HOUSING = Harm Reduction!

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A petite elderly Persian woman slept in her car. Suffering. In pain. In excruciating pain.

In desperation, she cried out for help, and help she got! She got a temporary room. She got food. She got a phone. She got a warm bed to sleep in.

That night her pain continued. The excruciating pain Intensified. An ambulance came, resulting in tubes, blood draws, tests, medication and a stint in the ICU.

Had she not cried out for help, she woulda, she coulda died in that lonely isolated vehicle.

Finding a place to stay shouldn’t be this hard. Housing is a human right. Housing saves lives. Housing is harm reduction. Housing should be for all.

Time heals: at least for her it most definitely has! At night, her car now sits empty while a home is filled.

Today I visited this petite elderly woman. She invited me into her immaculate home, where she made me a cup of her delicious Persian tea.

We shared stories. We laughed. We celebrated life.

Don’t underestimate the power of a warm, safe and secure house. Let’s fight to end homelessness, because housing saves lives, housing = harm reduction! 

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