Episode transcript is available here

On this episode we sit down with Ren and Adam, the co-founders of The Outsiders Inn. I met them 8 years ago. At that time Ren and Adam were living in the basement of a house where the owner, a Deacon in the church, let them be there for next to nothing.

He also allowed them to care for friends struggling through homelessness. This included being okay with tents and several small shelters being built in the backyard and folks living in their cars parked along the street. All of these people were receiving simple services provided by Adam and Ren. In those early days, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the city of Vancouver, WA would shut it down.

Their story is one of against-all-odds success, which now has them running their own nonprofit employing 42 people, all providing necessary services to those in need. Having said that, here is the earthshakingly beautiful part, are you ready?! Every single one of their 42 employees was formerly homeless!

How beautiful is that?! AND how are they doing this!?!

In the simplest of terms, they are putting relationship and connection first, leading with compassion, understanding, and patience. They truly see the value in every person and work to bring it to the forefront. There is clarity in the rules and boundaries, along with a deep understanding of how to navigate difficult moments that comes with a population often traumatized.

Where does that understanding come from, you might ask? Adam and Ren will tell you it comes from being in relationship, being close enough to know and feel the nuances. They see no differences or separation between those being served and those providing services.

That is peer support. For Ren and Adam, that is family.

Excerpt from the episode
So, if we're speaking to folks that homelessness doesn't touch their lives very often, if, but briefly,  I would want to encourage people to really educate themselves about the problem nationwide, not just in their city, but really look at the increase from 500, 000 to probably 750, 000 just in the last couple years, that it happens in the richest places more than in the poorer places…

Secondly, the stigma, the rhetoric is only going to get worse when it comes to saying that folks are just, they're just doing drugs, they're just doing this, they're just doing that…

The fentanyl epidemic is affecting us as homeless folks, is affecting us drastically. But the fastest growing populations are youth and folks on social security…

People don't spend enough time on their sidewalks. Folks don't spend enough time walking. Folks don't spend enough time outside, but they sure have a lot to say about it.  You know, I've walked all the sidewalks, and I, I know, and I know who walks the sidewalks, and it's, it's far and few between. It's the people in cars with their five seconds of judgment going by. So, if you really want to know, immerse yourself with an organization that allows people to come to the organization and, and meet folks, and, and go serve somewhere, go volunteer somewhere, go really educate yourself about who are We,  and you know, take a walk or take a walk with someone who knows.

Go say hello. It all starts with just really humanizing people and realizing that homeless, homelessness is not a problem. These are humans that are experiencing homelessness that really need to be acknowledged. 

When I became homeless, I immediately became other people's judgment. When nothing had really changed about all the qualities that I had. Prior to me becoming homelessness. I was an experienced restaurant manager. I had been married. I had all these things that I could speak of. But once I became homeless, I was that homeless guy. I was that dirty guy. I was that guy in the dumpster over there. And you know, no I wasn't. I was still Adam with all those same qualities. But I had to live outside because of the circumstances that happen.

Primarily, most of the time, the circumstances are economic. You know, it's economic situations. Divorce, raising rents, an accident. For me, it was a combination of three things. And then depression on top of that. Because I can't believe I have to live outside. I can't believe I'm sleeping under a bush. You know, the, just, you know, who wouldn't? Be immediately, you know, and morbidly depressed about your situation when you lose everything. 

Every single person you can't walk in any door without being looked at, you know. In my time of coming up homeless now, I hope and pray that like a lot of the work that we did over the last 10 years has really helped to change Vancouver's culture that allows for that camping that you see today, because 14, 10 years ago, there was no camping allowed anywhere and police would immediately arrest you if you put up a tent. So maybe we had an influence on that and I like to think, and maybe this has an influence on other people that they're really going to go out there and just realize we. are no different than you. We are just people that circumstances happen to. And that we have to recover from that.

And help others. - ADAM