It’s been ten days since my last post.

In that last post, I wrote about my personal COVID journey, and I will start by clarifying. I first had symptoms, which I thought was a nasty cold, on November 11th. I lost my sense of smell and had a positive COVID test on November 14th. The worst I felt was November 18th. I wanted to return to work after ten days, and still felt like crud with very little energy. I slowly started returning to work in person. I would say by December 6th I was feeling 90%+ better. The last 10-ish% took another five weeks to achieve. The congestion and dryness in my head very slowly and incrementally improved. I still have no sense of smell. I don’t believe I ever had any other sickness, as there were never new issues. I had two negative tests after November 22nd. I’m thankful for the vaccine and monoclonal antibody infusion, as I fully believe it reduced the level of my illness.

COVID at the Human Services Campus has increased again – not to put us in full panic mode – and enough positive cases that reminders of diligence in following PPE policies, physical distancing, and testing/vaccines have been in high gear. The County isolation hotel is at capacity because other shelters and locations have increases in positive client cases. The strain and fatigue on staff are real. Front line workers putting themselves at risk to serve the most vulnerable of our community, the unhoused and unsheltered.

The unsheltered number in the immediate area around the Campus is staying over 500. To help in other areas of the region, HSC coordinated a Project Connect event in Tempe this past Tuesday. As Project Connect was one of the programs I was able to lead at Valley of the Sun United Way, I am thrilled that we are now partnering to reinvigorate these events. At their peak, Connect events were held monthly, and the point in time count and unsheltered homelessness did not significantly increase. These events meet people where they are geographically, taking services on the road (essentially taking the HSC on the road). We are working to schedule Connect events Valley-wide every six to eight weeks. This is an essential strategy to a regional approach to “ending homelessness.”

In my last post, using music analogies, I referenced creating a new soundtrack for 2022 to address homelessness. As part of this soundtrack, you will hear me, read things from me, that talk about the issues of our clients as public health issues. Why? Because being unhoused is not healthy. Housing is a Social Determinant of Health (SDOH). (kff.org is one of my favorite resources on SDOH) Health (length and quality of life) is determined by our genes or DNA, it is determined by our health behaviors, access and quality of clinical care, social and economic factors, AND the physical environment we live in. Our HOME contributes to our health. Housing is healthcare. And, we need to address individual needs and system change to really make a difference.

I don’t know what a new message will sound like exactly. I do know that talking about “homelessness” and “ending homelessness” does a disservice to all of the people and organizations working on these complex issues. It implies that all we need to do is give people a house, and they won’t be “houseless.” People who are not housed are not healthy, in multiple ways.

It’s the starting of a brand new day… from one of my favorites, Sting:

“Why don’t we turn the clock to zero, honey?
I’ll sell the stock, we’ll spend all the money.
We’re starting up a brand new day.
Turn the clock all the way back.
I wonder if she’ll take me back.
I’m thinking in a brand new way.
Turn the clock to zero, sister.
You’ll never know how much I missed her.
I’m starting up a brand new day.
Turn the clock to zero, boss.
The river’s wide, we’ll swim across.
Started up a brand new day.”

I’ll be listening for new music this year to build a soundtrack of addressing the Social Determinants of Health to ensure everyone has access to safe, affordable, permanent housing for a healthy life!

Be kind. Wash your hands. Cover your cough. Vaccinate and boost. Share (except your germs). Be anti-racist. Listen first to seek to understand. Dream big and act. Turn up some music and dance. Love your peeps. Be like Mike.