Your Story, God’s Power

Below is an example of a public narrative given as an example to the Multnomah County cohort of the Land and Housing Coalition. A public narrative is a focused exercise designed to connect the story of self to the story of community in a way that results in a clear, concrete action. This specific style of story telling has been researched and formulated by Marshall Ganz, a well known organizer that worked with Ceasar Chavez in helping organize the California farm workers in the 20th century.

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Hello. My name is Joshua Kingsley. I am a priest on special assignment in the Episcopal diocese of Oregon. I live in a community in the Montavilla neighborhood. I am a bicycle commuter. 

My neighborhood has seen an explosion of houseless people living in tents. We have also seen an increase in violent crime. The vulnerable attract predators. It is difficult for homeless people, housed neighbors, and business owners to all communicate together. This has contributed to parts of my neighborhood falling into disrepair, with burned out cars on the streets and human waste in the lawns and bushes. Communities of people have arisen on the bike path, choking the egress. Many, many people I know worry about their housing. It feels unstable, and not just because of COVID. Work is inconsistent, even unemployment has stopped for many. People I know (single women in their early 60s, a warehouse worker struggling with addiction, a dedicated child care worker), people who have college degrees and significant work experience are living days or weeks at a time in their current housing, understanding that those tent cities are their next stop.

I am an unlikely witness to you all. I was born when my mother was only herself a child. My education in housing insecurity began on day 4 when my mother was discharged from the hospital. Even after remarrying (supposed to be a statistical bump for the cause of housing) my family continued to struggle to stay housed. I’ve lived in large section 8 developments, single wide trailers, campers, and RVs as one of six in my family. I can speak first hand of the humor found in precarity, and the clever ways we came up with to try and live our lives. I know the difficulty of a student who is trying hard in school, but moving every 9 months. I have seen the stress placed on adults as they try desperately to navigate a game of ‘musical chairs’ in their housing situation while also raising four children. 

I managed to make it out. I’m a (somewhat) respectable homeowner in a respectable neighborhood. I’ve been lucky a number of times. Many in my family haven’t been as much so. Housing pressures are some of the most primal pressures one can feel.

We are people of faith. We are each here because we are leaders in our communities. We are champions of love, reason, and solidarity. We care for the stranger and downtrodden. Many, many of us have been the downtrodden at some point in life.

This is the time to claim our agency and use the gems of our faith that enable us to work together for miracles. That’s what we’re proposing. Affordable housing is literally a miracle, just as real as healing a limb or raising the dead. Now is the time because our neighborhoods are in trouble. Now is the time because people that we love are directly touched by housing insecurity today. Now is the time to begin because the 

I ask you to be in touch with how your personal housing story is connected to the pressures exerted by our system. I implore you to gather with your friends of good faith and share housing stories. Allow yourself to be emotionally and spiritually moved. Please, get involved with your friends to make a difference and extend a helping hand to those who need it. You could help someone like me. I am witness that the effort is not in vain.

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Each person has a public narrative. In that narrative we experience gain and loss, we begin to see the role we each play in the systems that govern our life. Understanding our story is the first step toward justice.

I invite you to set aside an hour and practice writing your story. It can be around housing or any other topic about which you care. You can keep it to yourself or share it. You can find more information about public narratives here.

God is working within you to bring about the world to come. Your personal/public story contains some of the wisdom and clarity we need. Practice it, use it, and share it when you’re able.