January 23, 2025 • 31 mins
What happens when personal tragedy ignites a passionate mission to help others? Join us on the Kindness Matters Podcast as Dr. Darlene Spark Washington shares her poignant journey of loss, resilience, and leadership in the nonprofit sector. After experiencing the devastating loss of her mother and husband on the same day, Dr. Washington found her calling as the Executive Director of Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless Inc. Her incredible story reveals how her personal experiences have fueled her dedication to instilling hope and providing essential support to those experiencing homelessness. We explore the significant challenges she faces in nonprofit management, including financial uncertainties and the critical role of community partnerships.
Dr. Washington and I delve into the transformation of community support systems for the homeless, especially in the post-COVID landscape. Discover how the pandemic necessitated a shift from traditional night shelters to more sustainable year-round solutions in collaboration with local authorities like the Portsmouth Sheriff's Office. Drawing on her experience with the American Red Cross, Dr. Washington emphasizes a compassionate approach to advocacy, one that prioritizes viewing individuals as people first, enabling trust and sustainable community solutions. This paradigm shift from necessity to choice has been instrumental in reimagining how we support the homeless population.
Lastly, we shine a light on the annual "Coldest Night of the Year" fundraiser in Portsmouth, Virginia. This impactful 5K walk, organized by the Blue Sea Foundation, raises significant funds to support local homeless initiatives and fosters a sense of community involvement. Dr. Washington highlights how events like these not only raise money but also play a crucial role in humanizing those experiencing homelessness, helping restore their dignity and respect. We close by celebrating the unwavering dedication of leaders like Dr. Washington, whose work inspires us all to contribute towards making a tangible difference in our communities.
#homeless #empathy #help
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello there and welcome.
You are listening to theKindness Matters podcast and I
am your host, mike Rathbun.
What is this podcast all about?
It's about kindness.
It's a pushback againsteverything negative that we see
in the news and on social mediatoday, and it's a way to
(00:20):
highlight people, organizations,that are simply striving to
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If you want to join in on theconversation, feel free, Go
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We're on Facebook, instagram,tiktok.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
(00:42):
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And, in the meantime, so sitback, relax, enjoy and we'll get
into the Kindness Matterspodcast.
Hello and welcome to the show,everybody.
I am so happy that you're hereand that you're taking time out
of your day To listen to littleold me and my amazing guest.
(01:05):
If there's anything in thisshow that inspires you or
motivates you, I just ask thatyou share this show with your
friends and family and maybe,you know, leave a review and
give a rating.
I don't know something likethat.
So about today?
(01:26):
My guest today is anaccomplished and visionary
non-profit industry leader, drDarlene Spark.
Washington has spent the goodpart of her adult life inspiring
individuals to achieve theirgreatest potential.
It is her passion and she's hadthe privilege of serving that
(01:50):
goal throughout her career.
During her almost 20 years ofservice at one of the nation's
largest non-profit internationalhumanitarian organizations,
washington was known as aforward-thinking leader, a
seasoned manager and proficientadministrator.
She directed national andcommunity-level efforts and
(02:12):
managed multi-million dollarbudgets, serving as the agency's
project director for severalcooperative agreements with the
Centers for Disease Control andPrevention and the Department of
Homeland Security.
Her current assignment is as theExecutive Director of
Portsmouth Volunteers for theHomeless Inc.
(02:32):
It's a local nonprofit whosemission is to help individuals
experiencing homelessnessrebuild their lives to gain
self-sufficiency.
Launching the platform changingthe paradigm of our perceptions
about homelessness, drWashington has convened
community partnerships toadvance services for individuals
(02:55):
experiencing homelessness.
Part of convening communitypartnerships has been
Washington's spearheading of theorganization's most successful
annual signature fundraiserevent, pvh's Coldest Night of
the Year 5K Walk, which hasraised over $100,000 in
(03:15):
operational funding for the lastthree years.
Welcome to the show, darlene.
I should have an applause trackthere.
Thank you for coming on anddoing this with me.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Again, we won't go into that, and okay.
So I mean, as we'reexperiencing, much of the
country is experiencing somereally, really cold weather I
think it's important that wetalk about this your current
assignment and what drew you tothis particular mission.
(03:56):
Was it something in particular?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
No, I don't think most people will say or think
she must have almost beenhomeless.
She must have been homeless,because we tend to gravitate
towards our thing.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Things that are personal right.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, for me it wasn't that, it was in 2016,.
I experienced some prettytragic losses, so I lost my mom
and my husband on the same day.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Oh, my God 12 hours apart.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
I lost my husband at 11am and I lost my mom at 11pm.
Husband at 11 am and I lost mymom at 11 pm.
And so walking out of that, Iwas like, okay, you have my
attention, what is it that I amdesigned to do now?
And nine months later I walkedinto this role as executive
(05:02):
director, so I guess I wasbirthed into this role.
When I look back at theresilience through those tragic
events, what I learned, mypurpose was to see resilience
and seed resilience in otherpeople.
Seed resilience in other peoplewas to know that, as much
(05:31):
tragedy as the individuals thatwe serve have in their lives,
that there is life after.
And how do I use our servicesto build hope and to help them
exercise their resilience andbecome the individuals that they
were designed to be in oursociety?
And so that when I look back, Isee was, you know, brought
(05:53):
purpose to those tragic eventsthat I had to experience?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Wow, I cannot.
I cannot even imagine I mean Iwas.
