Kingdom Pursuits - Hope For The Homeless

Hey this is Mike Swick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned in a hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is good Truth Network kingdom pursuits where you hear from ordinary people instilled with an extraordinary passion together we explore the stories of men and women who take what they love and let God turn their passion into the kingdom pursuits now live from the truth. Your host Robbie Gilmore will think it was Robbie Gilmore but it's not.

This is Robbie Gilmore's kingdom.

Robbie Christian car guy sidekick illness.

Robbie is on a well earned vacation and I was honored to be considered to be today's highest I have invited some very special friends who are deeply involved in a very special project here in Britain has partnered with city with dwellings city with dwellings is a community effort to help our county's homeless to the transition to productive, healthy lives, and late Rosemary is also with us. She is the heart and soul of city with dwellings is one of my great joys in the past year has been to watch her reach. She had and work with homeless people and to see them open up and blown and talk about the situations that they needed to deal with it is just been a wondrous thing to see city would dwellings make a huge difference in the lives of people that a lot of the community is just a little bit scared and it it's amazing to see if somebody can connect with a person's homeless and let them feel loved and appreciated the change that can come about Lincoln you share a story with the money, your success story. Many success stories. Sure, I love what I do. I never like my body gets weary and you always know it because I get start to cry but I never get tired of this location and I'm so glad to have met Karen Britton from the United Way because she is a kindred spirit in this in this work, so what I hear so many times is you listen to me. I felt like you cared for me and I don't think I could've done it without you. And that's not me personally that our neighbors experiencing homelessness are talking about. It is the hundreds of volunteers that help with the overflow shelter and help with the community first center to offer dignity and radical hospitality and to make our neighbors experiencing homelessness feel like they are valued members of the community and we believe that that is can a transfer into our neighbors experiencing homelessness to be members of our community that are getting back now. The coven just really did while thing to the program. We were having. What about 50 to 60 people coming in for refreshments and a chance to get to know the staff and then the coven came and said we gotta do something different and they found hotel rooms for what about 50 of the homeless and you think about it yet. If you want all the homeless wandering around everywhere. They're going to just make so much common sense to find a place for them to the bed. Dale and not interact with the world and somehow the government did something really smart will were at the end of those nice hotels providing those rooms and what do we do now and my understanding is over half of those folks.

Over half of the homeless that went through it had a miraculous change in their lives, they were able to get a handle on their drug and their alcohol problems. They were willing to start listening to advice and to start making plans and a wonderful person whose job was to help find people's stepped in and filled the boy that void. Karen, how did you get involved with the project you're doing well and I I do housing and I were close evenly to get to know the clients to figure out what is a best match and we had found 20 units that were approved our clients in a different, complex, and then told the mother approved and I wanted a complex change of mind and so suddenly 20 people didn't have housing so as we both probably do more nights than we shed I'm sitting up on night trying to figure out what in the world and we continue to how these people and that's when Northwood community came in mind because Sharon Payton. I have a really great relationships. I asked if we could come in and recruit volunteers to turn units around and it's been an amazing, amazing, not team effort. I mean she reach out to me first, and then we built that relationship and she's work right alongside it. She's amazing. There was one day I was over there and there must've been 50 volunteers that a lot of them were little shorter than 4 feet but then there other days you had a good steady 15 to 20 EI days that I've been there, but little scared to go into the depth the deepness stuff we had to shovel out to get them to that first week will do a little bit of flood relief work which sort of prepared me for what we needed to do. Getting up the carpet cleaning it up, but it is phenomenal. The change from a place just stood in the doorway and said is this really something we want to do the pallets that the floors are in the walls are painted and were were down to there some plumbing that needs to be taken care and some refrigerators and some others right so if anybody has any advice, if anybody knows a really great way to get some usable extremely reasonably priced ovens in the Winston-Salem area. We need stove ovens and we need refrigerators to to get in some of these units going to ask you to be praying about that, and I want to ask you. It's Bill Mixon, Facebook/bill.Mixon. You can contact me there you contact the kingdom pursuits and Robbie will forward it on to me or you can call in at 336-896-0830 336-896-0830 and you can pray for the stove, oven combination and you can put pray for the refrigerators net how much more work do you have to do and how many more volunteers. Do you need. We have about 60 anti-been clear now that still need work while repair painting I really I didn't mention Emily Nora's pastor Emily Norris has brought in almost all the volunteers and rallied down and kept in touch and Inspired to come back every day and we had incredibly generous donations on site. You, yourself included, to help us really get this done because it is hard to find the appliances and note some these communities are really hard because there are buying from Peter to pay Paul. Or so they say sell even one unit doesn't have showerheads or faucets or counters anything. Some of the floors. I know and some of that floors it was they didn't have plaster, so you've got another mud, another month of work you figured yeah so if you if you like me used to do a whole lot of volunteer work, and now when you show up.

