A view of Carson City's homeless population

Last October I joined 23 parishioners from St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Community in a JustFaith 30-week social justice program. We divided into three groups and made a commitment to meet once a week to study, pray and reflect on the church's social mission to the poor and marginalized. The JustFaith process includes reading, videos, group discussion and four immersion experiences that bring us face-to-face with the reality of poverty and homelessness in our community and throughout the world.

Locally, we partnered with Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS) and Friends in Service Helping (FISH) for our immersion experiences. On a Saturday in December, some group members volunteered at FISH to learn about this agency's contribution to Carson City's homeless and disenfranchised. They collected vouchers, served meals, washed dishes, and shared a cup of coffee while speaking one-on-one with FISH clients.

In December and February we participated in immersion experiences with Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS). The city department passed out flyers the week before that announced our distribution of clothing and a hot meal to homeless people - including those living in motels on a week-to-week basis. In December our groups met at St. Teresa's church to prepare soups, chili, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and to sort winter clothes and blankets generously donated by parishioners. We also received donations of hot coffee and juice from local businesses.

At 8:30 a.m., we arrived at CCHHS and set up tables for food and clothing distribution and found that the staff had provided a real life Santa to distribute gifts to the children. As people began to arrive, we greeted them, served hot meals and assisted them in making clothing selections and distributing blankets. The children were delighted to receive a gift from Santa, while their parents picked out hats, scarves, mittens and warm winter clothing. In February we again prepared a meal, including 140 breakfast burritos and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which we distributed along with clothing and blankets at the CCHHS office.

We spoke with individuals, couples and single parents with children who shared their stories with us, giving us a glimpse of life filled with hardship and the inability to provide even the most basic necessities. We noted a spirit of generosity when we told them to go ahead and pick out more items; we heard comments like, "Thank you, I've picked out what I need, I don't want to be greedy," and "I have one, others need it more."

The CCHHS staff asked us to join their volunteer group on Jan. 23 for the winter Point in Time Count, which is a firsthand approach in identifying the homeless, and to assist with interviews. This survey is conducted twice a year at the request of HUD in order to obtain grants enabling them to provide services to the homeless. According to the 2006 Point in Time Count Survey (http://dhhs.nv.gov/ICH/docs/PIT-Nnarrative2006.pdf), there were 124 homeless persons, and 46 camps identified in the Carson City street count.

Six of us joined the other volunteers at 5 a.m. at the FISH education building. A friend and I were assigned William, a client from Focus House, who accompanied us on our designated search area. We began our search at 5:30 a.m., the ground still covered with snow from the night before with fresh new snow falling in the early morning twilight. Armed with a flashlight, map and checklists we began our drive through a residential area and then up around the hills, on the west side of town. William commented that we probably wouldn't find any encampments close to homes, or the hills because of the snow and the distance from town. His observation proved to be correct. After checking out areas that could potentially hide sleeping bags or a small tent, we found no evidence of blankets or personal belongings.

We left vouchers offering a free meal at FISH and a request for an interview on a truck with an out-of-state plate, parked up against a hill, and an old van parked in a public lot that appeared as though someone might be in living inside. The other groups located several homeless men sleeping outside that morning in camps and personally invited them to come to FISH for a free meal.

Later that morning I assisted with the interviews. All were men, each with his own story about becoming homeless. Some of the reasons given were unemployment, making bad choices regarding substance abuse, mental health issues, and working at part-time jobs that make it difficult to find a place to live. They were all polite and responded to the questions I asked during the interview - most still had a sense of humor despite the tired and weathered look on their faces. They thanked us for the hot coffee, meal, and warm blankets and pillows. Because of the cold and snow, I had dressed in my long, down-filled coat with a hood, gloves, and boots - and I still felt the early morning chill on the exposed skin of my face. It made me wonder how these guys would stay warm, sleeping in makeshift encampments.

Meeting people face-to-face, regardless of their economic status, there is a realization that we are more the same than different. It was an eye-opening experience for many of us to realize that we are just one bad decision or bad break away from being homeless. While we recognize that poverty exists, our solutions to the problem can polarize us because of our differing political ideologies. However, when we can identify the systemic causes of poverty and work toward a common solution, we can move from polarity to solidarity.

•Fresh Ideas: Starting conversations by sharing personal perspectives on timely and timeless issues. Elizabeth Reville is a freelance writer and resident of Carson City.