Richard Burrow Ft.Worth Homeless Outreach Ministry - richardburrowhomelessjournal
Weather
Fort Worth, TX
Featured pictures
Welcome and God Bless for Visiting our site
Welcome to Our website! Here you'll find Monthly pictures of our Ft.Worth Outreach for Feeding and Clothing the Homeless in Ft.Worth.
Visit regularly to see what's new!!
**NEW FOR 2012**
Stay Tuned for updates that will effect Our Homeless Outreach in Ft.Worth and Serving at Unity Park. After reviewing The Parks new Policy and will be sharing that with everyone. For more information see the journal enteries n your right of page. Our Ministry started small and has grown over the past few years involving other ministries. With each have a Goal of Making a Difference in other Lives. So at this time I am taking some personal time to see what direction... I will take on a personal level within my Church Fellowship of Love Outreach and. I understand the visions we and others have for 2012 and beyond. One of my biggest part was clothing distribution. This can no longer be done at Unity Park. We always provided a warm meal and more. Any feedback is appreciated!
The Homeless Outreach date is: To be announced at a later date:
The Bible has many references to feeding and clothing the poor. One of which is Matt25:35 (NIV) "For I was Hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me..." Our Homeless Outreach Ministry is centered on loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves. In addition, there are many Biblical references regarding not just hearing the Word-but doing the Word. This outreach gives one a chance to serve and hence to "do the Word" to whatever level he or she is led. If you feel led in anyway to do this type of rewarding work I suggest you attend one of our Monthly Outreaches. They speak for themselves.
Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area, the Making a Difference Ministry in the southwest Fort Worth area, and the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth.
Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburn, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends.
Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you each month.
Little about the Homeless Outreach Ministry: Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth area at 1401 East Presidio St. Fort Worth, TX 76102, (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter) for well over a year. We started out doing 100 lunches, but as the need was much greater, we are currently feeding 170 –200 people per outing.
Current Partners working together along side are, the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area, and the Making A Difference Ministry in Cleburne, TX.
This was a Monthly Mission ministry. We went out the 4th Saturday of each month and distribute clothes, hygiene products and sack lunches or hot meal to the homeless in Tarrant County and whenever someone calls with a need. Everything is given free of charge to those that need them (nothing is ever sold).
Our current location for serving the Homeless in Ft.Worth is at:
To be announced at a later date.
We have been doing this well over three years. We started out doing 100 lunches, but as the need was much greater, we were currently feeding 170 –200 people per outing.
This is a Monthly Mission ministry. We go out the 4th Saturday of each month and distribute clothes, hygiene products and sack lunches or hot meal to the homeless in Tarrant County and whenever someone calls with a need. Everything is given free of charge to those that need them (nothing is ever sold).
IMG_0045.JPG IMG_0045.JPG 2009-11-27 Homeless Outreach 11-27-10 This year the our December Homeless Outreach which is always on the 4th Saturday falls on Christmas Day, December 25, 2010. We will be going out and doing Hot Breakfast (Sausage, Eggs, Grits, Bread, Coffee and Hot Chocolate) as usual we would like to also take much needed blankets, gloves, hats, scarves, socks and hygiene items as well. We always have a few blankets each month, but never enough for all the people that ask for them. So this year we are doing a Blanket & Winter Item drive. IMG_0016.JPG IMG_0016.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0017.JPG IMG_0017.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0019.JPG IMG_0019.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0020.JPG IMG_0020.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0022.JPG IMG_0022.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0023.JPG IMG_0023.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0024.JPG IMG_0024.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0025.JPG IMG_0025.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0026.JPG IMG_0026.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0027.JPG IMG_0027.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0028.JPG IMG_0028.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0029.JPG IMG_0029.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0030.JPG IMG_0030.