Social Services Champion: Beverly Hawkins, Board President Camp United We Stand

Beverly Hawkins, Human Services Champion

At its annual Human Services awards meeting on December 1, 2021 NUHSA (North Urban Human Services Alliance) awarded Beverly Hawkins, Board President of Camp United We Stand its Human Services Champion award.

With a tireless commitment to help those who are unhoused, Beverly oversees an itinerant camp of up to 35 individuals, coordinating funding and logistics while also working one-on-one with campers to provide assistance and a connection to resources. 

And she does all of this while in a second-round battle with bone cancer and single-handedly raising her nephew while working full time.

One nomination noted, “Her sense of oneness with all the campers is boundless, and as a black woman helping campers who are mostly white, she also teaches them how to ignore the differences in people and focus on what they have in common – a need for safety, security, and at least minimal comfort, dignity, respect and a sense of community. This is her focus daily – not for herself, but for others.”

Her challenge now is to find the next host for the camp, which must move in early January. Camp United We Stand (CUWS) is a small tent city which moves every three - six months to a different host location. Hosts, usually churches, provide a place to pitch tents and bring in services such as water and electricity.

CUWS is in a dire situation because it does not yet have a host church, county or city land, or a commercial parking lot to move to on January 12, 2022. 

The CUWS Board implores all reading this to look at all properties they own or control or know about and tell us if there is a possibility for CUWS to put its camp there for 3 to 6 months – now or sometime in the next two years.

To comply with local laws, the space should be 7,500 sq.ft. (although can be less in some cities) and should have access to water and electricity. CUWS can pay for all other needs and services.

If you know of any potential sites, please contact:

• Bill Leon, CUWS Board Member (206-914-6663)
• Beverly Hawkins, CUSW Board President (206-992-3479)