Dear Friends,
We are a part of a small group of research and policy-minded Friends on the West Coast who have joined together as a Circle of Discernment (COD) on Homelessness and Housing Justice, under the care of the Quaker Institute for the Future. All of us share a deep concern and bring a variety of personal experiences and skills to this project.
We’ve prepared a survey in two parts. Our intent in gathering this information is to understand the current situation, and to share wisdom among Quakers and other interested communities. We’re still exploring the exact form that will take, and we hope your feedback will guide us. Some examples might be:
– to understand current Quaker responses to homelessness at the Meeting and local level
– to find out what resources Meetings are interested in
– to share what we learn
We are considering creating a book similar to the other QIF Focus Books seen here: https://quakerinstitute.org/. We are also considering an online reference site.
Would you be willing to help us?
All responses will be anonymized, unless you give us permission otherwise (which we ask in each section of the survey.) We recognize that some people prefer to do this work anonymously, while some prefer to seek or offer collaboration and connections.
We believe Part 1 is best answered by the Clerk or another Friend who knows the Meeting and its members’ overall concerns well. Its intent is to understand the big picture.
Please pass on Part 2 to people in your Meeting who are concerned and/or involved directly with issues of homelessness or housing insecurity. We will be taking care to preserve privacy and safety.
Any and all responses and questions are welcome! The survey is available online here:
– Clerk Big Picture: https://forms.gle/eb7PZ97w3SBHGZ7u5
– People Directly Involved: https://forms.gle/PqSAL98RFUWVzqW4A
We welcome separate responses, especially from people directly involved, from anyone in your Meeting, even if they are not in unity with each other.
Any questions or other requests can be e-mailed to us at: housing.cod@quakerinstitute.org.
Thank you,
Ludmilla Bade and Betsy Morris