The Alley Newspaper

I’m writing this on February 5, during the first really cold spell we have had this winter. Yesterday was not a shining moment in my career of serving the homeless. One of our community members who has serious physical handicaps mentioned in passing that he needed to get his tent and belongings from another part

I try to find positive things to talk about in this space, but I also want to make sure the voices of the homeless and others who come to Peace House Community are heard. Those two goals sometimes conflict, as homelessness and hopelessness often go together, especially in Minnesota in February. The optimist in me

About a month ago, I attended a seminar for grant writers. Everyone there hoped to find more effective ways of convincing foundations to give money to our agencies. During the discussion, someone asked me how Peace House Community had pivoted in our service delivery model since the onset of covid. If you aren’t sure what

Samuel Beckett’s two-act play Waiting for Godot has been called “the only theatrical masterpiece where nothing happens. Twice.” The title, after all, is also the plot summary. Two vagabonds wait in a field for Godot to arrive, passing the time in various discussions. Although a few other people pass through the scene, Godot himself never

A recent email from HousingLink, a local nonprofit that works on low income housing issues, contained links to news articles with depressing titles like: “Elderly and homeless: America’s next housing crisis” “New report shows Minnesota LGBTQ teens and adults overrepresented in homeless population” “Homeless and facing winter in Minneapolis “Homeless families struggle with impossible choices

American society seems to have become a lot less civil over the years. I know bullies and those who overreact to perceived slights have always existed, but it seems as though people now think it is their patriotic duty to accuse others of committing a moral wrong every time they hear something that offends them.

I’ve had a horrible time coming up with an idea for this month’s column. I suppose that if that’s the worst thing to happen to me I must be having a good week, but it’s still frustrating. As I’ve watched the Coronavirus pandemic unfold, I’ve been struck by how much hard it is for us

Back in May, when people had settled into the Covid-19 lockdown, a survey by OnePoll asked Americans how their sense of time was being affected by spending day after day in their homes. The results included: The average American got confused about what day it was five times every week 59% of respondents didn’t even

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, I’ve heard a lot about systemic racism. As far as I can tell, though, no one is saying anything new. I first heard of systemic racism in university over 25 years ago, and I’ve heard it discussed consistently since then, and now I’m hearing it discussed more loudly.