Jason's Reflections

Jason Kuster, LT'23, Google

In LT, we’re often asked to answer: how did today’s discussions add to your vision of a region where all people and communities thrive? The Basic Needs Possibility Day provided substantial food for thought.

The day’s panel and discussions focused primarily on homelessness. Felicia Salcedo, LT'19 (We Are In) and Marc Dones (KCRHA) discussed the challenges King County faces to make progress on ending homelessness. The importance of empowering people with lived experience to lead was a central theme, underscored by powerful backstories from both Felicia and Marc. A mentor once told Marc that they wouldn't get a seat at the table just through credentials like law or medical school; they had to demand to be at the table if they wanted a voice. This brought up several questions for me. Who do we invite to the table? Who is asking to be there? Who isn’t asking, but should be at the table, nonetheless?

I was particularly struck by their agreement that the work to end homelessness is deeply relational. Marc and Felicia spoke about the need for all of us to engage our communities in discussion. People change their minds when they’re engaged by someone they know and care about. So often these discussions happen from a place of defensiveness and acrimony; the panelists invited us to instead come from a place of agreement. Things are bad, we should be mad about it, so let’s work together to solve it.

In the musical “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote, “For the first time, I’m thinking past tomorrow.” So many of our neighbors must think day by day about meeting their own basic needs. When we build a world where everyone can think past tomorrow, we’ll be one step closer to thriving.