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0031.JPG IMG_0031.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0032.JPG IMG_0032.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0033.JPG IMG_0033.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0034.JPG IMG_0034.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0035.JPG IMG_0035.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0036.JPG IMG_0036.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0037.JPG IMG_0037.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0038.JPG IMG_0038.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0040.JPG IMG_0040.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0039.JPG IMG_0039.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0041.JPG IMG_0041.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0042.JPG IMG_0042.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0043.JPG IMG_0043.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0044.JPG IMG_0044.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0046.JPG IMG_0046.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0047.JPG IMG_0047.JPG 2009-11-27 IMG_0048.JPG IMG_0048.JPG 2009-11-27
Let's Bless these Homeless.JPG Let's Bless these Homeless.JPG 2009-01-24 Alrighty Then.JPG Alrighty Then.JPG 2009-01-24 A helping hand.JPG A helping hand.JPG 2009-01-24 Another group reaching out the hands of God.JPG Another group reaching out the hands of God.JPG 2009-01-24 Another Ministry.JPG Another Ministry.JPG 2009-01-24 BRRRRRR.JPG BRRRRRR.JPG 2009-01-24 Busy Month.JPG Busy Month.JPG 2009-01-24 Clothes.JPG Clothes.JPG 2009-01-24 clothes searching.JPG clothes searching.JPG 2009-01-24 Cold Morning.JPG Cold Morning.JPG 2009-01-24 Cookie Too.JPG Cookie Too.JPG 2009-01-24 Cookies Too - Thanks Kristen.JPG Cookies Too - Thanks Kristen.JPG 2009-01-24 Disabled.JPG Disabled.JPG 2009-01-24 Drug Rehab CATS - Their is Hope to All Gods Children.JPG Drug Rehab CATS - Their is Hope to All Gods Children.JPG 2009-01-24 Entering the Feeding area.JPG Entering the Feeding area.JPG 2009-01-24 Enjoying.JPG Enjoying.JPG 2009-01-24 Exscuse me.JPG Exscuse me.JPG 2009-01-24 Feeding the Homeless.JPG Feeding the Homeless.JPG 2009-01-24 Freezing Cold.JPG Freezing Cold.JPG 2009-01-24 getting fed.JPG getting fed.JPG 2009-01-24 Getting ready to go.JPG Getting ready to go.JPG 2009-01-24 God Bless the Ministry.JPG God Bless the Ministry.JPG 2009-01-24 God Bless America.JPG God Bless America.JPG 2009-01-24 Gods Angels.JPG Gods Angels.JPG 2009-01-24 God's Reminder.JPG God's Reminder.JPG 2009-01-24 Happiness Serving God.JPG Happiness Serving God.JPG 2009-01-24 Here ya go.JPG Here ya go.JPG 2009-01-24 Homeless.JPG Homeless.JPG 2009-01-24 I AM THE WAY.JPG I AM THE WAY.JPG 2009-01-24 juice anyone.JPG juice anyone.JPG 2009-01-24 Juice Please.JPG Juice Please.JPG 2009-01-24 Kristen and Ricky strike a pose.JPG Kristen and Ricky strike a pose.JPG 2009-01-24 Kristen serves coffee.JPG Kristen serves coffee.JPG 2009-01-24 Linning up to be fed.JPG Linning up to be fed.JPG 2009-01-24 Loaded up with some Clothes.JPG Loaded up with some Clothes.JPG 2009-01-24 Long Line to Serve.JPG Long Line to Serve.JPG 2009-01-24 look what i found.JPG look what i found.JPG 2009-01-24 Lord Jessus I Thank-You.JPG Lord Jessus I Thank-You.JPG 2009-01-24 MMMM GOOD.JPG MMMM GOOD.JPG 2009-01-24 Okie Dokie.JPG Okie Dokie.JPG 2009-01-24 On the Road Again.JPG On the Road Again.JPG 2009-01-24 On the Sidewalk keeping warm.JPG On the Sidewalk keeping warm.JPG 2009-01-24 Our Ministry setting up.JPG Our Ministry setting up.JPG 2009-01-24 Running to keep warm.JPG Running to keep warm.JPG 2009-01-24 Saying a Prayer.JPG Saying a Prayer.JPG 2009-01-24 Servin up Chili.JPG Servin up Chili.JPG 2009-01-24 Shelter from the cold wind.JPG Shelter from the cold wind.JPG 2009-01-24 Stayin Warm.JPG Stayin Warm.JPG 2009-01-24 staying warm.JPG staying warm.JPG 2009-01-24 Steve strikes a smile.JPG Steve strikes a smile.JPG 2009-01-24 Temp at 34 Degree's with Wind Chilllll...JPG Temp at 34 Degree's with Wind Chilllll...JPG 2009-01-24 Temp is dropping.JPG Temp is dropping.JPG 2009-01-24 Thank God for the Fur Wamth.JPG Thank God for the Fur Wamth.JPG 2009-01-24 Thanks for Juice.JPG Thanks for Juice.JPG 2009-01-24 THANKS FOR SURRENDERING YOUR ALL.JPG THANKS FOR SURRENDERING YOUR ALL.JPG 2009-01-24 Thank-You Jesus.JPG Thank-You Jesus.JPG 2009-01-24 The FW Homeless.JPG The FW Homeless.JPG 2009-01-24 Their Eyes tell a story.JPG Their Eyes tell a story.JPG 2009-01-24 Weekly Hotdog Ministry arrives.JPG Weekly Hotdog Ministry arrives.JPG 2009-01-24 WOW.JPG WOW.JPG 2009-01-24 YUM YUM.JPG YUM YUM.JPG 2009-01-24
Our Response Thanking them for the past two years at Unity Park
Happy New Year,
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing Triumphant Heavenly Ministries, Inc. and the many ministries partners that joined forces with us to come into the Unity Park and help serve the homeless community for the past 2 years. It has been a delight to serve a hot breakfast and provide hygiene along with clothing items.