The Samaritan yell and scream and though all of the wicked.

If you're looking for a way to volunteer this is a wonderful place to volunteer and you can go to cities with dwellings.org cities with dwellings.org and you can connect through them cities with dwellings is just the most spectacular way for a bunch of churches and a bunch of organizations and a bunch of individuals to come together to work with the homeless yet it's a one-stop shop for people that need help link. Tell us more about hell you organization works At first, I want to put in a plug for Emily because she has started a she's an ordained pastor in the Lutheran church and she has started a nonprofit called the dwelling and it will be using the same facility at 520 N. Spring St. as our community first center and it is designed for our neighbors experiencing homelessness to have a place where they are. Leaders in the church community and they are leaders in and and they take take responsibility for for their own prayer life and and relationship with God. So that's a wonderful thing and wonderful partnership with us to him. Emily's wonderful.

We can't wait till she can start worshiping you corporately in in that space but but if the community first center. Everyone is welcome where low barrier please calm you have questions. We'd love to talk to you in the webpage, go to the webpage and look at it ask questions. It's amazing what this community how much they help each other and it's a phenomenal come in also help them. Please pray for that minister will be back right after the right once a year across the United States. We all go talk time homeless and all three of us who participated, always amazed me. There was a whole lot you is like 1/3 of the people we would talk to really didn't have an alcohol or drug problem.

They had a metal problem. They were dealing with about 1/3 of the people had one of the three that the drug and alcohol that about 1/3 of the people had all through and you talk to them and this is Mary go round. Bill spend a little bit of time. One of the shelters like Samaritan and none of the shelters let you stay forever, and the new group grow from that to shelter the Bethesda center this not quite as nice and then you get picked up by the police and you spend a little bit of time in jail and then you get thrown out. You spend a little bit of time at the mental health center that the the hospital and then you measure, you may not get into the other mental health center until your benefits run out.

Then you spend a little bit of time under a bridge and that cycle will go around once or twice during the year and the cost of that is astronomical.

Just think about all those different pieces, and how much we are spending out of our tax dollars to support those people. In this case with got a program city with dwellings.org.

This is designed to help people move from that merry-go-round into a hot share a little bit about how the program works well yes we discovered when we out seven years ago when started we were formal nonprofit then it was just a bunch of people and and so we discovered that we did need a daytime presence because we were giving people a safe place to sleep and safe warm place to sleep in a homemade meal and friendly faces.

And then at 630 in the morning until 7 o'clock the next night folks were on their own and so it does take community. We all have community in our lives.

So if I need to go to the doctor and I'm afraid that I know it's it's it's something I really need to hear. I will take my husband with me as my community or my fit another family member or a good friend when you have for what ever reason when you don't have that community wrapped around you that healthy community because there's lots unhealthy community out there. It's when it's tougher everything is harder for you and where the average of about $40,000 it cost our community about $40,000 to have someone that is Street homeless shelter homeless because of of using an ambulance is your personal transportation to the hospital. Who is your primary care doctor or the jails, etc. and to I for for our folks battling severe persistent mental health. That price is very much higher. So just from a fiscal standpoint getting that bill down is huge. Think of what are our community.

D could do with that money. If you could get that 40,000 down to 10.

