On February 12th John Marshall and Jackie Leung hosted a talk on the intricacies of having humanity when it comes to homelessness. Marshall is a spiritual leader from Salem, Ore. who helps run an organization called Church in the Park.
This non-profit organization established a number of communities around Multnomah County which seek to help individuals and families get back their stability. Church in the Park started from an individual hosting a potluck in the park for anyone to join and developed into the 10.5-million-dollar organization hosting hundreds of thousands of people that it is now.
Marshall presented on how we can be more mindful of what unhoused people are going through. “If you meet 100 homeless people, that’s 100 reasons why to address homelessness.” Marshall said while showing a slide of the many people who come in and out of Church at the Park’s shelters.
Church in the Park centers around micro sheltering, or groupings of small individual shelters that can hold up to one family unit in them. The organization has several shelters around the county, with plans to expand into other towns to impact more people. Shelters range from serving individual young adults, to full families in need. Through their grassroots activism, they have seen a 80% reduction in ER use and a 75% reduction in 911 calls in the community.

The presentation centered around having healthy conversations around the idea of homelessness, and humanizing those going through what can be the most difficult time in their lives.
“I don’t blame anyone for running out of sympathy. But for those who say that, I invite them to see what it looks like to have sympathy for someone who is struggling. The piece that keeps me coming back is because I become a better version of myself.” said Marshall.
“Its the physical and relational proximity to human beings who have such a deep and intimate relationship with trauma… I develop the capacity to access parts of my own humanity. It’s so fun to celebrate the wins, but I come back because I have been embraced by human beings who I was tempted to judge.”
Homelessness is an issue that is close to the heart of many in the Linfield community, by lived experience and by what a friend or family member has experienced. The heartfelt discussions which took place after the presentation, and the respectful commentary made, show how invested students are in this widespread human issue.
Marshall concluded the talk with advice on what any student can do to help. “Someone who wants to get engaged… more often than not, there will be a huge library of resources. Start with education, start with reading and researching. The things that get you out of bed and invested in the community.”