NCW Libraries hosts Humanities Washington Program on Homelessness 

 NCW Libraries will host the virtual Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau program “Homelessness and the Meaning of Home” on March 19 at 6 p.m. 

 The loss of a home, whether through financial difficulties, divorce, illness, or natural disasters like wildfires, is a widespread and growing problem that can happen to anyone. Often thought of as only an urban problem, homelessness also occurs in suburban and rural areas throughout Washington State. What are the historical roots of homelessness, and what lessons can we learn from them? What are the common meanings of home to us, and how can we apply those meanings to our responses to homelessness in our communities?   

 In this virtual program, author and professor Josephine Ensign will share her research on the history of homelessness in her hometown of Seattle, along with discussion of what these stories can teach us about the contemporary crisis of homelessness throughout our state and country. She will also lead the audience through a values clarification exercise that will include individual writing time. 

 Ensign, who was homeless as a young adult, is now a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her work teaching and work as a nurse practitioner focuses on trauma-informed care and health inequities for people experiencing poverty and homelessness. 

She is the author of several books, including Skid Road: On the Frontier of Health and Homelessness in an American City, a 2022 finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Her latest book, Way Home: Ways Out of Homelessness, will be released later this year. 

Register for this program at www.ncwlibraries.org on the online calendar.