So cities with dwellings I've seen people come in and they probably come in for five or six times and they look at people they keep their head down and finally somebody asked him a question and get a connection and they start sharing about their family and I have seen cases where you realize that they had family somewhere in the United states close or not and that it was possible to fix what they thought was unfixable, and you've gotten on the phone and you talk to that sister you talk to that cousin you talk to that mother and you were able to get a connection built back and then for the price of a bus ticket yes it it's it's amazing because that's diversion and it's in its best when you can connect someone back to their healthy community and and I will say unless your family is is so incredibly unhealthy with their defunct debt with their dysfunction that that family is your first line of communication and and your your best line of community so if you can reunite someone and it's amazing how many people get to all the way across the country and then fine and then get themselves to a level of help health that they could live at home, but they are just too mortified to call and they don't feel like they will be received well. And if you have a fear that intermediary which can make a call and put two folks together or someone back with her family and can get them back. I love those texts, Miss Lee, I have made it all the way home I my grandmother was at the bus Greyhound waiting for me and I love the pictures. I love you know that the text and the calls and when it's really what it really works. I get calls for months and months and sometimes years later about how well people are doing. I was thinking somebody who's homeless. The chances of them ending up in the emergency room is just unbelievably high. Years five and the cost of a just the cost of one one week stay in the hospital through the emergency room. Compare that to a low income housing situation and how many units you trying to get get fixed up now. I think I have over 27 going to keep on going as long as all take our our clients that it it is much cheaper housemate and as to house them in addition to their medical bills on top of mostly just so rewarding to know that you have all these folks that live in and get in by hotel room and that yet. I wonder what it's like to talk to him and said you know what will work it yeah you know what I think the greatest part about this hotel is is not a name and off the streets and they had their own space because sometimes you're taking somebody that tease Emily Stern does term doesn't know how to human any common housing expect to him and they don't know where to begin so you know they created these communities, their neighbors and they take care of everybody on their floor and it's really great when and where getting units time replacing people to go okay well this person lots to take care this person.

This person leans on that person's you just continue that community out there south and they do care for each other and healthy environment.

I may be wrong, but I'm under the impression you sorta had classes and workshops and one-on-one counseling and with the past three much you been sitting down with these individuals that are hunkered down in the hotel rooms and you help them mentally get prepared for. You've got a budget.

You gotta go to the grocery store. You've got to figure out your goals.

Can you speak to the little bit I understand this just been awesome. How will this work. It has an end. That's what what we think is really important. You build community build healthy community but there's so there's so much to learn or to really learn some of the folks that are coming out of the medically fragile site, or if straight from the street.

There are people there are grown men that I have met in their 50s that it never ever lived alone in their own apartment or home unit that someone's always taking care of them or they flipped in shelter or street or the family and simple things like laundry and how to clean a bathroom and you know where to find the bus are our skills that we Google on a phone if we don't know. It's something that IT taught my chin my grown children, but if if you don't didn't have a way to learn those things and I will say we are rich with resources to learn all of this in Forsyth County. We have classes we have classes that will give you a $20 Walmart card but you have to get there you have to know about them, and many times you really need somebody a friend walk alongside you as you access those resources because it's kind of scary. And if you don't have enough faith in yourself to believe that you are worth it then then right they are. You've already got a huge barrier and just letting people know that they are worthy. Will that and having somebody to go to and ask a question having somebody to go to you pretty sure if they understood what your problem was they could send you in the right direction SU and is and yet did the city would dwellings the neat thing about that is to see the interaction and to watch 11 guest talk to another and say that you need to go talk to lately knows how to staff that you need to go talk to yet. That's not insurmountable because are things that it just doesn't work if you don't have ID and that's the biggest thing before, then lean. I would pair up and do these housing connection days reason drive people around, since she started at but then we thought, well, what's the point of driving around if they don't have a birth certificate 90 Social Security card so that's what we would do every Tuesday and sit there and just where people through the process of how to get everything they need to get in the housing and we were and expand that in the United Way and have a resource navigation 101. Are we taken from your ID to having a job, had a job close to shop how to get your me know anything you need all the way through and of course the weaker is best to start that everything shut down so with Sharon on the long Sharon, thank you so much for: Ian hi Sharon, on here you and introduce Sharon yet. This is the woman it's making it all happen. She is the property manager at North lead sheet juggles a thousand things a day. But if it weren't for her we would would merely get any. This these are three of the most precious women I've ever met my life did all day. They know how to use the word yes and they know how to use the word know that know how to point people in one direction. The best Herders of ever seeing a lot of it is just fascinating to see people that have a heart for four people plus the project and yet there are lots of people you meet the really good people. People in their other people did a really good task people, but the seat individuals that have both of them.

It is just been the neatest folks that did get to know where we get everything I wanted to thank everybody. Emily and Karen for helping out right speak out asked me what they're doing and I look forward to picking up undoubtedly involved in teaching people how leaf worked out curtain and your 30 day notice to get your deposit back and think that they have no idea how that process works and how you are in violation of your lease that you have too much, is all she would love to share them things like share. I want you to pray for these organizations, city would dwellings the work in the housing project for the homeless. I want you to put that on your prayer list. Talk your small groups in your church and have their prayer absolutely off Truth Network this afternoon one of clock time is a live show with Amy, Amy's program is about courage and realizing anything.

