A lightning bolt of revelation hit me several months into our first weekly writing group.
At the time, we had launched a series of writing workshops for homeless people. But one guy kept coming who wasn’t homeless. For some reason he found value in joining to write and share with others, even though most everyone else was living in shelters or on the streets.
It’s a simple model. We write to shared prompts. Sometimes read their work aloud to one another. Then we applaud. Doing that week after week builds social capital, durable community, and true friendship.
One time this particular not-homeless guy wrote and shared about an earlier time in his life. He wrote that he had been so depressed that he took comfort in knowing he could kill himself at any moment.
The moment he finished reading his piece aloud a lady across the room burst into tears. She was living in a homeless shelter.
She looked at him. “We feel so alone out here,” she said. “It seems like no one really sees us. But hearing you share so honestly about your struggles helps me feel like there’s hope. We feel seen. I know that I’m not alone.”
That was my lightning bolt moment. It was then that I saw up close that the real power here is bringing people together. Yes, we pursue people who are facing homelessness, but these groups are for everyone.
Now Speak Up launches and leads local writing groups that create spaces for community and connection. And we train and equip others to use this model in their own communities.
And the lady who burst out crying? She is now off the streets. She is writing books about her life experience and has just launched an organization to serve others. She’s doing great.
We are able to do this because of you.
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