Lucky & Shea

In my life, there are certain things that I have always believed: people are basically good and everyone I encounter has something to teach me. I have witnessed this to be true over the years, but never more so than over the past few months as I have been blessed by the folks I've encountered as a part of an outreach ministry at my church.

As I've mentioned before, some adults and some youth from my church began to meet and discuss the book Under the Overpass. We were led in the direction of reaching out to homeless on the streets - not so much to make this "huge difference" in their lives; but more to simply begin to build some relationships with people who seem to need just that - someone to talk to, someone that cares about them, and someone who will just spend time with them. And, while our efforts were being made as a church group, our goal was not to evangelize to them; but to hopefully show them Jesus Christ through our love and actions.

With lack of anywhere else to start, downtown Kansas City seemed to be a good place. So, last summer on several different ocassions, we headed toward where we knew there to be shelters and soup kitchens. We just looking for people to connect with... we did find them. We'd bring food and water and sit and talk with them in a place they called "Jurassic Park".

It was there we met a young lady about 23 years of age, Shea, and her partner, Lucky. What immediately caught my attention was the beautiful little baby girl, Helen, they pushed along in a stroller followed by five other small children ranging in ages from 2 - 9. This family was homeless and they stayed in a local shelter each evening. They were all clean, well mannered and appreciative of what we had to offer.

One day we caught sight of their "entourage" obviously on a mission. I yelled out their name and ran around the block to catch up to them only to find they were on their way to the grocery store. They came back with me to where the others in our group were to grab some food and water and talk for a few minutes. As they were about to head out again, I suggested we could give them a quick ride to the grocery. So, Vince piled Lucky, Shea, and 4 of their children into my van and headed out. The rest of our group stayed behind to talk to some other people...we talked, ate, waited, talked some more, waited some more....time ticked by and I became concerned for Vince - where was he? What was taking so long? About 25 minutes after he'd left my van rounded the corner of the block. It seems that the grocery where this family was headed was about 4 miles away. Their plan was to trek the 4 miles there, grab a couple bags of groceries (because that would be all they could carry back), and then hopefully stop by a friend's house on their way back to see if he could give them a return ride to the shelter. They had allotted their entire day to this process - just to get a couple bags of groceries.

The next week when we returned, Lucky & Shea were there again with some exciting news. Lucky was to begin working for one of the local shelters and because of this their family would be eligible for transitional housing. As we talked about this news and the change it would mean, it became apparent that they would be in need of some very basic "house" supplies - dishes, cups, towels, soap, toilet paper... - things we don't give a second thought about having. Lucky told us where his job would be and we promised to do what we could to provide some of these basic necessities. My adult Sunday school class poured out their hearts and gave beyond what was asked and we provided quite a collection of kitchen supplies which Vince delivered later that week. We have not seen them since.

I see the good in Lucky & Shea and I believe they've something to teach us...they were obviously going through an incredibly rocky time in their lives, yet it was equally obvious they are striving to be good parents, to provide for their children, and to make positive changes in their lives. I see in them that commitment of sticking together through the good and the bad and surviving together. I thank God for those few encounters with them and I pray that God is watching over them and their family and blessing their efforts.

Lawsuit in NYC

I just read this article at the New York Post site about an Upper East Side antiques dealer who has filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the vagrants that warm themselves on the sidewalk grate in front of his shop. Presumably they block the view of the fine antiques and have scared away some customers. (OH NO!) The suit asks that the homeless people be barred from anywhere "within a radius of 100 feet" from the store.

When the sidewalks become the property of the storeownwers I imagine all the New York City tourists will be walking in the streets being run down by taxis. When I come to visit the Upper East Side they will shoo me away instantly recognizing that my coat was purchased at Target and my boots at Famous Footware. "Off with you, Hillbilly Woman! You cannot afford to look in on our fine fare!."

Please... someone assure me this is a frivolous lawsuit...
Read it and weep.

Christmas Eve '06

My husband, Vince, has been heavily involved with this homeless outreach program. For months now they’ve been taking food and supplies into the city every Sunday. They have developed a rapport with many of them and Cathy invited them to worship with us on Christmas Eve morning. Three of them took up the offer.

They were well received and warmly welcomed. They praised God and worshiped right beside us. Someone at the worship service even asked Cathy to pass on a $100 bill to each of the three.

