Local leaders visit Interfaith Sanctuary

Interviews by Project Well-being Group Members

Holli Woodings

Interfaith Sanctuary had the honor of welcoming City Council Member Holli Woodings to our shelter. She joined us for conversation and allowed us to interview her. While she was with the members of Project Well-being we had a sit down with Holli to find out more about her, and hear about her hopes and dreams for our beautiful city.   

Holli grew up in Oregon, and at the age of seven, her parents got divorced. She lived with her mom, a hairdresser, who still does shampoo sets for ladies at a nursing home. She spent summers with her dad, who had moved to Boise after the divorce. Holli loved her summertime visits with her dad so she chose to make Boise her home.  

At the age of 23 her first job was as a make-up artist. She used the money that she earned to go to college. She is a first generation college graduate with a degree in English. With her degree she began work in renewable energy and started developing wind farms. This is where she got her first taste in politics through her lobbying for renewable energy.  

Once bitten by the political bug, she moved her career in that direction. She got involved with the Board of Girl Scouts for Silver Sage, became a legislator, ran for Secretary of State and finally was voted in as a City of Boise Council Member.  Holli is very interested in Neighborhood and local issues, and feels like she has the greatest impact in her role as a city council member. She cares deeply about the work she does, the city she serves, and the people who live here.   

At the end of our time together, we took Holli over to the shelter’s family-side, where she got to hold our wonderful babies who are staying with us.  Holli really enjoyed spending time with the families, and getting to meet all the kids who call Interfaith Sanctuary their temporary home. We think Holli Woodings is a great leader, and a wonderful human being. We thank you Holli for sharing time with us. 

Jimmy Hallyburton

Jimmy Hallyburton, founder of Boise Bike Project, hopped on his bike and rode over to Interfaith Sanctuary to spend some time with our guests. Jimmy wanted to get a better under-standing of what is going on within our homeless community. He is beginning his run as a city council for the city of Boise.

Jimmy grew up right here in Boise, riding his bike all through the city and foothills. He knows the power of the bike in connecting people to op-portunities, and providing feelings of freedom and independence. This is what inspired him to found Boise Bike Project, which is a non-profit that helps provide bikes to people from all walks of life regardless of income.

One of Jimmy’s favorite things is meeting new people. Through his work at the Boise Bike Project, he has learned so much about the many invisible communities that call Boise their home. Many of which don’t have a voice when it comes to talking about their struggles. Jimmy is commit-ted to getting these voices heard and that is why he is running for City Council. He is passionate about bringing new voices to the table and making those voices easier to be heard. Thanks for riding over to Interfaith Sanctuary, Jimmy. Good Luck on your race!

Word on the Street is a collection of personal narratives, artwork, and poetry published by guests at Interfaith Sanctuary and Shelter in Boise, Idaho. It addresses the stigma of homelessness in and its material consequences for the population. Word on the Street represents the voices of Boise’s homeless community as a counter narrative against misrepresentations of themselves and a call for connection.

Its purpose is to bring awareness to the voices of homeless individuals and hope for motivating others through change. This paper is compiled and maintained by Project Well-being, a day program, at Interfaith Sanctuary and Shelter.

If you have a story about how homelessness, mental health and lack of resources affect you, please feel free to send them to wordonthestreet@interfaithsanctuary.org. If you would like to help the homeless, or fund this paper, please feel free to contact us.