I was a mess for probably agood year and a half after my
mom passed.
I can't imagine losing myspouse the same day.
Holy cow, where do I go fromthere?
No, and I can see you'reprobably saying I was called to
(06:21):
do it.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It is my assignment, saying I was called to do it.
It is my assignment over allthe things that I have faced in
this role from the organizationbeing just financially in red,
red, red and not knowing, youknow, pay period to pay period,
if I was going to get paid andthere were times when I didn't,
(06:47):
and you know, let's pay thestaff, let's pay the staff, but
I never went without anythingand so I.
That was confirmation.
This is your assignment.
This is your assignment.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Is that kind of like?
Is that just kind of the normfor a, for a nonprofit?
I mean you have good yearswhere you meet all your, all
your goals, and then you havethose years that some tough
decisions need to be made.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah, I mean, it's lean, it's, you know, feast and
famine, and you just have to beable to create sustainability.
You have to be able to createrelationships in communities and
just help the community knowthat we will lead this effort
and it's a community response.
And so the solutions arecomplex.
(07:35):
They are, you know, integrated,and we have to have an
integrated solution, yeah forsure, and we have to have an
integrated solution.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, for sure.
Okay, so just the numbers rightnow.
In 2024, there was recorded771,480 homeless, which was an
(08:07):
18% increase over 2023.
That number is really way tooclose to a million for my liking
.
Talk to me about how they howdo they get that number?
Because it seems like it wouldbe an impossible task, but it's
just one night, correct.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, so there are a variety of places and spaces
that information comes from.
However, there is what we calla point in time count, and that
point in time count is asnapshot that we do across the
country on a specific night togive us a sense of what
(08:40):
sheltered and unshelteredhomelessness looks like in our
communities.
And then that information isreported and aggregated up.
So the night before we countindividuals who are in shelters,
who are in transitional housingyou know night shelters, day
(09:02):
shelters and then from thatnight leading into the morning
of the next day, the unshelteredcount takes place.
And so you know, communitieshave a strategy by which they
look at where are individualswho are unsheltered sleeping,
you know where within thegeography of their community,
are those pockets, and then theyhave teams to go out.
(09:26):
There's a questionnaire.
So it's not just I saw a person, but there's a questionnaire to
determine the person'shomelessness.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Right, and it's funny you say sheltered and
unsheltered, because I don'tthink, when we think of the
homeless, I don't think we makethat distinction.
You know somebody at a homelessshelter?
When we think of the homeless,I don't think we make that
distinction.
You know somebody at a homelessshelter, if you will, is
sheltered, obviously, and theperson on the street is
(09:56):
unsheltered, but they're bothhomeless, exactly, exactly.
Okay, so I know, and if youlook, and I shared with you some
comments about in my community,about homeless people and
people, we can be kind ofignorant, can't we?
(10:20):
Especially those of us who havenever experienced that, who
have never experienced that,what are some of the?
If you could talk to the wholeworld and clear up some myths
about the homeless, what wouldbe one or two things that you
would want to set straight?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
I think one thing is how we refer to individuals.
It's not about politicalcorrectness, but it's about
being as descriptive about thetrue situation.
It is individuals who areexperiencing homelessness and we
(11:03):
want that to be rare, brief andnon-reoccurring.
So it's not who that person is,but it is the situation in
which they find themselves atthat time.
So individuals experiencinghomelessness, it could be for a
variety of reasons.
Right now we're seeing we havebeen seeing over the last few
years an increase in individualswho are seniors, 62 and above,
(11:24):
and what's that looking like is,yeah, is you know, a spouse has
passed away.
They no longer have the incometo keep up a house coming out of
COVID when prices are going upon apartments and things of that
nature, so they're being pricedout of housing you know markets
(11:46):
, and they don't want theirfamilies to know.
They don't want to be a burdento their families.
So they'll sleep in their carsfor as long as they can do that
and then, when that's not anoption, then they will seek
shelter.
People have mental health,undiagnosed mental health issues
(12:06):
and concerns, substance usedisorders, former incarceration.
So there are a variety ofreasons why individuals are
experiencing homelessness andthese are reasons that everybody
has.
Generally, as a community, wejust get to close the doors on
our issues.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yes, yes, Nobody gets to see my undiagnosed mental
health issues, or or because I'mhoused, Right, Um, and I think
it's important.
I think we, as a, as a and I'lljust speak for, because in
America I'm all over the place,aren't I?
(12:45):
I think America has a largerpopulation of unhoused
individuals or homelessindividuals.
I mean other countries,countries of Germany and Great
Britain and what have you?
France they all have homelesspeople, but not to the extent
(13:06):
that we do, do they?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Well, I really can't speak to the scope in other
countries.
However, I do know differentcountries handle and manage
homelessness differently.
We know that the solution, abig part of the solution, is
housing, and it's housing thatis affordable and that means
(13:33):
that a person needs to be ableto live, make a living and also
have a night cover residenceover their heads at night.
It just depends on what thatcountry's positioning is around
homelessness and what are theywilling to do in terms of
solutions.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, and you talk about affordable housing.
I see these buildings go up andthey're labeled as affordable
housing.
I look at some of the prices ofrent and I'm like affordable,
for who?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
I mean that would not , and you know so and that also,
I mean that's a barrier to alot of things for these people,
right?
I mean, if you don't have anaddress, a place to live,
oftentimes you can't get a joband and it's just like this big
cycle, right?
