I completed the second part of the two-part SAMHSA webcast yesterday and.....it's over.I've been on a kind of adrenaline high from the experience for the past couple of months because believe it or not, it takes that freakin long to get it together well enough to actually put this on.
I gotta admit here, I get all churned up inside when I think of listening because I know I'm my own worst critic, but I was told we got into a good flow as we went along.
On a high note, Big Kenny Kraybill said he was just as pleased and as proud as punch- in fact, he mentioned he was beaming like a proud parent (since he did get us all together and actually brought me along from another job) after listening to us on the webcast, so I guess I can't ask for much more than to have met (and maybe even surpassed???) Ken's expectations.
But I'm still queasy inside when I think of hearing my voice and my stories out there where God and everyone can also hear em.
You be the judge, just be gentle, k? Part two should be out in a couple of weeks - it's gotta pass the SAMHSA 508 clearance effort and to do that takes considerable effort by the fine folks who do those sorts of things for us.
I mentioned earlier in this post that I have been on an adrenaline high and now the party is over; I'm kinda bummed because it was really something to take part in an effort that touches so many. We had 300+ folks tune into the first, almost 400 into the second, and there's just no telling how many might spend a minute or three listening to the taped webcast in the future. Sharing my adventures and efforts with the understanding that others may take something away from it that is useful in the overall effort to end homelessness is really.....amazing.
I guess what I am thinking here, what I'm trying to say in a horribly disjointed and clumsy way, is that for those of you who may be reading this today and having to head back to the viaduct, or the camp, or the alley, know that it's possible to overcome the street and become a positive force for the brothers and sisters still out there.
That's what this webcast was really all about, by the way; getting agencies who claim to be specialists in assisting the homeless and those trying to recover from addictions, mental illness and homelessness to actually use those of us who've been out there - and may still be out there. Those with lived experiences are critical to understanding how to set policy, formulate responses that actually work, and provide some dignity, hope and respect to consumers still in the mire as they labor through the processes.
You may not believe it here - and given the amount of pie in the sky promises that've come from agencies and government do-gooders in the past, I don't blame ya - but I have a feeling that there's going to be considerable funding tied to integration in the future.
Spell that JOBS for those of us who've lived on the street and can add some real, worthwhile input to those trying to help us get off it. And I'm not talking about janitors and dishwashers here, either kiddies; I'm talking about service coordinators, policy analysts, peer support specialists, program directors and even Exec directors.
Mark my words here, there are some very influential and intelligent folks working on integrating us into the mainstream of recovery-care; our voices matter and the matter a lot.
Keep them loud, proud and out in front, ya hear?
