NEST

NEST (Navigational Empowerment Services Team) works to provide people with assistance to navigating available resources. Nicole and Theresa speak about their work and some of the systemic issues that they deal with daily. 

To find out more about White Bird Clinic, visit whitebirdclinic.org.

Transcript

Hana Francis: 0:22

Welcome back to White Bird Mutual Aid on 97.3 KEPW-LP, Eugene, Oregon. I am Hana Francis. Here we look at White Bird Clinic's impacts and interactions within the communities of Eugene and Springfield, Oregon. We take a look at the past, present and future of this organization. Last episode, I spoke with Jose and Cypress from Crisis. They spoke about how the 24/7 crisis line works and how it affects the community as well as some of the challenges that they're facing. One of those challenges was that the support that the crisis line provides, while always available can be rather short term. In order to fill this gap in services, a program called nest was founded. This is another bird themed acronym that stands for navigation and empowerment services team.

Nicole Nemeth: 1:14

And we need this more now than ever, because this problem is only going to get worse, it's estimated that a additional 60,000 People will be unhoused within a year because of COVID. And and so it's the problems are only going to grow. And so we really need community support to make it better. Even if that's like, again, just a change in attitude.

Theresa Boudreau: 1:38

Conversations. It's not all hopeless. This is how it starts. This is the light at the end of the tunnel that gets brighter. Yeah, when we have these conversations, and we have people like yourselves, like your listeners who care enough to hear the message to want to know what the needs are and then be proactive. So,

Hana Francis: 1:58

Nest is designed to help adults experiencing homelessness, navigate available resources and sign up to receive assistance. services offered may include assistance in accessing primary medical care, case management and advocacy, outpatient drug and alcohol treatment, group therapy, drug detox, mental health counseling and evaluation, SSI and SSDI assistance and transportation to appointments. As of mid August of 2021, there are only 13 employees working to provide these free services largely to the unhoused population of Eugene. This episode, I had the honor of speaking with Nicole and Teresa who work in nest.

Nicole Nemeth: 2:44

I'm Nicole and I am the clinic or the program coordinator for nest and I use she her pronouns

Theresa Boudreau: 2:52

Teresa, she her and I am in outreach and case management here at Nest. So I can tell you that at Nast, we have quite a few different things that that we can do. Our goal is to help support people, whether they are transitioning from House lessness into homes or accessing services that they need to further their health and well being. So we help those people identify what those goals are, are and what the barriers are to attaining those. And we can do that through our walk in hours, where people can come and meet with a case manager and an intake worker and really get those things identified. We also offer outreach, which is part of what I do. And we go to different sites off campus to meet with people who are experiencing some of the same issues that our clients are that we see here. We just do it in a mobile fashion.

Nicole Nemeth: 4:05

And most days are pretty busy. We generally see at least 10 people during walk ins. We're averaging when we do outreach on Mondays and Wednesdays at the camps where we're seeing about 55 people about fit Yeah, 55 people at a time. And then they do the mobile outreach. So I did our sheet for how many clients we serve last month and it was shoot I'd have to look it up again. But it was way over 1000 plants last month that we had contact with so so we do the walk ins and then sometimes people come in and they have needs that are a little bit higher. So it isn't they just need help with getting a birth certificate or an ID any full case management. Some of these folks need like peer support somebody that can actually help advocate for that person and tend to payments with Then we'll take them to the hospital, we've, you know, like our medical department will be like, we just had a client come back from the hospital, but they really need to be there, but they were sent out. So they're like, can you go attend with them and let them know that the doctor needed you to take them there because they really need to be there. So those kinds of things. And so we're able to set appointments outside of those walking hours to attend to those more intense needs that clients have. And one of our hopes for our department is to eventually be billable to where we can write peer support into treatment plans that will allow us to spend more time with folks and, and then, of course, obviously, increased staff because we can never have enough staff right now.

Theresa Boudreau: 5:43

Yeah, I think another misconception is, you know, we talked about resolving issues for for some folks, isn't just a matter of getting them indoors, right? Especially if they've been outdoors for a long time, if they've been living on the street. It's a learning curve. Yeah, like you, there's things that you have to relearn, like, being a neighbor, you know, being responsible for your bills, shopping, the things that we just kind of do in the day in and day out and do it sometimes we're graduating right? Here, support can help support our clientele that are learning to navigate this new world so that they feel supported, so that they don't feel frustrated, and just feel like I can't do this, and I can't be successful. And also, so they don't get

Nicole Nemeth: 6:41

evicted. So they don't get it. Because people who have been out here and have been living with their family like sodas, when they're street families, they want to help those folks, when they get indoors, they feel guilty, because they're indoors and their people are still outside. So they want to take everybody in, which is a really quick way to lose your houses. And so we've definitely helped people mitigate that. And so one of the things is peer support I do like, is take people grocery shopping and help them make their appointments. And also, I've had to help people liaison between their property management and stuff, because they're about to get eviction notices. And so to help help them resolve that in a way that keeps them indoors.