God has redirected the vision of Triumphant Heavenly Ministries, Inc. for 2012. So Triumphant Heavenly Ministries, Inc. will no longer be coming to the park on our regular 4th Saturday. This is to assure that there are no further confusions of being on or off the schedule and what is brought into the park.
Please remove Triumphant Heavenly Ministries from all Mail and Email notifications.
Again many thanks!!!
Thanks in advance for all your assistance and may God Richly Bless you, Chris & Til Howard Home Phone: 817-535-5845
Beginning January 1, 2012, Feed By Grace will no longer allow a general clothing distribution at Unity Park on Saturdays. Any items that can be distributed without being rummaged through - hats, gloves, socks, etc. - will still be allowed. Pants, shirts, coats, etc. that are generally brought down in trash bags and laid out on tables is what will no longer be allowed. As an organization, we have mixed emotions about this decision. On the one hand, we want to be able to facilitate the many folks who go to great lengths in obtaining clothing to bring to those they perceive as being in need. We also desire to help those on the streets that are in need of clothing. On the other hand, there are quite a number of reasons why this type of clothing distribution is not a good idea. There is a definite lack of dignity when people are lined up for hours, vying for a better line position, and then grabbing used clothing off of tables. We have noticed more fighting, bullying and cursing around clothing lines than anywhere else. Due to the jockying, pushing and shoving, people are not trying on the clothes and they end up taking much that doesn't even fit. Each Saturday after a clothing giveaway, we throw away a lot of clothing because folks just leave it behind when they leave the park. The neighborhood cleanup crew also picks up a tremendous amount of clothing each week that has been discarded. Finally, it is a well-known fact that clothing is often sold and/or traded for drugs. We are certainly open to resuming clothing distribution in the future. We just need to come up with a better system: a system that facilitates trying on clothes to make sure they fit, a system where clothing will be hung on racks to afford people self-respect during selection, and preferably, a very nominal fee charged for the clothing so its value is recognized. We're all about folks paying for what they receive, even if it's only 10 cents for a shirt. A fair exchange of payment for goods is more dignified than any other scenario. Thank you for supporting FBG. I hope you are able to support our decision as well. God bless you.
In His Name, Neale Mansfield
Men's Ministry Director
So how will the homeless that are truly in need get clothing now?
There are many resources in the neighborhood where individuals can go to try on clothes and get what they need. Feed by Grace is compiling a detailed resource list for our homeless brothers and sisters who need referrals.
So now, how do I serve the homeless?
There are still many opportunities to serve the homeless and fill needs. Gloves, scarves and hats that are one-size-fits all are appreciated in cold months. You may choose to bring pre-packaged travel-size toiletries for distribution. New, packaged socks and underwear are real treats and definite needs.
Of course, in our homeless community the huge need is to connect with another human being. Living on the street sows feelings of isolation and distrust for others. If left to fester, a person can become chronically anti-social. So come to the park and introduce yourself to someone. Have a cup of coffee. Toss some horseshoes with some of the guys. Talk about nail polish colors with some of the women. Discuss child-rearing methods, the weather, or sports. Bring a chess board and find a challenger. Shoot some hoops. Organize a three-legged race. Be a friend!
