Scott fry to moderate panel discussion on Homelessness in North Dakota

Scott Fry, Senior Program Director for the Consensus Council, will moderate the panel discussion “Homelessness in North Dakota” on Wednesday, December 5, at 6 p.m. at the Heritage Center following the Bismarck premiere of first episode of “Home. The Homelessness Crisis in North Dakota.” Focusing on the stories of individuals who are currently and have formerly experienced homelessness and the stories of those individuals and organizations working in our communities to end homelessness, the documentary and discussion aims to dispel the myths surrounding homelessness and raise the visibility of what Louis McLeod, Executive Director of the Minot Area Homeless Coalition, calls the “invisible crisis” in North Dakota.

The Consensus Council is a nonprofit organization that facilitates custom-designed processes that enable diverse viewpoints to come together to seek common ground at the local to international levels. We provide consensus decision-making process facilitation; convening and inter-meeting diplomacy; convening organization, logistics, documentation; decision-implementation follow up; strategic and succession planning, and grantmaking as the North Dakota intermediary organization for the Bush Foundation’s Community Innovation Grants.

Scott has experience in grassroots organizing, strategic planning, organizing assessments, legislative and public policy initiatives, campaign planning and evaluation, meeting facilitation and design, media outreach, and training and coaching.

Scott received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Idaho. He has past experience as a community organizer with the Idaho Rural Council (IRC) and Dakota Resource Council (DRC). During his time with IRC and DRC he was responsible for multiple task forces and chapters of those organizations. He has also managed a physical therapy clinic in Idaho and the Home Improvement Department at the Bismarck Sears.

At the Consensus Council Scott has taken responsibility for facilitating the North Dakota Economic Security and Prosperity Alliance, the planning and facilitation of the annual International Legislators’ Forum, and multiple strategic planning’s and internal-conflict resolution processes.

Scheduled to join Scott as panelists for the discussion include:  Jena Gullo, Executive Director of the Missouri Slope Areawide United Way; Mark Heinert, Homeless Program Manager at YouthWorks; Mark Meier, Executive Director of the Heaven’s Helpers Soup Cafe; and Chuck, who is currently experiencing homelessness.

The Bismarck premiere of the first episode of “Home.” will take place on Wednesday, December 5 at 6 p.m. at the Heritage Center. The event is free and open to the public. Seats may be reserved online on Eventbrite.

A portion of the Bismarck screening of “Home.” is funded in part by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“Home.” is a 12-part limit-series documenting the homelessness crisis in North Dakota. Understanding housing as a human right and as an inherent need to the health and happiness of all persons, the series examines the myths of homelessness, the individuals impacted, the causes and the community response to the epidemic. The series tentatively scheduled to be released early in 2019.

“Home.” is produced by The Human Family, a North Dakota non-profit dedicated to promoting human rights and social justice through film and art. For more information about “Home.” or The Human Family, visit www.human-family.org.

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