Consider the Homeless (CTH) stands tall amongst our providers. With a budget under $65,000 from private donations, the work they do with our unhoused population and with the various city departments and communitybased organizations in our city would cost any non profit $175,000 and the city twice as much.
Many of us witness Paul Kealoha Blake, a community icon, present in the community walking and driving miles each day, interacting, making connections, building community with all parts of our community, documenting the conditions our unhoused people live in, visiting folks in encampments, checking on their physical and mental health, providing support. Paul also responds to emergency calls while maintaining a job at the East Bay Media Center.
Paul has been a long-time member of the Berkeley Mental Health Commission where he served as chair and vice chair and currently serves on the Homeless Services Panel of Experts.
When asked about the role of CTH in Berkeley’s homeless service delivery industry and how they serve with the unhoused community, Paul gave this answer:
“They do not have to find their way to us. We go to them…literally and figuratively. We strive to build trusting and long-term relationships with those we serve hot soup and give essential goods to – which is over 100 people a week. We also successfully connect people to appropriate services living in area encampments and on the street. We expanded our services to the City of Berkeley’s Warming Center. Every night, our volunteers bring a very humane touch through the humble act of serving soup and connecting as fellow human beings.”
Paul Kealoha Blake
The Berkeley Warming Center where CTH provides soup, bread and other food will remain open until April 2023 providing a warm place to lay your tired bodies, space for people to sleep during this very cold and rainy season. In previous years the city has operated an intermittent warming center. Our community lobbied hard and provided testimony as to the adverse impacts on the health and wellbeing of people who must otherwise sleep in the cold winter and rain due to lack of shelter beds for the city to make the decision to be open not only during inclement weather but into late spring and provide comfort to people.
Paul replied, when asked about CTH’s work:
“We at CTH have no hidden agenda other than to serve Berkeley residents experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect. We are a grassroots community-based group of like-minded neighbors who help those less fortunate! Consider The Homeless is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, a local grassroots organization — 100% volunteer based — we have no paid staff.”
Paul Kealoha Blake
CTH has three programs, a mobile soup kitchen that delivers hot, homemade soup with bread and the “Berkeley Still Cares” program which provides grocery bags of non-perishable proteins, fruits, other ready-to-eat foods, and clean drinking water as well as socks, shoes, coats, clothes and daily essential necessities. The warming center services include hot soup and other foods, dedicated volunteers a humane presence every night. “Our volunteers cook and serve hot, home-made soup. We start serving before nightfall when most folks are settling in for the night. We find our people by slowly driving around the city and reaching out to those living outside or in self-made dwellings.”
Many of us in the community know Paul and have witnessed his high quality of engagement with the unhoused community. Paul’s style of de-escalation serves not only unhoused but also local businesses and BPD in the community. Any efforts to keep the peace and humanity.
Continuing with the interview, the subject of organizational values came up and Paul responded:
“We strive to establish trusted relationships to learn how to best help those we serve according to their individual circumstances and needs. We treat everyone with respect while delivering services with dignity with the intention of extending a “hand up” not a “hand out” approach respecting the individual’s Right to Choose and their Right to Live Free. We do NOT compete but collaborate with and complement existing government and non-government Berkeley based Homeless Services.”
In its inception, CTH was called Homeless Lives Matter Berkeley. It was the embodiment of a vision — an idea borne into reality by its founders Barbara Brust and Ingrid Powell. They believed that offering hot homemade soup was a different way to approach those dealing with the stress of living outside. Delivering hot meals to their makeshift camps, or while they remained tucked in their blankets and sleeping bags, was a way to warm their hearts and bellies.
“We do not dispute the complexities that have vexed homeless experts and policy makers for decades. However, when we see the same vulnerable people week after week on our soup rounds — the elderly, men, and women with spiritual, survival, physical and resolve mental health challenges — we believe that there must be a better way,” Paul said.
Everyone on the street has good reasons why they may decline a bed; families don’t want to be split up, the frail and the elderly are afraid that they will be robbed or worse in a shelter, some do not want to be separated from their pets. On the streets many have formed “families” and support systems where they can look out for each other and have their best friend’s human and pets nearby.
“The City of Berkeley is known for its innovation, compassion, and creativity — together we can find a better way to care for our homeless population year-round. The closing of the Warming Center will be a shock to many of the homeless residents.”
CTH is looking for volunteers who would like to help long-term or occasionally. They need cooks, delivery drivers, help with soliciting donations and administrative support.
Visit CTH at
www.considerthehomeles.org
to donate or volunteer.
Every small gesture of kindness (even a bowl of soup) can have a big impact – it may equal one less person going hungry. A warm place to sleep each night is necessary in our city to avoid any deaths due to inclement weather.