For the Love of Language

I have recently been reminded of the complexities of communicating with others, and the value of improving our abilities to communicate. A few days ago, a conversation about foreign languages started at Peace House Community. Well, it was supposed to be about foreign languages; we spent the first 15 minutes talking about our own language

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Director’s Corner

This will be the least enjoyable Director’s Corner I’ve written since I joined PHC. As always, I want to thank all our supporters for making everything at PHC possible, but I also need to let you know about our current financial struggles. Coming out of covid, PHC was financially comfortable. We had a balanced budget

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Meet Ahmed

Ahmed’s road to Peace House Community was longer than most, but now that he has arrived, he is making the most of his time with us. Ahmed was born in Somalia in the 1980s, but as war enveloped his country, his family came to the U.S. as refugees when he was 14. The trip involved

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Apologies

I need to make some apologies after my article in the Alley last month. The article praised Ventura Village, but when I wrote the article I forgot that the Alley serves many neighborhoods, not just Ventura Village. The Alley staff recognized the problem, but because I submitted my article so close to the deadline, they

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In Praise of Ventura Village

This article may sound like I’m currying favor, or being really self-serving, but I want to praise what I see in the Alley and in Ventura Village. When I started writing articles for the Alley five years or so ago, I didn’t really expect anyone to read them. I thought this was a small neighborhood

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A Common Humanity

It was about forty yards to the gallows. I watched the bare brown back of the prisoner marching in front of me. He walked clumsily with his bound arms, but quite steadily, with that bobbing gait of the Indian who never straightens his knees. At each step his muscles slid neatly into place, the lock

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A Hopeful Sign

Like many people in this part of Minneapolis, I am continually reminded of the challenges facing our neighborhoods. High crime rates, limited resources, livability crimes, drug use…. you know the list as well as I do. Aside from my personal observations, I hear about the challenges the members at Peace House Community deal with every

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Director’s Corner

Welcome to 2024! On behalf of Peace House Community and its members, volunteers, and staff, we wish you a peaceful year. We also want to thank you for getting us through 2023. Well, we didn’t just get through it; in some ways we thrived. Way back in the second half of 2022, PHC’s Board of

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