Quad Cities Business News reached out to Jean Lutz, who does a lot of work in the community on behalf of veterans and the homeless in our region. Lutz answered five of our questions, and she encourages other residents to consider ‘upcycling’ as a means of supporting others.
1) What is the mission for Everybody’s Place?
Everybody’s Placeis dedicated to creating a community based and supported facility that will improve the quality of life for the homeless and those living in poverty in the Prescott area. Our purpose is to create jobs and opportunities to develop skills and strategies to earn an income as well as provide stimulating and educational opportunities. We work to provide a safe and welcoming space for these folks to meet, work, learn, study and network. Our focus is on up-cycling and recycling household items for sale. Don’t throw it away—throw it our way!
2) How did Everybody’s Place evolve?
Several years ago I worked with CCJ (Coalition for Compassion and Justice) to provide the homeless with the opportunity to make ceramic bowls for the Empty Bowls Event. They were so talented that it gave me the idea that they could create their own jobs by using recyclable materials to make items that could be sold either locally or online.
3) Why do you, personally, spend your time with this organization?
I am passionate about the mistreatment of the homeless especially Veterans. Upcycling is way that can be used to create a mindset that we cannot be a “throw away” society. These two passions come together nicely in the mission of Everybody’s Place. I’ve met so many wonderful homeless folks and I encourage everyone to get to know at least one. You’ll be surprised at how interesting and well educated most of them are. There are hundreds of homeless children and teens in this area – they need help. We spend millions on sports and games – we should be able to at least provide food and housing for our citizens who are homeless through no fault of their own.
At this time, Everybody’s Place doesn’t have a dedicated space to work so I take projects, workshops and classes to groups such as U.S.Vets.
4) How do you believe you change the community by helping less fortunate people?
This program would provide the homeless with a place to go during the day (They’re required to leave the shelters during the day) to be safe, off the streets and out of the weather. Once we obtain a permanent location, we can provide lockers for their backpacks, showers, laundry facilities, kitchen area and most importantly space for them to work on projects. My intent is not just to teach them to make something but to teach marketing, bookkeeping, computer skills and all aspects of running their own business/entrepreneur.
5) When you think about our community 20 to 30 years from now, what kind of a city do you envision?
Due to the fact that Prescott is basically land locked, I don’t see much change except in the downtown area where the turnover of businesses will continue. Prescott is dependent on tourism and should place an emphasis on developing events that bring people in from all over the US. I see manufacturing growth taking place in Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and the other surrounding communities. Without viable jobs we will continue to have a homeless population. The Veterans Hospital and the drug rehabilitation facilities will continue to draw a segment of the population that need jobs to assist in their recovery. As more and more Veterans return the problem will only become more intense. Public transportation will be essential in providing workers for these businesses in the outlying areas.
For more information go online to Everybody’s Place The image on the website was created from plastic bottles.