We, the unhoused

We, the unhoused:

• Have the most direct experience with global warming.  Every extreme weather event happens to us directly— every hailstorm, every polar vortex –20° deep freeze, every 100°+ humid summer swelter:  We survive it outdoors.  We know the need to combat climate change.  We have the skills to make do with less that is needed to cut humanity's greenhouse gas emissions.  And we have the proven ability to live through the 
• Are the internally displaced.  Most of us have been displaced from multiple locations by governments using violence or the threat of violence.  We have profound empathy for people who need refuge, whether flee and help people build their own stability with whatever resources are immediately available.  And we know the need to protect people who end up seeking refuge in Minnesota from being victims of the next jurisdiction they find themselves in— maybe not targeted for being .
• Know how to build community in trying times.  Many people talk about coming together.  We have done it.
• Can build something out of nothing.  Another's trash may not exactly be our treasure, but we put to use things that were put aside.
• We extract value from scrap.  Many of us make a living scrapping— pulling metal wires out of dumpsters, stripping unusable bits, and bringing the metal to be reused.

We are learning, as we meet with organizations that get grants to do solar projects or get government contracts for mental health services, that we are the experts in the circular economy and necessary wraparound supportive services.