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Moving from location to location.
Many times, you know ourclients individuals who are
experiencing homelessness willlose the three things that make
us a human being in society, andthat's going to be that
government issue photo ID, asocial security card and a birth
certificate.
(14:50):
And again, I should know that.
You know you can get 12 birthcertificates in your lifetime.
I mean 12 social security cardsin your lifetime.
But you know what happens ispeople go from station to
station and they lose them, andwe need those three documents
for employment, we need it forhousing and so many other things
(15:12):
.
So, yeah, those are criticaldocuments.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Yeah, and not to get off on another tangent, but when
they talk about a photo ID forvoting, it's the same sort of
thing, right?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah voting.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
It's the same sort of thing, right?
Yeah, because oftentimes ahomeless person will not have
that required piece, and okay,that's a whole other show.
I won't go there.
But yes, I mean.
So it's a state issued photo ID, social security number or a
card Card, and I'm sorry, whatwas the third thing?
Social?
Speaker 2 (15:49):
security card and a birth certificate birth
certificate yeah, and if youhave none of those, in order to
get you started, one one way isgoing back to high school
transcripts.
Oh, so if you get the unopenedhigh school transcripts, you can
get a birth certificate, andthen you work your way through
(16:09):
that.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Yeah, and I'm guessing there's probably a fee
for that.
Yes, Well then how does thatwork?
Because you have to prove whoyou are to get the transcript
right.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Usually we can request those because they send
them out and they know they haveto be.
When they go to whatever entity, they have to be unsealed.
So we can't open them, we justhave to take them unsealed.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Okay, that's interesting.
I did not know that that wasavailable as a resource or a
tool to establishing thosethings that they need, those
things that they need.
So and I think we oftentimes sowhen somebody says, you know,
(16:57):
you walk past a homeless personand if you are a normal, fully
functioning human being, you say, oh, that poor person, I wish I
could help.
And you know, maybe you've gota couple bucks you could give
them, but that's not going tosolve the problem, is it?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Correct and many times, you know, individuals who
are experiencing homelessnessare invisible, in plain sight.
You know we don't want to seethe plight, we don't want to see
the despair, we don't want tosee the despair, we don't want
to look like hope for a person,and so we just ignore the faces
(17:39):
of individuals who are homeless.
And so many times they'reinvisible and in plain sight.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Right, don't make eye contact.
Don't make eye contact.
Yeah, yeah, and most people arecool with it as long as it's
(18:09):
not in their backyard, right?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
NIMBY, not in my backyard, you know and the sense
is there are lots of thingsthat have to take place.
Our local town is actuallyconstructing a shelter, a
residential shelter, and wehappen to be fortunate enough
that it's in a corridor wheresocial services are.
(18:34):
So you know, the healthdepartment is already there,
behavioral health is alreadythere, social services is
already there, and then there isa clinic that's already there.
So to have the shelter right,and then, and there's food
services as well, to have theshelter right, and then there's
food services as well, to havethe shelter right.
There is a corridor of supportand other times people are not
(18:58):
so fortunate so they are tryingto put it in a neighborhood or
close to a business or thingslike that.
It's been my always my approachthat individuals who need
residential shelter we don'tneed to be downtown, we don't
need to be visible, becausethere's so much that people are
(19:18):
working on for their lives, sothey don't need the distraction
of being highly visible.
We're okay being tucked away sothat we can kind of work on our
community and get our communityready to go back and face the
larger community.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Yeah, Can you talk a little bit?
And I almost forgot about this.
I'm glad I remembered I wasreally impressed with your
communities and with PVH's.
Is it PVH?
Tell me, yeah, oh, PVH, yeah,PVH.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
I got it.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I don't know why I'm so surprised.
When you were working with yourcommunity prior to COVID, you
had a lot of churches in thearea that were helping out,
right?
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, so we were the traditional night shelter
program, and so during thewinter months we had about 25
interfaith churches, you know,baptist, methodist, catholic,
working across denominations,and so we would seven days
church, seven days church.
When COVID hit, we were nolonger able to do that, and so
(20:28):
we established a partnershipwith our local sheriff, the
Portsmouth Sheriff's Office,sheriff Michael Moore, and we
were able to go into a buildingthat he had that was not going
to be used.
And so we went in and we kind oftransformed as best we could
the building into a shelter, aswell as adhering to public
(20:52):
health protocols.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
And we were able to go into that facility.
I have a short littlebackground in disaster emergency
preparedness from the AmericanRed Cross and had the
opportunity to serve as apandemic coordinator, and so we
were able just to roll rightinto writing new protocols,
training and things like thatand we didn't have a COVID
(21:17):
outbreak for two years.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
That's incredible.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So you know.
It just goes to show that whenyou have the right protocols in
place and training and educationthat those things are possible.
We also went from six months toyear round, so we were able to
extend our services for thecommunity as a result of that.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Wow.
So then, after COVID, did yougo back to the faith community?
We did not.
Or did you just stay with?
Okay?
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Just because many churches still are not back to
their vibrant selves again andmy commitment in this assignment
is to not go back.
So the sense is, once we put aservice in the community, I want
to have enough confidence thatwe're going to continue to be
(22:08):
able to sustain that service andnot have to draw it back from
the community.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Plus, I would imagine change leads to distrust in
that community.
I mean, if you're changing up,you go.
Okay, this week you're going tobe here and then next week
you're going to be over here.