Hana Francis: 7:31

Um, how can volunteers plug in with y'all? And can they

Nicole Nemeth: 7:37

purchase pre COVID? This was an easier question. Since COVID, it's it's a challenge to find place for volunteers. And that's something that we've been talking about. I mean, there's a lot of things like getting together with our, our outreach supplies and stuff. There's always stuff that needs to be done there. And things. But yeah, it's just been a challenge with COVID. Because of how many people we're allowed to have in our building, we're maxed. And so that's right now, front rooms is a good place to volunteer and start. Because they have more ability to plug people in. There, their department is set up more to be held to be run by volunteers in a lot of ways. So, but volunteer opportunities to like making sure people are signed up to do Egan and things like that when people are looking for volunteers, because that's something that we're sought out for pretty often. But we're spread thin too. So we need more people to volunteer for that. A good portion of the people that volunteer for Eagan warming centers were elderly folks. Well, needless to say, a lot of them couldn't do that during COVID. And now it doesn't look like COVID is going anywhere. And so I'm suspecting that we're gonna have the same staffing issues this time as we did last year. So those are definitely areas. You know, there's burrito brigade food for Lee County and a lot of places also that people can help.

Theresa Boudreau: 9:09

Yeah, there are definitely there services out there where you can be active in supportive. Time is a generous donation.

Nicole Nemeth: 9:22

Yeah. I mean, we're definitely open for people who want to do clothing drives, blanket drives and things to for us, that would be amazing, because those are just more things that we have to think about. That are like, again, staffing is short and things like that. But we we've tried to do it all so that we can make it happen. So any community support that we can get with those types of things would be amazing. Great.

Hana Francis: 9:49

I am also curious how many employees do you have?

Nicole Nemeth: 9:52

Or staff 13 Right now our department.

Hana Francis: 9:56

That's it. Oh my gosh.

Nicole Nemeth: 9:59

There were like five of us last year.

Hana Francis: 10:01

so amazing.

Theresa Boudreau: 10:05

Everyone else was like, Wow, that's so much 13 I hope that it tells your listeners that it can be done. Right. You know, it doesn't because it does feel overwhelming, like, you know, thinking just back on on the conversations that we've been having. Yeah, we're just not always the harbinger of great news. However, it can be done. Like I said, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and and all is not last, you know, time is a generous donation. Even if you have 30 minutes an hour, you know, something is, is something right, it's a step forward. So we're grateful for whatever, you know, we can we can get support wise from the community. It's never too little. It's never too little.

Hana Francis: 11:00

Nicole and Teresa spoke with me about some of the complexities of this humanitarian crisis. I wonder if y'all could talk about some of the issues that y'all face with. With Eugene? Your work? Because I mean, it's such a societal issue that y'all are facing?

Nicole Nemeth: 11:22

Yeah, it's interesting, because there's this rumor that unhoused people travel the Eugene, because we have so many services that we just take care of our in house people. Unfortunately, that's super not true. We don't have the kind of resources that people are moving up here for. And we know, statistically speaking, over 85% of people that are in house stay where they grew up. So one of the major things that we actually face here, one of our biggest barriers is resources. There's a lack of housing, there's a lack of transitional housing, there's a lack of shelter. And so, you know, we managed to do quite a bit with quite a little. And I'm really grateful that we're able to do that. But it's, you know, we're we're limited by the resources that are available in the city. Yeah, absolutely. Which includes access to mental health care. Having adequate, adequate medical care for people like going to the hospital, we deal with a lot of people to get turned away from the hospital, despite the fact that they have major issues that require them to be there. So yeah, we have quite a few challenges not being able to get people who are severely mentally ill like, a spot to be safe, and, you know, within, in, you know, impatient of some sort. So, yes, those are some of our biggest challenges here. Yeah.

Theresa Boudreau: 12:48

So let's see, some of the issues that we have here in Eugene are the ability to get people's basic needs met. Yeah. And I think one of the, one of the things that the city did really well, was to put out bucks or porta potties, and hand washing stations at the beginning of the pandemic, when people were allowed to shelter in place, we still are under that same guideline, only a lot of those have since been removed. And it makes it difficult for people to get those basic needs met, especially in a pandemic, where hygiene is fundamental in safety, not just for our clientele, but our communities as a whole. So I'm not having that basic need met is really difficult.

