UUC's Homelessness Ministries Team invites you to join an online event, "Josephine Ensign—Homelessness and the Meaning of Home," hosted by Humanities Washington and the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries on Saturday, June 1.

Josephine Ensign, who once experienced homelessness, has been examining justice issues like poverty and homelessness, trauma and resilience, and marginalized communities for years. As a nurse practitioner, she has been engaged with offering health care to Seattle's homeless community for over thirty years. Dr. Ensign is a professor in the University of Washington's School of Nursing, author of the book Skid Road: On the Frontier of Health and Homelessness in Seattle and the city's unofficial historian on the topic of homelessness.

Loss of a home, whether through job loss, divorce, illness, or other financial difficulties, is a widespread and growing problem. Seattle ranks third behind New York and Los Angeles among U.S. cities with the largest number of people experiencing homelessness. Often thought of as only an urban problem, homelessness also occurs in suburban and rural areas throughout Washington State. What are the historical roots of homelessness, and what lessons can we learn from them? What are the common meanings of home to us, and how can we apply those meanings to our responses to homelessness in our communities?

Humanities Washington is offering this event at various locations around the state. On June 1, Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries will offer the event in-person with the option to join online. You can find out more and join this event online by clicking here.

If you have questions or want to learn more about the Homelessness Ministries Research Team, please contact Pam Smith Mentz. 

~ UUC Homelessness Ministries Research Team

(Successor to the Tent City 3 Team, working with Rev. Beth to research opportunities for UUC to continue/expand our work around homelessness)