News

Meet Grant

By: Denise Caruzzi, Pastor Andrew Kukla and Jodi Peterson-Stigers Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . In the wake of the Supreme Court decision for Grants Pass allowing cities to ticket, fine, and arrest people without shelter options for sleeping in public spaces (or in their cars), we believe we need […]

LOSING A FRIEND

By: Julie Loomis Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . Being in a homeless shelter you will meet many types of people. Most you pass by, some become friends and some you just avoid. I had my first friend who had to leave. So I felt lost and not sure how […]

A WORLD OF INTEGRITY & EMPATHY

By: Shyloh Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . Imagine a world where we cared about the feelings of others. From the homeless mother and her three kids. To the daughter who day in and day out cares for her father who’s slowly dying of cancer. To the next-door neighbor who […]

TERRY REILLY TIPS — WHEN GRIEF COMES

By Kayla Gaffney, Licensed Master Social Worker // Terry Reilly Health Services Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . “Grief is like the ocean. It comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” – Vicki […]

Building New Foundations: The College of Western Idaho’s Career Launcher Class Paves The Path To Success

By: WOTS Staff Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . The College of Western Idaho’s first Career Launcher class at Interfaith Sanctuary has just wrapped up. The six-week course, designed to address the skilled labor shortage in the local construction industry, has already proven successful with two participants securing jobs upon […]

HYDE PARK STREET FAIR ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

The Homeless Art Collective will be selling their artistic creations at the Hyde Park Street Fair this September. We will be highlighting some of our artists up until the event! Gypsy Wind is Word on the Street’s street photographer, capturing life’s moments wherever he goes. However, when Gypsy isn’t taking photos, he is usually working […]

HOUSED

By: Amanda Niess Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . His hands carefully twist the wire, eyes illuminating with focus as another intricate beaded creation takes shape. This is the success story of Justin Tomlinson. His life has been one of constant adaptation, from his Texas roots to Marine Corps service […]

OPERATION OVERLORD

By: Nicky M Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . Operation Overlord was the codename of the Battle of Normandy. The allied operation that launched the liberation of Western Europe from German occupation. June 6th 1944: The date of the Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune. An airborne assault of some 1200 […]

Service Animals Part 1

By: SherryJo Crandall Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . This author has a clear and defined bone of contention with people who claim their dog is a service animal when it is clearly evident that their dog does not meet the criteria set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act, […]

A LIFE RESUMED

By: Gerri Graves Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . Have you ever felt removed from a scene that you are witnessing?This whole month, I have been sorting through 40 years of accumulated stuff. Every tote opened was a memory I had lost over the years. Morgause’s clothing. Veronique’s costumes I […]

LET’S GET READY FOR THE HEAT

By: Christine Hahn, Abby Davids and Melissa Roop Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . Editor’s Note: We are all three physicians who are working together on a project to reduce the impact of heat on the unhoused population Being outside can be difficult when it’s cold, but as the temperatures […]

Still Here

By: Julie Loomis Word on the Street Issue 45, July 2024 . . . So I am still homeless even though I have the income to pay rent. It is extremely frustrating that Boise is so expensive and I don’t have the rental history, bad credit and 2.5 x the rent.I have also been ill. […]

LITHA

By: Gerri Graves Word on the Street Issue 44, June 2024 . . . The longest day of the year. The height of nature’s fertility. The light’s full return. I finally reached the top of the housing list. Almost three years in, and it looks like I’ll be housed soon. Longest years of my life, […]

FREE TO BE ME

Word on the Street Issue 44, June 2024 . . . Junior Lee Growing up, I was always a tomboy–wearing skirts, playing with dolls or putting on makeup was not in my vocabulary. I was playing Call of Duty at 10 years old. Surrounded by other females at a mental health facility, I realized that […]

TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

By: Julie Loomis Word on the Street Issue 44, June 2024 . . . So I have been doing research on transgender and the Idaho laws that affect those in our community, including our homeless transgender population. For such a small population, our state is spending quite a lot of time and money to take […]

Empowered Cities, Scattered Lives:The Homeless Crisis

By: Whitney Bryen / InvestigateWest Word on the Street Issue 44, June 2024 . . . John Parke, known as “Cowboy,” is always ready to pack up and move. He stacks his black and blue tent, foam sleeping pad, and flannel-lined sleeping bag on top of a wagon that he hauls away every day at […]