This email was sent to triumphantheavenlyministries@yahoo.com by admin@feedbygrace.org |
Feed By Grace | 1401 E. Presidio | P.O.Box 1602 | Ft. Worth | TX | 76101
Friendly Reminder our next Homeless Outreach is Saturday December 24, 2011 at 8AM
Hello Men & Women of God,
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Our next homeless outreach is Saturday December 24, 2011 and this is just a friendly reminder for some and new for others.
The Homeless Outreach date is: Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 8:00 AM.
Feed by Grace Volunteer Orientation:
They ask that all new Volunteers attend a brief introductory volunteer orientation. This orientation typically only last for 15-20 minutes and is designed to Help new volunteers become aquainted with the needs of this particular community, the mission of Feed by Grace, and safety guidelines that must be followed at Unity Park. Set/Up and Serving will start right after.
PLEASE NOTE: We will be No Longer be allowed to park in Unity Park as we have in the past. Due to the risk of so many people within the park. If your have items to unload, you will be able to do so. Then everyone is instructed to park in the grass lot directly across the street from Unity Park where you safely park you vehicle.
Place of distribution is:
Unity Park 1401 East Presidio St. Ft Worth, TX 76102 (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter)
Coming from 35W South: Take 35W north to Lancaster Road exit. Turn right onto Lancaster. Turn right at 3rd street (Cedar). Park is one block ahead on the left.
Coming from 35W North: Take 35W South to I-30 exit. At I-30 split, take left side (30 West). At next split, take right side (287 & Lancaster). Take far right exit, Lancaster West. 3rd Street on the left is Cedar Street. Park is one block ahead on the left.
Coming from I-30 eastbound: Take Lancaster exit and stay on Lancaster. After passing under the 35W overpass, turn right at 3rd street (Cedar). Park is one block ahead on left.
Coming from Westbound I-30: Take Riverside South exit. Go up to Lancaster, turn right. After passing under the overpass, 3rd street on the left is Cedar Street. Park is one block ahead on the left.
We will be serving a Hot Breakfast (Sausage, Eggs, Grits, Bread, Coffee and Hot Chocolate)
Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburn, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park and Kathy LaQuey, Volunteer Coordinator of the Feed By Grace Ministry.
Thanks in advance to ALL our monthly friends and new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you this month.
Little about the Homeless Outreach Ministry:
Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth area at 1401 East Presidio St. Fort Worth, TX 76102, (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter) for well over a year. We started out doing 100 lunches, but as the need was much greater, we are currently feeding 170 –200 people per outing.
Current Partners working together along side are, the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area (FOLOCHURCH.ORG), and the Making A Difference Ministry in Cleburne, TX.
This is a Monthly Mission ministry. We go out the 4th Saturday of each month and distribute clothes, hygiene products and sack lunches or hot meal to the homeless in Tarrant County and whenever someone calls with a need. Everything is given free of charge to those that need them (nothing is ever sold).
We sort on the 3rd Saturday of each month.
When there are not enough donations, I and a couple of the Triumphant Heavenly Ministry family members go to area Thrift Stores in Fort Worth and get jeans, pants, shirts, coats, blankets and backpacks. Socks and underwear tend to be expensive at the thrift store. So I rely on going to garage sales and bargaining with the sellers for box deals. I am looking at other avenues to purchase these and the hygiene products.
If you have any ideas on how to help us do things more smoothly, please share. After all we are all in this together and are all still learning.
You can also click the link below to our ministry website and click the outreach button at the top of the page and look at a few pictures of what we do. www.triumphantheavenlyministries.orgIf you would like to make a donation using paypal please use the paypal button on this page as well.
This year our December Homeless Outreach which is always on the 4 th Saturday falls on Christmas Eve, 12-24. We will be going out and doing Hot Breakfast (Sausage, Eggs, Grits, Bread, Coffee and Hot Chocolate) as usual we would like to also take much needed blankets, gloves, hats, scarves, socks and hygiene items as well. We always have a few blankets each month, but never enough for all the people that ask for them. So this year we are doing another Blanket & Winter Item drive.