Everything Amy Cabo in the cure today at 1 PM on the Truth Network, it's Amy Cabo from the cure live online hi Amy was happening on the program today. Brown burning all around the world helping other way and I hope that will get hope Lenny about how time was a timely subject, appreciate you so much, that sounds great. We hope everybody will listen this afternoon at one the cure with any Amy Cabo across the Truth Network.

Please keep her showing your prayers. Thank you Amy, Sharon, what, what else did you want to share their help more involved where to take charge of their own areas that make it pretty. And we have lowered along that line had everybody working together as a community as well as anytime they have questions about they can call me and asked me anything that they have some where they can go but they may not be able to get in touch with all the resources but at least they live in areas that help you you the property manager on site.

I am I'm in thought with the department regarding court apartment that we wrap every helping both communities a lot of section 8.

Think long that nature, but we also have renters that work every dated don't make enough money to luxurious neighborhood, but they can live there, and it could be just clean and pretty as anywhere, units to the heaven your area that we have 140 and a lot I have been down years and that where parents gain and with volunteers and property.

Last year he was aware of all the challenges that came with that area. Unfortunately has a bad neighbor, bad reputation went there to change the reputation and get the community involved returned to the reputation where doing things like implement implement cameras and let them have the monitor so they can watch their own neighborhood call if they have any problem.

Look out for one another without any help. Now everybody is coming together community, so everyone that Louvain and with that mentality and they also coming with the understanding of what's effective from the lease and things along that nature to keep everyone in the same Sum of the residence, just so nice asking what's going on checking on what's going on a lot of really nice people living in your community absolutely have been there 10 years they tell me that here.

What they been through but you know they often tell me that great aspect of it. How nice it is that this neighborhood has done this for me and got back to me and they like have an opportunity to explain that explain the situation the manager so that they understand each and every tenet of the person and if they ever did have any conflict any problem. All they want to do is be hard to get everybody opportunity to explain the situation and work together and move forward in make sure that you don't make the same effect like that you make for some your maintenance folks you got some of the wonderful staff there, but some of these units date back to World War II tried to find some of the plumbing fixtures so some of those parts just little my committee will heart reluctance to exist. I'm sure you got the real challenge is to keep keep ahead of all the requests that come in. I've just been amazed to some of the ladies that have come in to help file me there just little little tornadoes yeah just absolutely amazing to see some of these units where you you turn loose to ladies and you come back at maybe it just looks one of the machines.

Would you live or actual property, real volunteers particular that you'd like to lift up ready-made again. We've got on while course, we have John with the big truck he's been 107. The entire time doing every single little detail but as Emily and Sharon.

I like that one with love about it. It is primarily female and these women do anything they paint they stand they clean they move furniture.

They do anything we ask today.

Beth has been mean if I that's on the do I just send that Vicki is coming with cleaning kits from the other volunteers. There's a seminarian bill I got called sleepy. She will clean anything that we shy away yet he is not really gotten to get the harder than anybody that he and does not even get the recognition because you so quiet that goes on her way. You know I like the part of the garden court unity. No a lot of female that you know where we were showing out of that. It's pretty amazing that the male everybody working so so well together. Amazing to see the Moravians of these clothes there with a gentleman that's been hammered and cut and so on job. The big truck yeah absolutely wonderful fellow to watch work and I love you yeah you hit the Lutherans of been part of the volunteer force.

Yeah, I think we had a church group out with friends. I think that's a bigger Pisani think we have three different churches coming out tomorrow. We have a huge grip again tomorrow so you you other other denominations really need to start thinking about get involved to get you that I don't run well or Scripture verse where it said Jesus took a three month holiday. So if you'd like to help their all kinds of different ways you could help city with Willens.work can certainly use financial contributions there all kinds of supplies that would be helpful. Cleaning supplies are a big need of what else could people donate to call everything is what we try to keep our website updated on the most immediate need so that you know that this need is at six months old. This is what we need today and so the folks from the medically fragile shelter that and other folks experience extreme homelessness or from shelters that will be moving into these Northwood units plus units all over the city. We like to provide them with more than a key and an animal roof ticket. It makes a lot of difference when you've got a volatile paper and a new pillow and a blanket and cleaning supplies the truth. People have some furniture that looked at the that would be a possibility. It would be a possibility.