I would think that that wouldmaybe not foster trust.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
And they were solutions of necessity.
Yeah, we didn't have a choicebut to do it those ways, and now
we have other choices.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Right, right, so I was really.
I found it really inspirational.
You drew on your experiencewith the Red Cross when you were
communicating about homelesspeople, because you were very
big in the HIV AIDS era aboutlooking at people as individuals
(23:09):
and you kind of brought thatwith you into the homeless
nonprofit.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat, because that's really
interesting to me?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Yeah, so during some of my work at Red Cross we
actually worked in HIV and AIDSeducation.
We actually had the onlynationally certified instructor
course.
So, just like CPR first aid,you could get trained to be an
HIV AIDS instructor, and thefoundation for that was the
information had to be factuallyaccurate, nonjudgmental and
(23:45):
culturally sensitive andappropriate, and that way the
focus was on the behavior andnot the human.
And so what?
how I was able to bring thatover into the work that we do is
that we tend to sometimes lookdown on an individual or we
think that they are deserving ofbeing homeless because of
(24:05):
something that they've done inthe past, and so my goal was to
change the paradigm of ourperceptions about homelessness
so that individuals they supportwhat they like right.
I like this, I'm going tosupport it.
So here are some snapshots intothe lives of individuals who
are experiencing homelessness,and how do we humanize that so
(24:27):
that we can get the support thatwe need to help individuals
rebuild their lives.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Yeah, because I think a lot of times we tend to
dehumanize that population a lot, you know, like, oh, they're
just a drug addict or whateverthe case may be.
You may not realize that theperson you're looking at had a
home at one point and lost itfor whatever reason.
And, yeah, that absolutely doesmake you look at that person as
(24:59):
a human being and deserving ofrespect and love and housing.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, history has definitely shown us, if we
dehumanize people, we make itokay to treat them differently,
to treat them badly, to ignorethem, to place them at a station
in life that's lower than us.
And so if we can humanizeindividuals, we can gather and
convene what we need.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Yeah, for sure it's so cool.
Now, okay, let's talk aboutyour fundraiser, because that's
coming up in next month, right,yes?
Speaker 2 (25:35):
February, the 22nd, and this is a yearly thing with
Blue Sea Foundation, which isactually out of Canada and so
right around 2022, they wereextending the event into the
(25:59):
United States.
And so the difference is withother foundations you go and
they have a specific amount ofmoney and they can give out five
grants for that.
In this case, you rally aroundan event where you get to
execute, plan and coordinatethat event and as much money as
you can generate from that event, that's your grant.
(26:20):
So Blue Sea Foundation is anamazing partner.
Is coldest night of the yearand it is cold.
It has been cold nights, rainynights, cold.
It has been cold nights, rainynights.
But last year, the 2024, we hadover 500 walkers and we raised
a lot of money.
(26:40):
So we call it a winterificfamily fun event.
And it's open to the wholefamily right.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Absolutely.
How about pets?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
No pets liability issues.
No pets Okay, we want your petto be safe fair, fair, fair, um,
and, and like what?
Last year, you raised over ahundred thousand well, we have
raised over a hundred thousandover the three years that we've
done it last year.
We raised somewhere around 5050 thousand dollars wow, that's
(27:13):
so cool.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
And you said is it a 5k?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
you said yeah, it's a 5k walk, oh um, and it's down
on our um seawall, so it's notonly cold but it's bitter and
wind I'm sure you got a littlebreeze coming off yeah, we have
some amazing sponsors for theevent and we just go out and
walk and the walk actually takesabout an hour hour and 15
(27:40):
minutes.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
That's not horrible.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
We end it with a nice warm bowl of chili and a cookie
and some potato chips, becauseyou know, that's what a typical
meal dinner meal might look likefor individuals who are
experiencing homelessness.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And then we disperse and get ready to do it again
next year.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Oh, you get a day off right before you have to start
planning for the next year.
That is so fantastic.
Oh, that is so fantastic.
Darlene, I so appreciate whatyou do and I absolutely love
your organization.
I am not in Portsmouth,virginia, so I probably won't be
(28:25):
attending your walk, but I'd behappy to.
I'll put a, because you've gota website for it, right?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yes, yes, I do.
There'll be a because you'vegot a website for it, right?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yes, yes, I do.
That'll be.
There'll be a link in there.
If you're listening to my voiceand you're in the Portsmouth
Virginia area and you're goingto be around, I highly suggest
going for a walk, and cold issubjective.
I might just say that.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Yeah, we just talked about that.
You guys are a little bitcolder than we are, right about
now.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Coldest night of the year.
Yeah, that was last night, ohmy gosh.
But thank you so much forcoming on and talking to me
about this.
Everybody needs to be aware ofthis and you know, I don't know
what each of us can do to helpsomebody who is homeless, but
(29:14):
donate to a local nonprofit thatworks specifically with them.
I would highly suggest it.
I would consider it a personalfavor to me if somebody would do
that, but I appreciate yourtime and the time that you've
spent talking with me today.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Thank you.
I certainly appreciate theinvitation and the opportunity
to speak on something that isjust so passionate about you
know and caring about.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Yes, you are passionate and caring about.
I appreciate your time, Darlene.
We will talk again soon.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Sounds good.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Take care.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Bye-bye.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
I want to thank you for taking this time to listen
to this episode with my guest,Dr Darlene Sparks Washington.
I hope that you're able to takesomething positive from the
time that you spent with us.
