Iain de Jong does not want those who serve people experiencing homelessness to give up.
In a recent YouTube video, de Jong offers meditative stanzas on one of America’s most thankless jobs: Workers in the trenches helping people experiencing homelessness to live better lives.
Due to my own mental illness, I do not always respond cheerfully when I am upset. I have been complaining to my case worker about a myriad of things, not the least of which is the poor internet connection in my building and the dangerous people who live here. I repeatedly have been called derogatory names, and I have unloaded on my case worker about that, too.
Of course, I am incredibly appreciative to Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, my case worker, his boss, my therapist, my psychiatrist, and the staff at Fusion. I have come so far in four years it is hard to imagine my days of psychosis and unmanaged chronic PTSD. I quickly found a job after becoming housed and would like to think I am one of the Coalition’s success stories. But I am sure I come off as a little ungrateful at times.
Words for the wise
On his website, de Jong describes himself as a “Leader. Edutainer. Coach. Consultant. Researcher. Blogger. Do-gooder. Potty mouth. Positive disruptor. Relentless advocate for social justice. Comedian. Dad. Minimalist. Recovering musician. Canadian citizen. International jetsetter. Living life in jeans and a T-shirt. Trying really hard to end homelessness. Driven by change, fueled by passion. “
In his video, he offers words to the wise to homeless service professionals:
“You are getting blamed for homelessness and social policy deficits that were not of your making. You’re being asked to defend your existence. You’re being told that what you’re doing isn’t working when if it weren’t for you the dam would have burst already.”
Homeless service providers have brains
De Jong also puts to rest rumors that homeless services workers are getting rich on the backs of the poor. In fact most of them live in poverty, he said. He also dispelled assumptions they are just bleeding-heart liberals. “You’re not just a person with a big heart but also have a brain. You think critically about work and how to get better. You are trained professionals.”
De Jong explains how homeless services workers often are criticized for not holding people accountable. “You are not anti-treatment nor are you anti-recovery,” he explains. “You encourage people to make the best choices to stay alive.”
He noted that when service providers try to open new housing for people experiencing homelessness, they are “viciously attacked by social media or NIMBY hatred.”
“Maybe you’re sick of being polite,” de Jong continues. “Maybe the public needs to know that hospitals discharge really ill people to you that you are not trained, funded, or capable of supporting or that people are discharged from corrections to your doorstep, or youth that age out of care, or newcomers to the country who have nowhere else to live.”
‘Epic’ work ahead
De Jong empathizes with homeless service workers who hear complaints about their clients. He says it is like keeping landlords responsible for their tenants when they are off their property. “People do not understand you offer services that are voluntary, not forced institutional care. It can make you curse to the point you make yourself blush.”
Some days do not go well. “Units will be trashed, landlords will get angry and some people you are supporting will die,” de Jong explains. “Rents will not always be paid on time and in full and case manager goals won’t always be met.”
De Jong ends his meditative reading by suggesting homeless social workers “Breathe in, breathe out. You did not go into this because it was easy. Maybe you did not go into it because it was this hard. But you always knew this would not be easy. Success will be measured by what we achieve in difficulty.”
He ends his salute to homeless service workers with a refrain. “Don’t give up you wonderful helper, you. Don’t give up. You have epic sh*t to do.”
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
