STABLE, from page 4
mane, we might ask them about the other
year, and. he says he knew the program
tangles in their lives, or ‘What is the dust or
could really help the homeless youth he was
...
dirt that is Coming up for you as you do
working with. He inquired with Korschgen
and she agreed.
“Street kids,” he says, “they’re hyper-
vigilant - watching for the cops - just
everyone that walks by. They feel, ashamed.
For them to come here and not be
surrounded by that is very helpful.”
Horses have the ability to pick up on
human emotions, noticing minuscule facial
expressions and movements, says Vaughn,
and they often mirror whatever the human
they’re interacting with is feeling. The way
people react to approaching, guiding and
gaining the trust of a 1,000-pound animal
also plays an important role, she says.
Cody Surratt, 25, has come to the ranch
with p:ear several times, and was happy
during the second session when the same
horse he’d worked with the first time
After intake, Sandell sat down in the
sought him out.
stable and selected a brush from a
“Horses tend to have very apparent body
collection of grooming tools. The theme
language that is usually pretty deliberate
this day: self care* He wrote down examples
and straightforward,” says Surratt. He says
of self care on a piece of paper, and taped it
at first he “didn’t quite get it,” but he soon
to the brush. Then the group moved out to
realized that by observing and analyzing the
the center’s enormous covered arena, and
horse’s behavior in cooperation with his
Sandell used the same brush to groom an
own behavior, he came to an understanding
Arabian mare named In Harmony.
of mutual trust with the horse.
The goal is to complete a roughly six-
. “It happens a lot, that people who have
month therapy program with each youth,
survived traumas, end up having deep trust
but so far attendance has been spotty -
issues and other issues that are stigmatized
which is always a challenge when working
in our society as something dirty that
with homeless youth, says Nathan Engkjer,
makes people broken and needs to be
hidden,” says Surratt. “It seems that equine
p:ear’s Wilderness Recreation and
therapy subtly subverts an immediate
Transition Coordinator. He plans to grow
ffe“^&tteti^6f 'dlstruSt towards so'mething by
theprogram to ’also include ecotnerapy
using a very large and noticeable example
activities such as gardening, archery and .
like a horse. Gaining a mutual trust with
trail building, also offered on the 36-acre
something like that can really be
ranch.
comforting.”
The relief he says it brings to the youth
Korschgen explains she and other
who participate makes thje challenge of
therapists at the ranch use a combination of
getting a bunch of street kids into p:ear’s
Equine Assisted Growth and Learning .
Association (EAGALA) techniques and their Suburban for the 45-minute drive south
once a month completely worthwhile.
own customized exercises.
“There’s a lot more laughter on the ride
“A lot of what we do involves metaphor,
home,” he says.
so when a person is grooming a horse, or is
petting or taking the tangles out of the
DIRECTOR'S DESK, from page 3
Alliance
Counseling and
Center at Heron
H ill coowner and
director Joyce
Korschgen
disheveled, wet and tired.
Street Roots was bombarded with media requests. What do we
think? Is the city helping support the homeless? What is the long
term plan for affordable housing in the city? Will the sweeps do any
good? Why do homeless people really not access social services?
The questions range from the sophisticated to the absurd.
Commentary on social media and news sites throughout the city
offer up differing opinions on the sweeps and homelessness
overall, many of which tend to carry a underlying theme that
Portland is a homeless mecca and people on the streets have it
good. One commenter on Oregon Live replied to an op-ed written
by the Rev. Chuck Currie of Portland suggesting homeless
Portlanders should be put to death.
It’s a Common misnomer that many people experiencing
homelessness don’t want social services. In reality, the shelters are
full.
Street Roots had reported early in the week that the largest
shelter agency in the city, Transition Projects, had a 5-month wait
list for men — 462 men on the list. And there’s a 7-month wait list
for women, with 271 in'line. They have 310 shelter beds. They’re
all full. They almost always are. Portland Rescue Mission, the
second largest shelter for homeless men was also full with a long
waiting list.
The average wait time to access shelter and housing for our
most vulnerable population is asinine. It takes weeks, sometimes
months to even access a shelter bed. Once in shelter, it takes an
estimated 2 to 6 months,-and that’s if you’re lucky, to access some
form of transitional housing. If an individual makes it this far, it can
take up to three years to receive permanent housing.
My point is, it’s not that people don’t want to access services or
to improve their quality of life, it’s that our system is so backlogged
and there is such little opportunity for housing in Portland that it
makes extremely difficult for people who experience homelessness
to simply get back on their feet.
In a time when our city faces a real and apparent housing crisis
that continues to result in thousands of people being displaced
, froin their neighborhoods and thousands more sleeping on our ,
streets, I find it hard to stonrach any’neighborhood or Business IjB
community that doesn’t want to see a group dike Right 2 Dream
Too thrive. I find it equally as hard to comprehend that our
collective leadership does not make housing the number one
priority.
•
Possibly it’s my own experience that blinds me. Still, it doesn’t
change the fact that human beings in our community are suffering.
It doesn’t change the fact that everyone, regardless of
circumstance, deserves a safe place to call home, or that in 30-plus
years of modern-day homelessness, camp sweeps have never solved
homelessness. It doesn’t change the fact that now, a week after the
sweeps, it’s having a detrimental impact on social services working
with people on the streets and in the lives of many vulnerable
people simply looking for a place to find shelter.
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