Maybe you'll be inspired.
Maybe you spent with us, Maybeyou'll be inspired, Maybe you'll
be motivated, Maybe you'll bemoved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, as I
(30:19):
mentioned in the beginning,please consider sharing this
podcast with your friends andfamily.
Also, feel free to follow us onour socials like Facebook,
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This podcast is part of theMayday Media Network.
If you have an idea for apodcast and need some production
(30:40):
assistance, or have a podcastand you're looking for a
supportive network to join,check out maydaymedianetworkcom
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(31:02):
Pals podcast.
We will be back again next weekwith a new episode and we would
be honored if you would join us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters podcast.
I am your host, Mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
Well, hello there and welcome.
You are listening to theKindness Matters podcast and I
am your host, mike Rathbun.
What is this podcast all about?
It's about kindness.
It's a pushback againsteverything negative that we see
in the news and on social mediatoday, and it's a way to
(00:20):
highlight people, organizations,that are simply striving to
make their little corner of theworld a little better place.
If you want to join in on theconversation, feel free, Go
ahead and follow us on all ofyour social media feeds.
We're on Facebook, instagram,tiktok.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
(00:42):
Check us out.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
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And, in the meantime, so sitback, relax, enjoy and we'll get
into the Kindness Matterspodcast.
Hello and welcome to the show,everybody.
I am so happy that you're hereand that you're taking time out
of your day To listen to littleold me and my amazing guest.
(01:05):
If there's anything in thisshow that inspires you or
motivates you, I just ask thatyou share this show with your
friends and family and maybe,you know, leave a review and
give a rating.
I don't know something likethat.
So about today?
(01:26):
My guest today is anaccomplished and visionary
non-profit industry leader, drDarlene Spark.
Washington has spent the goodpart of her adult life inspiring
individuals to achieve theirgreatest potential.
It is her passion and she's hadthe privilege of serving that
(01:50):
goal throughout her career.
During her almost 20 years ofservice at one of the nation's
largest non-profit internationalhumanitarian organizations,
washington was known as aforward-thinking leader, a
seasoned manager and proficientadministrator.
She directed national andcommunity-level efforts and
(02:12):
managed multi-million dollarbudgets, serving as the agency's
project director for severalcooperative agreements with the
Centers for Disease Control andPrevention and the Department of
Homeland Security.
Her current assignment is as theExecutive Director of
Portsmouth Volunteers for theHomeless Inc.
(02:32):
It's a local nonprofit whosemission is to help individuals
experiencing homelessnessrebuild their lives to gain
self-sufficiency.
Launching the platform changingthe paradigm of our perceptions
about homelessness, drWashington has convened
community partnerships toadvance services for individuals
(02:55):
experiencing homelessness.
Part of convening communitypartnerships has been
Washington's spearheading of theorganization's most successful
annual signature fundraiserevent, pvh's Coldest Night of
the Year 5K Walk, which hasraised over $100,000 in
(03:15):
operational funding for the lastthree years.
Welcome to the show, darlene.
I should have an applause trackthere.
Thank you for coming on anddoing this with me.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Again, we won't go into that, and okay.
So I mean, as we'reexperiencing, much of the
country is experiencing somereally, really cold weather I
think it's important that wetalk about this your current
assignment and what drew you tothis particular mission.
(03:56):
Was it something in particular?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
No, I don't think most people will say or think
she must have almost beenhomeless.
She must have been homeless,because we tend to gravitate
towards our thing.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Things that are personal right.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, for me it wasn't that, it was in 2016,.
I experienced some prettytragic losses, so I lost my mom
and my husband on the same day.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Oh, my God 12 hours apart.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
I lost my husband at 11am and I lost my mom at 11pm.
Husband at 11 am and I lost mymom at 11 pm.
And so walking out of that, Iwas like, okay, you have my
attention, what is it that I amdesigned to do now?
And nine months later I walkedinto this role as executive
(05:02):
director, so I guess I wasbirthed into this role.
When I look back at theresilience through those tragic
events, what I learned, mypurpose was to see resilience
and seed resilience in otherpeople.
Seed resilience in other peoplewas to know that, as much
(05:31):
tragedy as the individuals thatwe serve have in their lives,
that there is life after.
And how do I use our servicesto build hope and to help them
exercise their resilience andbecome the individuals that they
were designed to be in oursociety?
And so that when I look back, Isee was, you know, brought
(05:53):
purpose to those tragic eventsthat I had to experience?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Wow, I cannot.
I cannot even imagine I mean Iwas.
I was a mess for probably agood year and a half after my
mom passed.
I can't imagine losing myspouse the same day.
Holy cow, where do I go fromthere?
No, and I can see you'reprobably saying I was called to
(06:21):
do it.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It is my assignment, saying I was called to do it.
It is my assignment over allthe things that I have faced in
this role from the organizationbeing just financially in red,
red, red and not knowing, youknow, pay period to pay period,
if I was going to get paid andthere were times when I didn't,
(06:47):
and you know, let's pay thestaff, let's pay the staff, but
I never went without anythingand so I.
That was confirmation.
This is your assignment.
This is your assignment.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Is that kind of like?
Is that just kind of the normfor a, for a nonprofit?
I mean you have good yearswhere you meet all your, all
your goals, and then you havethose years that some tough
decisions need to be made.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah, I mean, it's lean, it's, you know, feast and
famine, and you just have to beable to create sustainability.
