project680.org

Sometimes it’s easy to feel disconnected from the reality of homelessness. When we hear the word “homeless”, it’s easy to think of tents, tattered clothing, and the Salvation Army in Downtown Sacramento. But there’s a different face for homelessness in Rancho Corova & Folsom that doesn’t fit the typical “downtown” profile.

“Homeless” is defined as “living in an unstable environment”. There are 783 students in the FCUSD that are documented by the school district as “homeless”. These kids live in places like motels, without a parent or legal guardian, in vehicles, in houses without utilities, and sometimes actually on the streets or in other unstable situations. 

These young people are not in some random far-away city or location, but right in our own neighborhoods. We see them walking to school, riding bikes down Folsom Blvd, playing with the kids next door, sitting in traffic next to us, and shopping for groceries at the store. 

We know it’s a bit shocking to consider the number “783″. It can even feel overwhelming to the point where we don’t know where to start, or even how to feel about the whole thing. What if we could begin to be a part of the solution though? What if we could spend a few minutes here and there as a community to do something about this very local issue?

Project 680 is all about learning to respond in practical ways that make sense for homeless students and our busy lives. Our goal is to team up with local residents and do simple things that make a difference. Let’s not attempt to build enormous and time-consuming projects or solve every problem at once, but rather begin to listen to the issues, begin to see homelessness around us, and respond in love.

The Rancho Cordova Post wrote a story about this video and I wanted to do the same. The video is definitely worth a watch (only 2-3 minutes).

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The “homeless” students we work with are often not homeless in the classical sense like the man in the video, but they are living in unstable places like motels, in households without a parent or legal guardian, or in other difficult situations. This video is great because it shows how one person can make a difference simply by walking to work and taking a moment to talk with someone. The lawyer didn’t have to start a big program, front a stack of cash, or exhaust himself to do something altruistic. He simply built relationship with a homeless man in the park and the result was a book club that evolved organically over time. 

Let’s keep going everyone and start to dream afresh as the new school year begins. What does it look like for a community to get practical about supporting local homeless students in the FCUSD? What does it look like for busy people like us to find relevant and organic ways to partner with local students? 

What do you think of the video? What stands out to you?