Hana Francis: 13:42

Yeah. Another thing is, I know, you mentioned that, you know, the sweeps have been happening. And I wonder if if y'all could speak a little bit about that, because I think a lot of people don't know that much.

Nicole Nemeth: 13:56

Yeah, that's really unfortunate thing that's been happening, because so people are supposed to be sheltering in place, and yet, they're still sweeping camps. And you know, and those camps that are being swept aren't getting some, you know, as much support as they need to begin with to be successful. So that's been a big challenge. We've been in talks with the city about some safe spots they're supposed to create, it was in the newspaper, they talked about coming up with like, 12 safe spots, and that they weren't going to sweep any of the 12th or 13th camps until those were established. But they've only been able to come up with two sites. And in the meantime, what they're doing is police are going in and checking warrants. And then they're arresting people. And then they say their camps are abandoned. So then they take their their home and it gets thrown away and then they're not allowed to move back when they get out. And then they went back through and said that people were have trash around their tents. Were also being asked to leave or being swept out. And so and then But the last thing listening was they have rats. Yeah, now they have rats they say and so on. So it's interesting because it's yeah, it's just just difficult because we have these things are trying to establish that aren't happening, which I think a lot of is coming from nimbyism as well, people don't want homeless camps in their areas where they live, unfortunately,

Theresa Boudreau: 15:23

yeah, right now in the Metro is we need to do something just not in our neighborhood, right.

Nicole Nemeth: 15:32

So I think the sweep starts something I see stopping at something I see that's probably going to continue to increase, it's slowed down a little bit during COVID. But you know, it's not the main places that are in the public eye as much right now, like the 13th. And Jefferson and Jefferson camps are being kind of, they're still established. But it's the smaller camps that are around, and people living in RVs, and things that are also being just swept and moved constantly. Which is difficult, because some of those people, their vehicles are probably not running very well, or if at all, and so then that puts them in a position. You know, if you can't move your vehicle every three days, then you're in the position end up losing your house, because they will they told you you had to move, so then they might come in and tow your stuff. So that's it just compounding it, because then we have to find somewhere else for them to go and there isn't anywhere. So it's kind of a never ending cycle when it comes to that.

Hana Francis: 16:33

Yeah, um, I think what you're saying about most, most people being most unhoused folks being from Eugene, and like this, this whole, like, myth that they're all coming here or whatever, is really interesting and important. Just because I feel like there's this huge narrative that, you know, unhoused folks are not our neighbors. They totally are. And I just wonder if, if y'all know any, any ways of encouraging people to kind of start to unlearn this thought process and change the narrative within themselves.

Nicole Nemeth: 17:15

I tried to correct people's language as often as I can. My, I have a huge issue with people calling unhoused folks transient, because that implies they're not from here. And it's interesting, because even when I was when I was in my undergrad, one of my teachers use that term. And I was like, whoa, whoa, we were just talking about how language matters. And that's a pretty major thing, when you're you're othering, somebody by actually is the saying that they're transient, but that means they don't belong here. So they're not our problem. And so I don't know, I think our media doesn't doing great for our unhoused. Folks, I think it also, you know, what ends up in the newspapers and these pictures of these really, like camps that are, you know, in bad shape, and whatever, and putting them all over the newspaper, is actually creating a more of a negative kind of view of people in the news, which is then transferred to our citizens in our community here. And then they just want people to want the city to arrest their way out of this, well, we can't arrest our way out of it, or we would have fixed it a long time ago. Because that's pretty much what we've been doing up until this point, right.

Theresa Boudreau: 18:32

I think also making sure that the correct facts are out there. And that there is not some, you know, telephonic network, that people who are unhoused reach each other across the country and go, he didn't come to Eugene, there's a veritable cornucopia of things, which is not how that works. Yeah. But that's the narrative that gets put out there, especially in the media, you know, if you see it on the internet, must be true. So that's what happens. And then it just gets passed from person to person as being just That's the fact. And that's just not the case. The people who have even just returned to this area, which get categorized into that, oh, well, they just came here because there's all these services. They came back here because they were born here, or they grew up here. That's why they come back here. It's something that they know, that is, you know, as they say the W No, right. There's also muted municipalities that practice what we call gray home therapy. That's the issue. That's the conversation that if you you know want to have about Will, who's bringing, you know, all of these people here to take up all of our services, talk to other hospitals and other police departments around the country that will send people to other cities to see how they fare without any connection, without any phone call to say, Do you got people there? Because if we send somebody out of the city or the state, we send them to something. Do you have somebody on the other end willing to receive you? Can they help you? Are you going to something that's not just a lateral move, but a step forward in the goals that you identified? The things that you feel like you need to help better your circumstance and situation. And I think that there's a lot of people in the city who don't understand that that's that's actually how it works.