You have to be able to createrelationships in communities and
just help the community knowthat we will lead this effort
and it's a community response.
And so the solutions arecomplex.
(07:35):
They are, you know, integrated,and we have to have an
integrated solution, yeah forsure, and we have to have an
integrated solution.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, for sure.
Okay, so just the numbers rightnow.
In 2024, there was recorded771,480 homeless, which was an
(08:07):
18% increase over 2023.
That number is really way tooclose to a million for my liking
.
Talk to me about how they howdo they get that number?
Because it seems like it wouldbe an impossible task, but it's
just one night, correct.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, so there are a variety of places and spaces
that information comes from.
However, there is what we calla point in time count, and that
point in time count is asnapshot that we do across the
country on a specific night togive us a sense of what
(08:40):
sheltered and unshelteredhomelessness looks like in our
communities.
And then that information isreported and aggregated up.
So the night before we countindividuals who are in shelters,
who are in transitional housingyou know night shelters, day
(09:02):
shelters and then from thatnight leading into the morning
of the next day, the unshelteredcount takes place.
And so you know, communitieshave a strategy by which they
look at where are individualswho are unsheltered sleeping,
you know where within thegeography of their community,
are those pockets, and then theyhave teams to go out.
(09:26):
There's a questionnaire.
So it's not just I saw a person, but there's a questionnaire to
determine the person'shomelessness.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Right, and it's funny you say sheltered and
unsheltered, because I don'tthink, when we think of the
homeless, I don't think we makethat distinction.
You know somebody at a homelessshelter?
When we think of the homeless,I don't think we make that
distinction.
You know somebody at a homelessshelter, if you will, is
sheltered, obviously, and theperson on the street is
(09:56):
unsheltered, but they're bothhomeless, exactly, exactly.
Okay, so I know, and if youlook, and I shared with you some
comments about in my community,about homeless people and
people, we can be kind ofignorant, can't we?
(10:20):
Especially those of us who havenever experienced that, who
have never experienced that,what are some of the?
If you could talk to the wholeworld and clear up some myths
about the homeless, what wouldbe one or two things that you
would want to set straight?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
I think one thing is how we refer to individuals.
It's not about politicalcorrectness, but it's about
being as descriptive about thetrue situation.
It is individuals who areexperiencing homelessness and we
(11:03):
want that to be rare, brief andnon-reoccurring.
So it's not who that person is,but it is the situation in
which they find themselves atthat time.
So individuals experiencinghomelessness, it could be for a
variety of reasons.
Right now we're seeing we havebeen seeing over the last few
years an increase in individualswho are seniors, 62 and above,
(11:24):
and what's that looking like is,yeah, is you know, a spouse has
passed away.
They no longer have the incometo keep up a house coming out of
COVID when prices are going upon apartments and things of that
nature, so they're being pricedout of housing you know markets
(11:46):
, and they don't want theirfamilies to know.
They don't want to be a burdento their families.
So they'll sleep in their carsfor as long as they can do that
and then, when that's not anoption, then they will seek
shelter.
People have mental health,undiagnosed mental health issues
(12:06):
and concerns, substance usedisorders, former incarceration.
So there are a variety ofreasons why individuals are
experiencing homelessness andthese are reasons that everybody
has.
Generally, as a community, wejust get to close the doors on
our issues.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yes, yes, Nobody gets to see my undiagnosed mental
health issues, or or because I'mhoused, Right, Um, and I think
it's important.
I think we, as a, as a and I'lljust speak for, because in
America I'm all over the place,aren't I?
(12:45):
I think America has a largerpopulation of unhoused
individuals or homelessindividuals.
I mean other countries,countries of Germany and Great
Britain and what have you?
France they all have homelesspeople, but not to the extent
(13:06):
that we do, do they?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Well, I really can't speak to the scope in other
countries.
However, I do know differentcountries handle and manage
homelessness differently.
We know that the solution, abig part of the solution, is
housing, and it's housing thatis affordable and that means
(13:33):
that a person needs to be ableto live, make a living and also
have a night cover residenceover their heads at night.
It just depends on what thatcountry's positioning is around
homelessness and what are theywilling to do in terms of
solutions.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, and you talk about affordable housing.
I see these buildings go up andthey're labeled as affordable
housing.
I look at some of the prices ofrent and I'm like affordable,
for who?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
I mean that would not , and you know so and that also,
I mean that's a barrier to alot of things for these people,
right?
I mean, if you don't have anaddress, a place to live,
oftentimes you can't get a joband and it's just like this big
cycle, right?
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Moving from location to location.
Many times, you know ourclients individuals who are
experiencing homelessness willlose the three things that make
us a human being in society, andthat's going to be that
government issue photo ID, asocial security card and a birth
certificate.
(14:50):
And again, I should know that.
You know you can get 12 birthcertificates in your lifetime.
I mean 12 social security cardsin your lifetime.
But you know what happens ispeople go from station to
station and they lose them, andwe need those three documents
for employment, we need it forhousing and so many other things
(15:12):
.
So, yeah, those are criticaldocuments.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Yeah, and not to get off on another tangent, but when
they talk about a photo ID forvoting, it's the same sort of
thing, right?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah voting.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
It's the same sort of thing, right?
Yeah, because oftentimes ahomeless person will not have
that required piece, and okay,that's a whole other show.
I won't go there.
But yes, I mean.
So it's a state issued photo ID, social security number or a
card Card, and I'm sorry, whatwas the third thing?
