Community Learning Opportunities Regarding Disability

So much of the work that we do with individuals at Welcome is at the intersection of poverty and disability. Here are some free and accessible opportunities to learn more:

A Ramp is Not Enough: A Religion and Disability Conference is a free day-long conference at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Open to the general public, with speakers who are particularly relevant to clergy, members of religious communities, and students. Come see Welcome's Pastor Jay on a panel speaking about how Welcome incorporates anti-ableism and disability rights/independent living work into our daily community life. Don't forget to register if you plan to attend.

Wondering about the history of disabled people working for civil rights in San Francisco and the world? Multi-media from National Public Radio with links to more information.

One local resource for people seeking political, practical, or advocacy information about disability in San Francisco is the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco. Specialists focus on empowering individuals to take charge of their own lives, offering resources varying from help with finding the most helpful adaptive technology, to help with disability-related housing issues, to information about how to make the most of benefits. In fact, their housing advocate has given a Skill Share for Welcome guests, as well as being a frequently-consulted resource for the community. Also to note are some great easy-to-read but information-full publications that you can download.

I'm posting just these three resources for today, but feel free to E-mail me at jay@welcomeministry.org if you are seeking a particular resource or are wanting more information.

Skills Shared and Skill Shares

Have skills? Want to share them?
Want to learn skills by doing?

At our Tuesday Welcome meals, we have begun sharing professional self-care/body care/hygiene when skilled volunteers are available.

We have begun with a monthly volunteer who has professional haircutting and styling skills, averaging six haircuts each month! It is hard to find free haircuts these days, and at best they are often a rough buzz cut. That is why is to so amazing that a Welcome has committed to providing professional haircuts monthly for Welcome guests.

Maybe you have a skill around self-care or body care that you could share Tuesdays 2-4pm. We are particularly looking for massage, holistic health practitioners, poverty/trauma-informed nursing, relaxation exercises...if you've got a self-care or health professional skill, we would love to talk to you about volunteering two hours monthly with our guests.

Thinking that you are not skilled in such ways? We can use your ordinary and extraordinary gifts in our regular programming, whether in cooking, cleaning, chatting with guests, visiting people who are isolated, or sorting clothing and toiletry donations.

And there is another opportunity if you are skilled in life, health, or nutrition skills- come share with a Health Skill Share class. Staff support includes facilitating discussion, help incorporating various learning styles, ground rules, and providing space and snack set up. Leading a Skill Share involves preparing 30 minutes of presenting or a 50 minute discussion on a particular health skill with time for questions and discussion.

Topics we would like to find skilled community members to cover in the future:
-Foot care
-All sorts of nutrition topics from poverty-informed perspectives
-Legal rights/questions around homelessness, poverty, and SRO housing
-Heart and lungs
-Vision care
-Community politics
-Transportation, pedestrian issues
-Many mental health self-care topics
-Safer sexuality

Interested? Contact Pete Feltman for general volunteering and Tuesday meals or Pastor Jay Wilson for Skill Shares.

Homeless Identification Project

The Welcome Ministry recently initiated a new project to help homeless people who do not have govern-ment identification. All government resources and many private resources for the poor require government-issued identification as a prerequisite for service. Additionally, the government requires that businesses see identification before hiring, giving permanent or temporary tenancy or providing financial services (e.g., cashing checks and establishing bank accounts). At the same time, the government has made it more difficult and costly to obtain these documents.

Common barriers that make it difficult to obtain identification:

• In order to get California state-issued ID, you are required to have your birth certificate. In order to get your birth certificate, you need a copy of your state-issued ID.

• In order to get a copy of your Social Security card you must have a copy of both your birth certificate and your state-issued ID. Additionally, the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 states that you may only request a copy of your Social Security card five times in your lifetime.

• If you have a copy of your birth certificate that was issued before 2004, it will be considered invalid because it is printed on the wrong type of paper (even if it has a seal).

• Ordering a birth certificate costs $15 to $75; it can take up to a month to arrive. The requirements to obtain your birth certificate vary based on the birth state.

• Many states require that a notary witness your signature when you request a birth certificate, but without proper identification a notary cannot witness a signature unless they personally know the individual.

• You must have a mailing address to receive your state-issued ID, birth certificate or Social Security card. Often when you order a birth certificate, the address it is mailed to must match the address on the credit card that is paying for it.

• You must pay by credit card or check with the same address where the identification will be mailed.

Companioning someone while they secure the identification they need is more than just paperwork. It is an opportunity to advocate for people as a religious leader and to provide pastoral counseling in ways that many people never experience. When a homeless person, who previously has had little or no support, and a chaplain share that person’s birth history, spend two or three hours together on the bus and in the DMV or Social Security office, an incredible amount of spiritual care takes place and friendship develops. Having a compassionate chaplain listen to your stories, fears, joys and hopes can be life-changing.

To staff the Homeless Identification Project, the Welcome Ministry has created a second staff position that is responsible for getting acquainted with people needing ID, establishing a mutually trusting relationship and gaining sufficient personal history information to begin the ID application process. The position also coordinates volunteer participation in the ID project and publicity to attract people who need help and people interested in supporting the project.

Jay Wilson started as the new Assistant Director April 1^st. Jay has Master of Divinity and Master of Social Work degrees. He is experienced in assisting individuals and families to access services and understand state, county, Social Security, and educational systems.

-Barry Clagett, Welcome Ministry Treasurer