Hana Francis: 20:58

White Bird is like, such a multifaceted, big organization. And I know that largely, it depends on nests, for follow through, like Cahoots has been getting so much publicity recently. But um, you know, ness is one of the main things along with like front rooms that that really like brings the community aspect into it. And I just wonder if y'all could talk a little bit about how those are all connected to each other?

Nicole Nemeth: 21:29

Oh, yeah. We get lots of referrals from other departments within white bird. So we often hear from Cahoots because they go out and visit somebody on a call. But that person has extensive needs that Cahoots can't, you know, it's not an immediate emergency, it's a light, you know, a long, ongoing thing of this person's lacking services, or has serious health conditions or serious mental health conditions and things like that. So we get a lot of referrals from cahoots to go out and do that more extensive work and actually get them plugged into what other services are in need of or case management. So sometimes they can refer people to NASA, they can come by here, but often the people that kahootz has contact with aren't functioning well enough. So they'll often email us with a location and we'll go out and visit that person where they're at, which I think is one of the special things about nest is that we're mobile, to be able to go out to people if they can't make it to us. So we literally can meet people where they're at. We get a lot of referrals from medical, and chrysalis and front rooms, and crisis. And then we also receive referrals from other agencies as well. NES provides a lot of services. So we provide social security assistance to help people sign up for SSI, we help people sign up for OHP. We offer case management, we have peer support. And we do outreach. So during this mean, so yeah, so we're able to kind of do a lot we've been, we were able to identify a lot of gaps, and are doing our best during COVID to fill that. Because things have changed so much. And COVID, unfortunately, has really shined a bright light on the serious gaps and services that already existed and that have just been made wider by this pandemic.

Hana Francis: 23:28

Well, could you tell me a little bit about like how nest came about originally.

Nicole Nemeth: 23:35

So it we used to be the homeless department, which was homeless case management. And then nest started, which was just pure support. And and so we and.. pretty much navigation services. So nest is a navigation impairment services team. And so at the beginning, when I was just with Nest, and the homeless department is operating separately, I most of our referrals came from medical during that time. And we were doing a lot of warm handoffs and helping people make it to doctor's appointments and things like that. And then right around the time that COVID started, there was some changes to the homeless department. And so nest and the homeless department merged and became all nest. And so we basically just expanded the services that homeless case management have emerged the peer support piece. So often, I mean, if you tell a client, oh, yeah, just go down to the medical office and just talk to the front office and blah, blah, blah. The majority of the time, folks aren't going to make it down there. So for people whose there are some people that are functioning well and just need a little bit of assistance, and they may be able to do that fine on their own. There's a lot of folks that actually need somebody to take them there and introduce them and get them acclimated to the environment. I mean, the people we're working with are severely marginalized may have been treated very poorly in a lot of medical, and settings and agency settings and things and so are their instant, you know, have have had issues with institutions and things. And so by being able to build rapport with people, and then help them, introduce them to the next service that their need of allows them to have, I think more trust and to feel supported, you know, some of our people, they don't even want to go sit in a doctor's office by themselves, because it gives them so much anxiety or they don't feel heard. And so we can attend appointments with those folks that are really struggling but need to be seeing a doctor, but they just need somebody to go with. And so we're able to kind of fill those gaps. And fortunately, we've been able to increase our staff, although I have to tell you, our staff has doubled in the last year, and it still is just nowhere near enough to meet the needs of our people.

Theresa Boudreau: 25:55

Yeah, I think it's a great way I refer to it as a bridge. So I think it's a great way to bridge that gap between advocacy for our clientele, and the service provider. The service provider is going to need certain details that they ask it a zillion times a day. Well, you haven't asked our client that and they might be taken aback by certain approaches. So it gives us a chance to bring the two parties together and make it so it's a safer supportive environment.

Hana Francis: 26:50

Huge thanks go out to all the people that made this episode possible. And most of all to Nicole and Teresa for contributing their time and voices to this episode. You've been listening to White Bird Mutual Aid. I'm Hana Francis. Thanks to local musicians Kiki soda for their musical contributions to this episode on 97.3kEPW-LP. Eugene, Oregon. I'm Hana Francis.