Just a short time ago a member of The Dale received an eviction notice. I’m carrying around a copy of it at his request. He is being told to leave because it turns out his home is actually an illegal rooming house. He’s mostly mad and scared. I’m decidedly sad.

This kind of story is not unique.

We all want to see our friend housed, it’s just that the challenge of finding a place that is affordable, clean and devoid of bugs is astoundingly hard.

So, imagine my amazement when he decided to help me do some dishes at the drop-in this morning and earnestly said: “I know I need a place. I could probably find one far away, but I can’t go. Nothing can replace the surrogate family I’ve found here”.

His words went right through my heart. I felt my determination to find a good housing situation become even more fierce. I was also reminded that though we have no walls of our own, The Dale is indeed becoming a place of belonging and home for both my friend and for me.

On the days where I feel like I can’t keep going, I’m going to remind myself of this.