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ANNUAL DINNER NOV. 7 Ashland volunteer to receive Peace House honor Ruth Coulthard will be recognized for her work with Ashland's homeless Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Oct. 28, 2015 at 2:00 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Oct. 28, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News Ruth Coulthard thinks her passion for freelance social work — especially with the homeless — came to her as a young mom, living in the Colestine in the late '70s, fresh out of UC Berkeley with an English Lit degree and listening to NPR’s “All Things Considered,” as it detailed America’s “horrendous” actions in Guatemala and El Salvador. She had to do something. She got involved here with the Sanctuary Movement, which ran a sort of underground railroad station for deportees from those Central American countries, who were fleeing life-threatening situations. These actions involved finding food and shelter, leading naturally into helping Ashland’s homeless — then a very small group — with sleeping bags, shelter and food. “In Berkeley, so many people were involved in social change, but here you come into a small town and you are needed,” says Coulthard, 63. “If any effort is going to be made, a small group of people is able to do it.” She worked as a Peace House volunteer, eventually serving as its director for a few years in the ‘90s. She volunteered with an array of nonprofits, where she felt needed, usually trying not to get into titled positions or politics. Asked to describe what she is, she said, “I’m a nice person. I’m a working-class girl and I believe in working for peace for my children and putting my shoulder to the wheel and stopping violence.” Her teen son, Tyler, tuned her into the needs of disaffected youth “struggling to find a place in the community.” She helped with Pax Panis, where young people learned to bake bread and give it to the needy. He died at 21, because of alcohol and drugs, she notes, leading her to involvement with Al-Anon. In earlier years, the homeless shelters in Ashland, sponsored by houses of faith, had maybe half a dozen guests on very cold nights, which Coulthard found perfect for personal engagement and listening to the stories of the homeless. During a cold snap in 2007, she was instrumental in getting the shelter movement rolling. “I couldn’t stand to see people out in the cold. I got another volunteer, a man, and slept with them, no frills, at Unitarian. We got sleeping bags from Big 5 store and rented rooms at motels, which was so inefficient, as they charged full rates.” Soon, the movement grew with the Unitarian Fellowship, along with Temple Emek Shalom, hosting two nights of shelter at Pioneer Hall, and First Presbyterian and Trinity Episcopal each hosting one night a week at their churches, she adds. In past years, the homeless population was much smaller and they tended to be “hardy, independent types,” as there was no social structure to support them, she says. However, in the last few years, climate change has become a player, she notes, with winters warm enough to allow more homeless to settle in for the winter. Another big element that Coulthard has learned over the decades is that mental illness among the homeless may not be apparent, but it’s there and “in our culture we’re not dealing with it adequately. There are a lot of young people just floating now. The big recession in their formative years subverted their sense of ambition and that’s very unfortunate.” “We’re going to see a more needy, longer-term population,” she says. What’s needed? Finding more jobs for the homeless, even if it’s using them to trim your yard, she says. “'Get a job’ should not be taken as an insult. It’s advice and our community should prioritize it. There’s a lot of dignity in having work. We need to begin a strategy as a town to get work as an alternative to panhandling.” It’s also important, she adds, that town folks understand that the homeless need to be heard — and a good opportunity for that is to sit down and break bread with them at Uncle Food’s Diner at 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday at First United Methodist Church at Laurel Street at North Main Street. Coulthard will be honored at a Peace House banquet at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Inn at the Commons in Medford. Awards will also go to Kathy Keesee and Dagoberto Morales of UNETE and longtime peace advocate Allen Hallmark and Veterans for Peace Rogue Valley Chapter 156. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. Tickets are $75, but reduced price tickets are available for the asking. There is a vegan option. Tickets are available online at peacehouse.net , by email at [email protected], or by phone at 541-482-9625. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Oct. 28, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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