In the 1980s, I enjoyed watching WKRP in Cincinnati. The writers did a great job of mixing silly humor with serious topics. In one episode, Mr. and Mrs. Carlson discovered that they were going to have a baby. Being an older couple, they debated whether they were up to the challenges of raising another child. At one point, Mr. Carlson commented, “These are troubled times.” Mrs. Calrson replied, “People have been saying that for thousands of years.”
When you walk through the neighborhood around Peace House Community, it’s easy to say, “These are troubled times.” Our neighborhood is one of (if not the) lowest income and highest crime neighborhoods in Minneapolis. Open drug use and homelessness are rampant. As Chair of the Ventura Village Neighborhood, I hear about the problems throughout the neighborhood, including sex trafficking and gun violence. The police department’s Crime Prevention Specialist for this part of the City summed things up well when she said, “Minneapolis was just ranked the nation’s happiest city. I can’t understand that. I don’t hear any happy stories when I talk to people who live here.”
As depressing as all this is, it highlights why Peace House Community is so important. Like the rest of the neighborhood, we struggle with graffiti on our building, broken windows, trespassers, and a host of other problems. But that is exactly why we are here. So many people in this neighborhood need somewhere that reminds them what “normal” is. They need to know they are not alone facing their everyday challenges.They want to turn off the stress, at least for a little while. They need a light in the darkness.
This is what your support provides. You give folks who are overwhelmed a place to get their bearings. You connect them to resources. You give them caring conversations that they desperately need.
Thank-you for anything and everything you do to support PHC and to care for our community.