After Worship, our families joined Whiskey, Martin and Carla for Christmas dinner in the church hall. Carol had set the tables with white tablecloths and beautiful linen Christmas napkins. There was turkey and ham and all the trimmings.

It was my first time to meet these people that my husband has come to know and care about. We chatted and they talked about their enjoyment of worship, especially of the music, and of other church services that Martin and Carla had attended regularly in San Antone last year before they came to Kansas City. Whiskey also enjoyed the carols that were sung. Whiskey was not "whiskeyed" that morning but appears off balance a bit. He has a balance problem resulting from an old injury received when someone attacked him years earlier. He has been wandering more than half his life; for him it is a lifestyle yet he was sweet and humble.

There were also Christmas presents for all of them, specifically chosen for each of them (and for those that didn’t come, as well). There were tarps, and sleeping bags and backpacks and blankets and buckets and flashlights. All of the uneaten food was packed up and delivered back under the railroad bridge where the rest of them were awaiting the Christmas dinner.

The whole morning was one of the best Christmas moments I have ever had. I learned that homeless people are just that: people without a home... not much different than lots of people I know who do have homes. They just don't have the "Fall back" system that most of us have in place for that time when disaster hits, emotional, physical or financial. I felt moved and blessed to have been a small part of it all.

The QuikTrip

My husband, Vince, stuffs his old jackets behind the seat of his pickup truck instead of putting them in the Good Will box. He told me he often sees homeless guys on his way to and from work. He wants to have the coats handy if it looks like one of them need one. I was fascinated by this information. I don't often notice that side of my husband. Anyway, he has been doing that for years now.

It was natural for him to want to hook up with the group at our church making efforts to help the homeless and he was one of the first to join up. Vince grew up in the city not far from the railroad bridge where "our" homeless folks abide. His mom still lives in that same house.

There's a QuikTrip just off the highway where we often stop for gas or coffee on our way home from Vince's mom's. I used to wonder why he always stopped there but it wasn't long before I realized he was watching for the homeless guys he often sees hanging around there. He sometimes buys them a cup of coffee or gives them a couple of bucks and visits with them a few minutes.

I was with Vince one time when he talked to a man for a few minutes then went on in to pay for our gas. We had just been to the grocery store so I grabbed an apple and went over to the man myself. I offered him the apple and he politely refused it showing me his rotted teeth. "Can't eat apples any more." I think we left him with a loaf of bread that day.

Anyway, that is how our church group found this "Under the Railroad Bridge" habitat. After talking to these guys that were so often seen at this QuikTrip, we've learned that they live nearby just past the highway. There is a railroad track and several have set up camp there. Originally there were just a few but as winter set in more and more have come and now there are around 12 or so now, although some come and go.

They are at the edge of the city in a wooded area. There are more services for homeless people deeper in the city but these people find it to be safer here. They say that Law Enforcement pretty much leaves them alone if they don't hassle anyone. They have built a small community.

I am thinking about them today because the weather has turned cold after a beautiful bout in the 50°s. Yesterday there was freezing rain and sleet with more to come today and snow tomorrow. I don't know how cold it got last night but it is only 19° right now. I am worried about them.

10th Annual Homelessness Marathon

The Homelessness Marathon is a 14 hour radio broadcast featuring the voices and stories of homeless people from around the U.S. The Homelessness Marathon features live call-ins all night long via a national toll-free number. You can listen to excerpts from Marathons past at the link above.

Below are some insights from the founder of the Homelessness Marathon from his essay regarding why there are so many homeless people today and also his answer to the always prevalent theory that those people choose to be homeless.

There are plenty of homeless people who aren't bums, by which I mean, they're clearly not doing everything they can to stay in the same miserable situation. Think of it this way. More than 750,000 people are homeless at any given moment, which represents as many as 3.5 million people cycling on and off the streets every year, which represents at least 20 million people homeless since the early '80s when the crisis began. Just do the math.

750,000 represents less than four percent of 20 million, which means that more than 96 percent of all the people who have ever been homeless have gotten out of homelessness (as will most of the people on the streets today). That's a statistic you won't hear from Bill O'Reily who regularly portrays homeless people as unable to get their lives together. Maybe because once you've heard it, you have to wonder how come this obviously motivated more-than-96% wound up on the streets in the first place.