MARQUETTE — From 6:30-11 p.m. Saturday, Room at the Inn will host an awareness event at the Ore Dock Brewing Company in Marquette that will include a panel discussion as well as a concert with performances by The Make-Believe Spurs and Willoughby.

While Room at the Inn has hosted events before, such as their Point in Time Counts, this event will be different, as they are seeking to reach a wider audience.

“(Our events) are always well-attended, but it always feels like we’re preaching to the choir,” said Room at the Inn Executive Director Chelsie Wilkinson. “We love our supporters, they’re the best. But when you’re talking about an awareness event, you want to find ways to bring in people who maybe wouldn’t have attended a Room At the Inn public board meeting, or a march in November for Homelessness Awareness Month.”

The event was conceived and organized by Northern Michigan University Masters of Social Work students Grace Rieger and Anna Fry, responding to an assignment in their Human Rights class requiring them to address a local human rights violation.

“Our intention with this event is to mobilize the greater Marquette community in supporting our unhoused population,” said Rieger. “Dehumanization is rampant and is having a large impact on local support. Marquette’s homelessness has doubled in just one year. We believe that a lot of folks want to help, but don’t know how or feel intimidated to do so. This is where our event comes in!”

At the event, attendees will learn about a variety of topics related to homelessness in Marquette.

“Our panelists have all had different supportive roles and experiences with homelessness and the unhoused community in Marquette, and therefore bring multiple perspectives forward for conversation,” said Fry. “Some of the topics that will be discussed include operations of the RATI shelter and the day-in and day-out experiences of those working and those receiving services there; what issues in our local systems exist and perpetuate homelessness; what outreach and finding resources looks like in a rural community like Marquette; and the dehumanization and social barriers that that unhoused population faces, both broadly and here, and how to challenge this in our community.”

The event hopes to attract greater audiences by combining awareness and information with music.

“Anna and I both appreciate the tie between music, joy, resistance, and community,” said Rieger. “I have been a ‘super fan’ of The Make Believe Spurs since I moved here five years ago. They have an incredible ability to bring folks across the aisle together in one room. The Spurs are change-makers in our community, and they use their platform so eloquently to elevate human rights injustices. I have grown my relationship with them over the years, and they immediately jumped on the opportunity to do an awareness concert. The Spurs felt particularly passionate about raising awareness for Room at the Inn (RATI), as they are experiencing unprecedented levels of need. Anna and I completely agreed. We saw this as an opportunity to address the significant disconnect between our unhoused & housed communities. Willowby, a local Houghton/Hancock rock band, will be joining the Spurs on stage. This amazing group of people is excited to bring folks together to enjoy music and talk about how we can show up for our community better.”

“We’re really excited about this being more of a community gathering,” said Wilkinson. “I’m sure the last thing people want to do is talk about homelessness on a Saturday night. So we wanted to do a little bit of advocacy and a little bit of awareness before we joined in on the community-building aspect of the concert.”

By raising awareness about the work Room at the Inn does in Marquette County, Rieger and Fry hope to affect public opinion, as well as help raise money for the organization and increase their volunteer base.

“It is important to learn more about RATI’s role because they are leaders in empowering and advocating for marginalized groups within our community,” said Fry. “They help mobilize others to broaden this area’s network of support for individuals who face many social challenges and stigmas related to homelessness; by doing so, RATI works to bridge the gaps in connection which exist within our community. Their organization provides great examples and opportunities for how to get involved in your local community and advocate for positive and impactful change, and right now that public participation and support is very much needed!”

In addition to the panel of experts and the music acts, the awareness event will feature a table advertising ways to get involved with Room at the Inn.

“We’ll have a full table set up of different ways for people to get involved,” said Wilkinson. “We’ll have our sign up for our Yoopers United page; we obviously always have our breakfast and dinner shifts available, but we’re also looking at doing some spring cleanups in our basement and in our backyard … There will also be ways for people to donate or get onto our mailing list for updates.”

More information is available at Room at the Inn’s Facebook page. Donations can be made at https://roomattheinn.org/donate/.

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.