Some reflections on the RESTING SAFE Toolkit

Screen+Shot+2019-04-22+at+3.32.35+PM.jpg

Our Portland-based RESTING SAFE team met yesterday, and we reflected on the role of our popular ed EJ Toolkit project (e.g., mold and mildew, fire safety zines, spiderweb air quality testing tutorials) in this broader movement for the right 2 rest, housekeys not handcuffs, homes for all. We talked about the toolkit being a "triage" tool on the surface -- but also a tool for knowledge-legitimizing and collective knowledge-building, because of WHO is involved. If a group of wealthy college students were making this toolkit it wouldn't hold nearly the same potential; in fact, it'd amount to asking houseless people to “take better care of their environment". We also discussed the process of how interviewing people across the country around EJ concerns will contribute to a much broader national grassroots houseless group network to emerge.