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Jul 18, 2012 | Irit Umani

Commentary: Austin's Trinity Center Offers Radical Compassion

-- Irit Umani is the executive director of Trinity Center in Austin, serving the downtown homeless population.

 

The summers are always a struggle. It’s hot. Our homeless neighbors spend much of their time in search of shade, water, a respite of any kind from the heat. We collect sunscreen and sunglasses, hoping to provide some relief. But this June we were challenged in new ways. We were called, again and again, to stretch beyond our on-going programs and our personal limitations to meet emotional and physical circumstances beyond our regular intensity.

 

The month started with the brutal murder of Valerie Godoy, a young homeless woman, and the wish of our women neighbors to have a vigil in her memory. We empowered and assisted the sisters instead of taking over the event. We collected candles and participated in the vigil. It was a powerful gathering of the homeless community in memory of one of their own and lead to a concern of the lack of basic safety for homeless women. They called for the immediate creation of a shelter for homeless women, and we were there to support them. 

 

This sad event was immediately followed, actually on the same day, with the passing away of a long-time neighbor, Lynn Beall, whom we have been serving daily while she was going through the journey of dying from terminal illness. She died early in the morning of the vigil in Christopher House where she spent the last few hours of her breathing life. We thank God for her dying indoors and with dignity   which was our wish and prayer for her. Lynn was our teacher in Radical Compassion. She, to the very end, was doing it her way, and she offered us repeated opportunities to serve beyond judgments, opinions, and preferences. We were called to be present and compassionate with what is- not what we wanted it to be. And we rose to meet the challenge.

 

Without questioning or doubt, we knew that we would be the ones to arrange Lynn’s funeral and be present for her burial. The whole community came together in the most organic way. The service was held at St. David’s, flowers were donated by the Altar Guild and by volunteers from St. James. Our weekly volunteer, the Rev. Ed, officiated the service. St. David’s parishioner Terry Heller played the piano, and Foundation for the Homeless loaned us their van with a driver to transport staff, volunteers, and neighbors to the cemetery.  It was heart-wrenchingly beautiful! And we felt complete and strongly united; a community in the deepest sense of the term.

 

While these sad events were unfolding, an e-mail to all homeless service providers was sent informing us of a young woman in Utah who was looking for her homeless mother whom she had not spoken with in 16 years and was separated from almost 30 years ago. The mother receives her mail at Trinity Center, and we immediately recognized her picture. This young woman has been trying for many years to find her mom and every year around the time of her birthday dedicated time to this effort. She only asked to know that her mother is fine and to covey to her that she is loved, cared for, and missed.

 

Though the mother’s first reaction was suspicious and reluctant, mom and daughter had two phone conversations since the contact with Trinity Center was first made. When mom is ready, we will assist her to travel to Utah to see her children and grandchildren.  Here again, one may think: “I’d jump on the unexpected grace offered me to speak with my child”. But the truth is that most of us do not deal with serious mental illness and challenges, we don’t have a long history of intolerable abuse, and are not living our lives so very deeply wounded and afraid. Trinity Center was asked to assist in attempting to make the contact, offer safety and acceptance, and be there when the next step is to take place. Radical Compassion; no judgment, opinions, or preferences; only Love everyone, Serve everyone, and Remember God.

 

As we enter July, Trinity Center is now leading a city-wide service providers’ coalition advocating for the creation of an emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless women without children. Visit TrinityCenterAustin.org to read and watch recent media coverage of this effort.

 

Consider supporting our work. “It takes a village”, and we invite you to be a member in the village of radical compassion that is Trinity Center.


Trinity Center was created to enable St. David’s parish to serve the homeless population in downtown Austin, opening its doors each weekday morning to serve the poorest and most disadvantaged people in town.