This week’s update is from Christina.
We made the difficult decision to cancel outreach on June 14 out of an abundance of caution. When I drove through the neighborhood on June 12, I noticed quite a bit of movement, but many of our neighbors were still present. The city has been enforcing a 72-hour parking rule for months when they started construction on a new bike lane, right through the area where many of our neighbors typically park or camp. The shuffling is expected due to this.
Even though we worked hard to spread the word about the cancellation, about five neighbors still came by, three with propane tanks in hand. It’s a powerful reminder that—even if the location isn’t always ideal—our outreach corner has been a constant in this neighborhood for over five and a half years. Our neighbors know where to find us and trust that we’ll be there.
On Thursday, June 19, we received heartbreaking news: our neighbor Megan passed away. I can’t recall a single moment over the years where she wasn’t smiling. She brought light to our corner, and her presence will be deeply missed. At her mother’s request, donations in Megan’s memory can be made to the kidney foundation of your choice.
Outreach resumed on Saturday, June 21, and we connected with eight neighbors. Two arrived with propane tanks. While we’re technically on pause with propane until fall, we filled four tanks this weekend. We also shared information about another group that offers propane on Thursdays in the same area. This overlapping support helps us conserve resources and ensures our neighbors’ needs are still being met.
Behind the scenes, I’m working on several projects. The first is a piece of custom software for our volunteers to help manage hours, track neighbor interactions, log resources, and streamline communication. The beta version is about 50% complete, and I’m devoting 8–12 hours per week to moving it forward. Once it’s operational, I’ll refine the interface and squash bugs. Ultimately, I hope to make this software available to other mutual aid and outreach groups on a donation basis.
Participation in the system will always be optional, but encouraged. The information we track is practical and focused on helping: names (or aliases), contact numbers, photos, general locations, last visual contact, clothing sizes, medical concerns, and other individual needs. All personally identifiable information (PII) will be stored in a secure, encrypted data warehouse designed specifically for that kind of data. Only trusted volunteers—those our neighbors already know—will have access.
The goal of this system is simple: to help us serve better. It will let us set alerts when we haven’t seen someone in a while, assign specific requests to volunteers, and provide a central place for neighbors to submit needs, view the weekly outreach schedule, check for location updates, and find available resources.
Another ongoing project is updating our website to include a weather widget. Knowing what to expect weather-wise is vital—for both our volunteers and the people we serve.
Lastly, I’ve been assembling a practical First Aid Kit inventory tailored for urban outreach. The plan is to build wearable kits for each volunteer and incorporate inventory tracking into the software. Volunteers will be able to do quick inventory checks so we can plan supply purchases more effectively.
Thanks for reading, and for standing with us.
Warmly,
Christina
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