Social?
Speaker 2 (15:49):
security card and a birth certificate birth
certificate yeah, and if youhave none of those, in order to
get you started, one one way isgoing back to high school
transcripts.
Oh, so if you get the unopenedhigh school transcripts, you can
get a birth certificate, andthen you work your way through
(16:09):
that.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Yeah, and I'm guessing there's probably a fee
for that.
Yes, Well then how does thatwork?
Because you have to prove whoyou are to get the transcript
right.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Usually we can request those because they send
them out and they know they haveto be.
When they go to whatever entity, they have to be unsealed.
So we can't open them, we justhave to take them unsealed.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Okay, that's interesting.
I did not know that that wasavailable as a resource or a
tool to establishing thosethings that they need, those
things that they need.
So and I think we oftentimes sowhen somebody says, you know,
(16:57):
you walk past a homeless personand if you are a normal, fully
functioning human being, you say, oh, that poor person, I wish I
could help.
And you know, maybe you've gota couple bucks you could give
them, but that's not going tosolve the problem, is it?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Correct and many times, you know, individuals who
are experiencing homelessnessare invisible, in plain sight.
You know we don't want to seethe plight, we don't want to see
the despair, we don't want tosee the despair, we don't want
to look like hope for a person,and so we just ignore the faces
(17:39):
of individuals who are homeless.
And so many times they'reinvisible and in plain sight.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Right, don't make eye contact.
Don't make eye contact.
Yeah, yeah, and most people arecool with it as long as it's
(18:09):
not in their backyard, right?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
NIMBY, not in my backyard, you know and the sense
is there are lots of thingsthat have to take place.
Our local town is actuallyconstructing a shelter, a
residential shelter, and wehappen to be fortunate enough
that it's in a corridor wheresocial services are.
(18:34):
So you know, the healthdepartment is already there,
behavioral health is alreadythere, social services is
already there, and then there isa clinic that's already there.
So to have the shelter right,and then, and there's food
services as well, to have theshelter right, and then there's
food services as well, to havethe shelter right.
There is a corridor of supportand other times people are not
(18:58):
so fortunate so they are tryingto put it in a neighborhood or
close to a business or thingslike that.
It's been my always my approachthat individuals who need
residential shelter we don'tneed to be downtown, we don't
need to be visible, becausethere's so much that people are
(19:18):
working on for their lives, sothey don't need the distraction
of being highly visible.
We're okay being tucked away sothat we can kind of work on our
community and get our communityready to go back and face the
larger community.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Yeah, Can you talk a little bit?
And I almost forgot about this.
I'm glad I remembered I wasreally impressed with your
communities and with PVH's.
Is it PVH?
Tell me, yeah, oh, PVH, yeah,PVH.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
I got it.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I don't know why I'm so surprised.
When you were working with yourcommunity prior to COVID, you
had a lot of churches in thearea that were helping out,
right?
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, so we were the traditional night shelter
program, and so during thewinter months we had about 25
interfaith churches, you know,baptist, methodist, catholic,
working across denominations,and so we would seven days
church, seven days church.
When COVID hit, we were nolonger able to do that, and so
(20:28):
we established a partnershipwith our local sheriff, the
Portsmouth Sheriff's Office,sheriff Michael Moore, and we
were able to go into a buildingthat he had that was not going
to be used.
And so we went in and we kind oftransformed as best we could
the building into a shelter, aswell as adhering to public
(20:52):
health protocols.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
And we were able to go into that facility.
I have a short littlebackground in disaster emergency
preparedness from the AmericanRed Cross and had the
opportunity to serve as apandemic coordinator, and so we
were able just to roll rightinto writing new protocols,
training and things like thatand we didn't have a COVID
(21:17):
outbreak for two years.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
That's incredible.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So you know.
It just goes to show that whenyou have the right protocols in
place and training and educationthat those things are possible.
We also went from six months toyear round, so we were able to
extend our services for thecommunity as a result of that.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Wow.
So then, after COVID, did yougo back to the faith community?
We did not.
Or did you just stay with?
Okay?
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Just because many churches still are not back to
their vibrant selves again andmy commitment in this assignment
is to not go back.
So the sense is, once we put aservice in the community, I want
to have enough confidence thatwe're going to continue to be
(22:08):
able to sustain that service andnot have to draw it back from
the community.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Plus, I would imagine change leads to distrust in
that community.
I mean, if you're changing up,you go.
Okay, this week you're going tobe here and then next week
you're going to be over here.
I would think that that wouldmaybe not foster trust.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
And they were solutions of necessity.
Yeah, we didn't have a choicebut to do it those ways, and now
we have other choices.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Right, right, so I was really.
I found it really inspirational.
You drew on your experiencewith the Red Cross when you were
communicating about homelesspeople, because you were very
big in the HIV AIDS era aboutlooking at people as individuals
(23:09):
and you kind of brought thatwith you into the homeless
nonprofit.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat, because that's really
interesting to me?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Yeah, so during some of my work at Red Cross we
actually worked in HIV and AIDSeducation.
We actually had the onlynationally certified instructor
course.
So, just like CPR first aid,you could get trained to be an
HIV AIDS instructor, and thefoundation for that was the
information had to be factuallyaccurate, nonjudgmental and
(23:45):
culturally sensitive andappropriate, and that way the
focus was on the behavior andnot the human.
