As long as there is a shortage of truly affordable housing and shelter beds as there have been for at least the last ten years, there will be unsheltered neighbors needing sleeping bags, tents, bug spray, meals, and much more…until their homeless nightmare ends.
In my previous role, I distributed over 2,300 new tents and 2,400 new sleeping bags over the last decade. I field-tested plenty of gear to find the most durable and reliable for surviving homelessness, at price points acceptable to donors. During that time, I tracked who received what, and learned what supplies were needed most. I also developed a reputation in the chronically homeless community that I come in love, and can be trusted and counted on for help. The services and supplies I will provide are a necessary bandaid on a bleeder requiring far more resources and time to resolve.
Each week, I visit panhandlers and our unsheltered friends at their camps or vehicles they live in, to do wellness checks and to bring food and critical supplies to help prepare their camps for approaching storms. It takes weeks, months, and sometimes even longer for me to build trust with those who live outside. It's that trust that hopefully leads to being invited to visit their camps. In between camp visits, I check on more than 200 camps I've located, to see if they are vacant or inhabited, and I search for new camps.
In addition to caring for physical needs, I provide resources for shelter, housing, showers, and meals. Most importantly, I arrive prepared to listen and pray. I'm honored by those who include me in their homeless and faith journeys, and help where I can. I trust God will order my steps and guide my feet toward those He calls me to help, and those He intends to help this ministry.