What we recommend is is there's a nonprofit in town called screen nest and you can take your your furniture straight degree nest green nest only serves folks that are moving from homeless to house and you can it's a one-shot deal.

You know if you're at your house. You cannot go shop at green nest. The dignity that the volunteers there afford our neighbors experience and homelessness to house is is amazing.

I love to go, especially with our men because you have someone who's who's holding their head down feeling embarrassed come out after an hour or an hour and 1/2 laughing and talking and feeling valued.

That's more important than the furniture. To me, so that's a great organization and when we just say take take your donations they are, they have a Facebook presence and also a website green nest in its GR EE in EST it's one word with the end in the middle so we want to pray for the homeless in your community. One should be playing for city with dwellings which praying for this effort to help people move homelessness into their own apartments will lift up green this furniture you like, donate used some money laying around. We can appropriate that welcome back with wonderfully show. Sharon is property manager of the low income housing for better words opened itself up to work with the city with dwellings to make it possible for the homeless. That is been sheltered through the coded situation in hotels. The transition from those hotel rooms into real life into a place where there's dignity into a place where they are going to be spending lots of time in the emergency room with the jail of the homeless shelter in a place where they can have community and self-worth and see their lives change in a powerful way and Karen's been Karen is one of the leaders in our county of trying to make sure that people that are homeless have a place of dignity to move to how long have you been doing this item at the United Way for about a year and 1/2 and the hardest part about this is probably not last year and 1/2 we've had around 12 or 13 communities that sold and raise the rent above fair market rate that we can pay our client so it's just squeezing our client and it in a one location like either this lien or its sound crossing on peters Creek and everything else is a little hard to find. So you you went from real estate into health and people get relocated yeah that the path you went yes I did part time to fold into overtime. Yeah. If it was going to happen to you with this project right before seven you had with 200 different volunteers come through on this project through more got a number of different organizations in all their volunteers that are helping make this work in the city has been really good. Trying to make this six this and you got a wonderful property manager and Sharon is doing everything she can make all her pieces come together that she's got a wonderful maintenance department that are doing their best to pitch in and see this all go out but it all starts with somebody who's homeless is willing to open their mind and their heart to the possibility there people out there that care about and there are lots of people walking around in the streets today that are just absolutely sure nobody cares about them and I know it with what little I've done in the jail in the prison ministry unit with this dissenter, Samaritan, that one of the first steps is to understand Jesus loves you, and that God has plans for you plans for hope in the future and that there's almost nobody out there that wants to hold you back wants to hold you to that in most cases we are own worst enemy always like to share in the jail. The only people thinking about you today that select few that care about you and love you all good things for you. The rest of the people are thinking about you. Well, in Winston with God a place city with dwellings.org that's full of people that care about the homeless. Some of the programs of God is that is it two or three times a week. They get to come in right have a snack and get counseling right share what happens when they come in and and store Sharon with all. Right now it's three times a week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, from 930 to 1130 so far were able to see every body fat that that needs to be seen that day. We would love to have more hours. We received our occupancy permit.

The same day that the city was put on shelter in place so we had grand plans of opening up to 50 to 80 people with lots of different lots of different opportunities for building healthy community and now we have 10 people in at a time. Computers, phones but the most important thing we do is we listen we make folks feel like they are heard. Sometimes, sometimes, that is up causes tears sometimes that causes anger, but we are right a lot were right there with you. And through all of that that emotion and as you're feeling it in real time. We are a low barrier facility so that means that everybody is welcome. We are not medical professionals were not mental health care professionals, we are not substance abuse professionals. We do collaborate and use those resources. Since we are a low barrier shelter. We would love to have more of those professionals inside our walls and in our parking lot and out on our streets but for right now if we could if we encounter someone who is having a particularly rough time with their severe persistent mental health. We have organizations that we collaborate with in real time, not to make an appointment six weeks from now.

But we need you now. I remember one day the lady was put in the cab with an oxygen machine is set from the hospital where the machete half the battery life is that the left@citywithdwellings.org.

It's amazing the movie to see the problems that you help solve and that the love and the care all the volunteers and the staff at that facility have provided want to thank you all the difference you make is just wonderful to see people that understand the our hands or Christ our shoulders or partial. We've got a responsibility to make a difference in the lives station show station project. Thank you so much. We hope have a wonderful weekend. Richard would this coming week. Have a one time. Thank you