And so what?
how I was able to bring thatover into the work that we do is
that we tend to sometimes lookdown on an individual or we
think that they are deserving ofbeing homeless because of
(24:05):
something that they've done inthe past, and so my goal was to
change the paradigm of ourperceptions about homelessness
so that individuals they supportwhat they like right.
I like this, I'm going tosupport it.
So here are some snapshots intothe lives of individuals who
are experiencing homelessness,and how do we humanize that so
(24:27):
that we can get the support thatwe need to help individuals
rebuild their lives.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Yeah, because I think a lot of times we tend to
dehumanize that population a lot, you know, like, oh, they're
just a drug addict or whateverthe case may be.
You may not realize that theperson you're looking at had a
home at one point and lost itfor whatever reason.
And, yeah, that absolutely doesmake you look at that person as
(24:59):
a human being and deserving ofrespect and love and housing.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, history has definitely shown us, if we
dehumanize people, we make itokay to treat them differently,
to treat them badly, to ignorethem, to place them at a station
in life that's lower than us.
And so if we can humanizeindividuals, we can gather and
convene what we need.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Yeah, for sure it's so cool.
Now, okay, let's talk aboutyour fundraiser, because that's
coming up in next month, right,yes?
Speaker 2 (25:35):
February, the 22nd, and this is a yearly thing with
Blue Sea Foundation, which isactually out of Canada and so
right around 2022, they wereextending the event into the
(25:59):
United States.
And so the difference is withother foundations you go and
they have a specific amount ofmoney and they can give out five
grants for that.
In this case, you rally aroundan event where you get to
execute, plan and coordinatethat event and as much money as
you can generate from that event, that's your grant.
(26:20):
So Blue Sea Foundation is anamazing partner.
Is coldest night of the yearand it is cold.
It has been cold nights, rainynights, cold.
It has been cold nights, rainynights.
But last year, the 2024, we hadover 500 walkers and we raised
a lot of money.
(26:40):
So we call it a winterificfamily fun event.
And it's open to the wholefamily right.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Absolutely.
How about pets?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
No pets liability issues.
No pets Okay, we want your petto be safe fair, fair, fair, um,
and, and like what?
Last year, you raised over ahundred thousand well, we have
raised over a hundred thousandover the three years that we've
done it last year.
We raised somewhere around 5050 thousand dollars wow, that's
(27:13):
so cool.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
And you said is it a 5k?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
you said yeah, it's a 5k walk, oh um, and it's down
on our um seawall, so it's notonly cold but it's bitter and
wind I'm sure you got a littlebreeze coming off yeah, we have
some amazing sponsors for theevent and we just go out and
walk and the walk actually takesabout an hour hour and 15
(27:40):
minutes.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
That's not horrible.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
We end it with a nice warm bowl of chili and a cookie
and some potato chips, becauseyou know, that's what a typical
meal dinner meal might look likefor individuals who are
experiencing homelessness.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And then we disperse and get ready to do it again
next year.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Oh, you get a day off right before you have to start
planning for the next year.
That is so fantastic.
Oh, that is so fantastic.
Darlene, I so appreciate whatyou do and I absolutely love
your organization.
I am not in Portsmouth,virginia, so I probably won't be
(28:25):
attending your walk, but I'd behappy to.
I'll put a, because you've gota website for it, right?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yes, yes, I do.
There'll be a because you'vegot a website for it, right?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yes, yes, I do.
That'll be.
There'll be a link in there.
If you're listening to my voiceand you're in the Portsmouth
Virginia area and you're goingto be around, I highly suggest
going for a walk, and cold issubjective.
I might just say that.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Yeah, we just talked about that.
You guys are a little bitcolder than we are, right about
now.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Coldest night of the year.
Yeah, that was last night, ohmy gosh.
But thank you so much forcoming on and talking to me
about this.
Everybody needs to be aware ofthis and you know, I don't know
what each of us can do to helpsomebody who is homeless, but
(29:14):
donate to a local nonprofit thatworks specifically with them.
I would highly suggest it.
I would consider it a personalfavor to me if somebody would do
that, but I appreciate yourtime and the time that you've
spent talking with me today.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Thank you.
I certainly appreciate theinvitation and the opportunity
to speak on something that isjust so passionate about you
know and caring about.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Yes, you are passionate and caring about.
I appreciate your time, Darlene.
We will talk again soon.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Sounds good.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Take care.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Bye-bye.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
I want to thank you for taking this time to listen
to this episode with my guest,Dr Darlene Sparks Washington.
I hope that you're able to takesomething positive from the
time that you spent with us.
Maybe you'll be inspired.
Maybe you spent with us, Maybeyou'll be inspired, Maybe you'll
be motivated, Maybe you'll bemoved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, as I
(30:19):
mentioned in the beginning,please consider sharing this
podcast with your friends andfamily.
Also, feel free to follow us onour socials like Facebook,
Instagram, LinkedIn and maybe ormaybe not TikTok.
This podcast is part of theMayday Media Network.
If you have an idea for apodcast and need some production
(30:40):
assistance, or have a podcastand you're looking for a
supportive network to join,check out maydaymedianetworkcom
and check out the many differentshows, like Afrocentric Spoil,
my Movie Generation Mixtape In aPickle Radio Show, Wake Up and
Dream with D Anthony Palin,Stacks of Packs and the Time
(31:02):
Pals podcast.
We will be back again next weekwith a new episode and we would
be honored if you would join us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters podcast.
I am your host, Mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
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