We have had a lot to celebrate at SHARE lately. If you’re not signed up for our newsletter, you may have missed that we recently upgraded our medical services through Contra Costa County’s Healthcare for the Homeless. They were previously sending out a van to offer services to our shower guests, but, due to the increased demand, they are now sending out a big bus.
We are so excited that our shower guests are accessing these services to a greater degree. When reflecting on what keeps our guests returning week after week, and what makes them willing to use the healthcare services- we realize it’s trust.
Our shower guests trust that we will uphold their dignity, and advocate for their safety and wellbeing- meaning they not only trust our services we are directly providing, but they trust the help of our strategic partners because of their association with SHARE.
The first step to getting the help we need is trust, and to a community that might have been burned in the past by empty promises or harsh judgment, trust is vital. Trust also takes time. We have been providing showers for three years, and if we hadn’t consistently shown up every week (and now bi-weekly) throughout those three years, we wouldn’t have the relationship with the community to truly create meaningful impact.
The inability to be consistent across time is often what short circuits the changes we are trying to make. We try something for a little while, and when it isn’t big enough or impactful enough immediately- it loses funding, it loses public interest, and other types of support.
The long road of building trust with community is often the roots that sustain the work for years to come. We are so grateful for our guests, supporters, volunteers, board, and team that have stuck it out over these past three years. It’s not an investment we take lightly. While we have come so far, we are excited for the work we can continue to do.
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