Crescimento Limpo, Supportive Housing for Homeless

Cross-pollination is one of nature's most powerful catalysts for growth. People are much the same. We flourish when our lives intersect with those outside our usual circles.

This month at the CL House, we pursued and facilitated a little "cross-pollination" between ourselves, adolescents taking part in Camp Roots, city services to our community’s most vulnerable individuals, and participants of a few other local non-profits.

Camp Roots is a bilingual camp we direct that invites teens from Brazil and the US to come together to "Seek the Deep," through Bible studies (this year based on the "father and his two sons" in Luke 15), service to the community, and intentionally deep conversations. As part of the program, groups of campers came to the CL House and other social service locations, and the CL psychologist went to Camp to lead group conversations. CL House residents also went to Camp sessions to partake in the programming.

This interplay between generally divided cross-sections of society provided immediate benefit; at the CL House, our residents were able to share and be affirmed in the sharing of their stories with campers. At our city's meal service, campers facilitated lunch distribution, sat to talk with those who had come to eat, and were impressed at the kindness they received in return. At a nearby drug rehab facility, campers shared a lunch and stories with the men in treatment, and rehab patients were surprised and inspired to hear a personal story of recovery from a Camp Roots participant.

The experience reaffirmed the core value of dignity that CL carries. Rarely does anyone need to solely be served because the richness is in the exchange of the give-and-take. Compassionate contact outside our common circle of connection helps to remind us of our worth and capacity to live something greater to the benefit of all involved.

Links:

• Crescimento Limpo website