NHCHC: A Conference That Love Built

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Donna Smith

Donna Smith, American SiCKO, is executive director of the Health Care for All Colorado Foundation

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June 4th, 2010 8:44 PM

NHCHC: A Conference That Love Built

SAN FRANCISCO – Once every year, the amazing people who work to provide healthcare services to the homeless people of America gather to learn, to share and to re-energize. This week the National Health Care for the Homeless Council has been convening its national conference on the West Coast, in San Francisco.

Even in the face of the oil spill, the Gaza flotilla attacks, and all the terrible news of the day, love keeps surfacing when people who care come together to learn more about caring and more about best practices and more about policy. It’s a win in the middle of a lot of loss.

The NHCHC conference has terrific workshops and opportunities for continuing education as well as unique chances for participation by those of us (consumers) who have been touched by the services these providers offer in their communities. That may not seem so special to some, but for many of us, lifting back up from our various homeless moments, weeks, months or years often included a loss of any sense of control over our own potential or any positive possibilities moving forward. This conference elevates us as equals with all who attend. The feeling of empowerment and appreciation is palpable.

There is little pretense here at the NHCHC conference. There is a lot of hugging – warm, safe hugging. Mixed in with discussions of some fairly awful human situations and addictions and mental illness and financial trauma, there is a lot of love and forgiveness and joy. It is a great annual gathering with critical work going on.

This year, one of the awards given went to consumer advocate Ulysses Maner, from the House of Hope in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Ulysses received the Ellen Dailey Consumer Advocate Award for becoming a noted advocate and consumer in his community and nationally. He’s a gem. And he’s a wonderful hugger.

Honors at this conference don’t go to the most famous or most well-connected or well-heeled folks. Honors are given for genuine effort and results in settings many people avoid. Love is celebrated.

I also was in a consumers’ workshop where the leader asked everyone in the audience how many are registered to vote. Every hand went up. The leader than asked how many of those people voted the last time they could have. Again, every hand went up. Impressive. That would not be the case in even some of the conferences attended by those who have so very much more in material possessions and who care so very little about the homeless or even hold them in disdain.

It’s a tough problem in these United States. Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless for a wide variety of reasons, but almost all of them would rather not be homeless. It’s not fun. It’s not freeing. It’s not safe. Health suffers. Homeless people die younger. Homelessness has been rising as the economy has suffered. Some people never recover from these downturns.

But for a few days, those of us who have been without a home and those who try to help provide healthcare to the homeless gather to share of experience, strength and hope. It’s powerful stuff. People are lifted up. Love rules. Dignity heals. Until we meet again next year.

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