“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”
Mr. Rogers
At The Davies Shelters, we have made it a habit to never refer to the folks in our shelters as “the homeless” or “clients.” This choice is intentionally informed by our guiding principle that all have sacred worth. We believe that intentionally choosing the words we use to describe each other is a way of extending hospitality and affirming the sacred worth of those who are most vulnerable in our community. For us, this means that the folks living in our shelters are more than their current circumstances (“the homeless”) or defined by a transactional relationship (“clients”) — they are our guests who we treat with dignity and respect.
For the same reason, in our digital communications and on our websites, we refer to those who are unsheltered in our community as our “neighbors.” Being neighbors connects us in a common place, and common life. Being a neighbor means being aware of and concerned about the needs of each other. Being a neighbor means responding and helping in whatever way you can when a neighbor is in crisis.
To make Rome an even more welcome community requires that we recognize that we are all neighbors. Being a good neighbor means helping in whatever way you can when a neighbor is in crisis, and that’s what The Neighbor Society is all about – doing what we can every month to be good neighbors to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.We exist to help make our community a welcoming one (especially for our most vulnerable neighbors) where everyone is ensured of their sacred worth on their restorative journey. We want to create a band of partners who give monthly so we can meet the critical needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. Would you consider joining The Neighbor Society, and partnering with us in this work?