okay. Silence is okay.
And if you need someone to talk to, ask for me (Brett). I’m always willing to give you a few minutes to vent, and then I can help connect you with community partners who offer mental health support, so you have even more outlets.
We all need a safe place. Judgment-free.