At first-ever Festival of Neighbors, a new dialogue around homelessness emerges

Oct. 24—Keene's unhoused community found shelter among supporters in Central Square during a small gathering Sunday afternoon.

Local organization Keene Mutual Aid hosted what members said was a first-of-its-kind "Festival of Neighbors," where several people experiencing homelessness and those with ties to it spoke about their situations and urged city government to take stronger action toward curbing the issue.

Joy-Douglass Robertson, a Keene Mutual Aid volunteer who uses they/them pronouns, said in an opening speech that city officials should better prioritize seeking housing for all so people don't feel abandoned.

"These people are our friends, they are our neighbors and they have a history and identity here, that's important," Robertson said. "More and more people find themselves in a place where they don't have a house; I think that's a problem."

Destiny Woodward, of Keene, said she found herself unhoused after coming to the city in search of work. She spoke to those visiting Central Square to give thanks for the event.

"We're still here in our own bodies and we're still capable of being who we want to be," she said, drumming up appreciation among those in attendance.

After her speech, she said she hopes to be able to take on two jobs so she can build up personal savings to find more time for self-care.

"I'm homeless right now but I want to be homeward bound," Woodward said.

For some, it was a moment of peace among frustration with how those in the unhoused community feel they're perceived. Andrea Eleftheriou, 61, of Keene, said she'd like to see more open arms with few housing options available.

"Churches should be open and the library should be open for people that have no place to go," she said. "I also believe police should not bother us when we're trying to sleep. We're not where we're supposed to sleep but there is nowhere else to go besides the woods."

Others, like Donna Beloin, 77, of Keene, were present because they have family and friends in insecure living situations and wanted to show sympathy. She said she has a nephew in Keene and a grandson in Manchester without homes.

"I really appreciate all this — what people do for the [unhoused] people that need help in Keene," Beloin said. "I think more of the seniors [without homes] should know about this because a lot of seniors don't get out that much."

Beloin shared that the Salvation Army of Keene at 15 Roxbury Plaza is giving out jackets to those in need and provides free meals on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m.

The festival itself offered free food, clothes and area resources for transportation, mental health resources and preventing hunger to aid those facing these challenges because of housing insecurity.

Sandi Boucher is a member of Love Thy Neighbor Ministry, a Keene-based group of six volunteers making meals for those experiencing homelessness. She was present distributing hats, gloves and socks. She said the group was founded five years ago by the late Christine Wiseman, of Keene, and said volunteers pack up to 130 bag lunches a week that they send to the area's unhoused on Thursdays.

"We've grown to [have] a personal relationship with them; we try to get to know them and their needs and to just see who they are," Boucher said. "We want them to know that they are people just like we all are and they are loved and they are important in this world."

Another resource at the festival was the Keene Serenity Center, which distributes Narcan nasal spray and clean needles for those who inject drugs. Tara Karvosky, care coordinator for the center's GROW Safe Syringes Program, said she felt the festival was important to spotlight the existence of unhoused people in the city.

"A year ago I didn't even know we had homeless people in Keene and I've lived in Keene my whole life," Karvosky said.

Robertson said they were hopeful that Festival of Neighbors was an opportunity for the homeless community to feel more welcomed into the Elm City and to inspire them to start back on a path where they can rebuild their lives.

"We're really hoping this can be a launchpad for the issues we talked about, like designating campsites, designating overnight parking, expanding real affordable housing and maybe turning this into a yearly event," they said.

Robertson noted that the city of Keene's Ad Hoc Committee on Housing Stability, created in April to combat local homelessness, will hold a meeting Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. to share its recommendations with the Keene City Council. Robertson said they feel the committee has "stepped around" the issues that lead to housing insecurity.

"We really want to remind them of the reason why they were created and really force them to look at this issue in a much more concentrated way than they have," Robertson said. "They've looked at affordable housing settling around $48,000 a year for your basic income, so that's not really affordable and it's completely ignored the main issue."Trisha Nail can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or tnail@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @byTrishaNail.

Trisha Nail can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or tnail@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @byTrishaNail.