Winter in Spokane

I haven't written since January 3. That is much too long a time. It is very cold here in Spokane and we have a few inches of snow. Because we seldom have wind the snow remains on the branches of the fir trees all around us and it really is beautiful.

Spokane has a lot of homeless people and this time of year is particularly difficult for them. There are enough beds in the shelters around the city but some of the homeless people simply cannot allow themselves to be housed in a place that has rules.

I went to visit the Urban Gospel Mission, a shelter for men. The shelter is really run well and men who are able and willing to follow a planned program can learn skills such as those needed by auto mechanics and many other trades. A new shelter for homeless women and children is opening soon to provide places for those who cannot find room in the shelters that are available for them. A survey last July showed that there were 730 homeless women here at that time.

It is interesting to hear all of the things that can go wrong in a person's life, leading up to being homeless. Much of it is because of drugs and alcohol, of course, but for others it is a matter of many things going wrong at once. For example we meet people who lost their jobs because of ill health. They had no health insurance and so the hospital bills were extremely high. In trying to pay those debts, they neglected to pay their apartment rent. And so they are on the street. Often these are matters for which they could receive help. But if one doesn't know where to turn for help, it doesn't matter that help is available.

That is enough sadness for today. Spokane remains beautiful.