We Need To Come Together: Beth Guske On Homelessness

"For some people, they’ve never seen anything different, so UGM shows them something different."

We interviewed Beth Guske about the issue of homelessness in Spokane, WA.

Beth and her husband, Loren, own a business on the north side of town—Horizon Hospice. When asked what draws her to serve vulnerable populations, she answered: “As Christians, it is just part of the mandate...Sometimes I look at the homeless and I think about how I could be there or my children could be there if I had grown up under different circumstances. One different choice for my children, they could be there. That gives me a heart for people who are not as fortunate as I have been."

Homelessness is a complex issue and there are many reasons someone may be homeless.

"Homelessness is certainly on the rise and the more we do like providing services with no responsibility attached or way out attached is increasing the problem. My personal experience is that they are not interested in their surroundings or are not aware of or considerate of the people around them. We have a lot of homeless people around our business, being between two businesses that tend to draw the homeless...It creates a city that people can’t enjoy. At the parks, children have to be concerned about needles and trash. Spokane is a beautiful city, but people are afraid to go downtown, and it’s unfortunate. I think that’s part of the problem of homelessness and drug addiction."

While it is a complex problem, we believe the solutions are to get people into recovery. "Also, to not make it so easy to be homeless. If you make it an easy thing for them, they don’t see that a way out would be better. These people need a sense of family and someone who wants good for them. They need their dignity restored." This is what we strive for here at UGM.

One of the major barriers to solving homelessness in our community is a misunderstanding of what helps. "People are compassionate, and they do want to help the homeless, but they don’t understand that you can’t just give people things. It’s been said many times, but it’s true: Do not give them a handout but a hand up. People don’t understand the damage they’re doing in some of the ways they support the homeless, and it comes from a good heart, but it doesn’t help...The UGM has solutions to help people live more fully with purpose and dignity, with hope and a way out of homelessness. The homeless don’t have to stay stuck in their situation." 

"The homeless in our community are made in the image of God with dignity and worth, and to allow them to sit and live on the street or under a bush is not loving them in a way that will help them."

I asked Beth what she would say to the people of Spokane regarding what we can do as a community to solve homelessness. This was her response: "We are a community and we have to come together. When businesses support UGM, it perpetuates their mission. The community has to pull together as businesses and recovery centers if we are going to tackle the problem. You can’t expect one entity to take care of it. It has to be widespread.

"Again, it is a complex problem, but there are solutions, and UGM seems to have nailed down how to help them. UGM has proven that there is a way to change it. I have been to several [commencement ceremonies] and the hope and restoration in those people is really incredible. What we as a city are doing now isn’t helping.

Something is wrong—it’s not working—and I think UGM has something that is working. It’s very helpful in the community."

We are grateful for amazing partners like Beth Guske and the support from our community that allows us to be a catalyst for lasting life change.

"The greatest benefit to UGM being involved in the community is that it gives hope to people. It gives hope to families that have children or loved ones who are homeless, on the streets, or in need of recovery. There is an opportunity for people to get out from under the burden they are carrying. It seems as if there’s no way out. There’s only perpetuation. For some people, they’ve never seen anything different, so UGM shows them something different.”