We would like to ask as you start your winter cleaning, getting things in order for the holidays, if you have old usable blankets/bedspreads, hats, coats, scarves, gloves or socks and would like them to go to persons that are in need please contact us. If you would like to start a collection at your church, club or any organization you belong to. We will make arrangements to pick them up.
Your donation is tax deductible as THM is a 501(c)(3) ministry. A Tax Receipt is given upon request.
We normally help at least 200 people or more per month with hot meals, clothes and hygiene products.
Here is a list of things that we would like to provide:
You can also check us out on our website at www.triumphantheavenlyministries.org click the outreach button at the top of the page and look at a few pictures of what we’re doing. If you would like to do an online donation. Please go to the web page and do the donation by clicking the PayPal link. You can also visit our homeless outreach journal to see what we do at www.richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
Please feel free to share with your family and friends.
FORT WORTH -- Tammy Meyer felt the hard stares of others on East Lancaster Avenue.
Homeless and alone, the 48-year-old woman arrived this year at the city's shelters with her purse and a can of chemical spray. She slept on a mat on a floor crowded with bodies, heard people exchange angry words and tried to blend into the background.
She felt defenseless in a harsh, survival-minded world.
"Scared of my own shadow," Meyer said. "Scared someone would hurt me."
Meyer had reason to feel insecure. Just under half of homeless women reported being injured as a result of physical violence while living on the streets, and 60 percent said they have been followed or harassed to the point that they feared for their safety, according to a recent survey.
One in 5 said they have been injured badly enough to require medical care.
Advocates say all homeless people face risks, but the survey underscores the vulnerability of women and the obstacles it poses to self-sufficiency. Caseworkers have seen victims withdraw and sink further into helplessness. They lose self-esteem when they need it most.
The Fort Worth Police Department has launched initiatives to reduce crime around the shelters and support Directions Home, the city's homeless plan. As the days become shorter, lighting, police patrols and shelter opportunities play an important role in women's safety, officials say.
The survey was conducted in September during a Salvation Army event that focused on homeless women's needs. Seventy-seven women took an 18-question anonymous survey about their experiences with violence while homeless.
Despite the high rates of women who said they had experienced violence, just 30 percent said they felt unsafe living on East Lancaster Avenue.
But 30 percent also reported having sex against their will, 30 percent have been choked and 20 percent have been threatened with a weapon. Almost 8 percent said they have had sex against their will five or more times.
Homeless women are 20 times more likely than other women to be the victim of sexual assault, police say.
"I got raped and had someone pull a knife on me," said a 52-year-old woman who was homeless for two years before she got into permanent supportive housing through the city's housing program. "It's real tough out there because everyone has to be out for their own survival, and only you can protect yourself.
"When you're a woman, that can be hard to do," said the woman, whom the Star-Telegram is not identifying because she says she was the victim of sexual assault.
Tiffany Oliver, director of programs at the Presbyterian Night Shelter, said that more common than violence is general harassment. Homeless people spend much of their days along Lancaster, standing in lines for shelter, meals, services and bus rides.
"Comments, touching, grabbing ... that's the stuff that probably happens more on a daily basis," Oliver said. "But there are random acts of violence, too. And sometimes they are just involved in fights that they initiate or they put themselves into a bad situation where it happens."
The shelter offers women classes to help with personal safety, decision-making and self-esteem. Roughly 40 percent of new arrivals at the shelter's center for women and children have already experienced domestic violence, she said. It's what forces many women into homelessness.
Crime report issues
Compare the results of the survey with crimes reported to police and the numbers don't add up, said Cindy Crain, executive director of the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition.
Only five assaults against homeless women were reported in the area around the shelters in 2010 and 2011, a coalition report said.
The most likely reason is one long suspected by homeless service providers and police: Homeless people, especially women, often don't report crime, the report concluded. Wariness of authorities and outstanding warrants may contribute to this.
Fort Worth police recently appointed a liaison officer to the Directions Home program. She will take crime reports and help connect homeless people to social-service programs, according to a police presentation to the Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness.
Police also have a crime suppression plan, including enhanced enforcement of narcotics violations. A police storefront is under construction near the Day Resource Center, a day shelter for the homeless, said Otis Thornton, Fort Worth's homelessness program director.
Improved safety
Several homeless people say the area is much safer than it was a decade ago.
"It used to be you couldn't walk from here to the end of the street without finding some kind of trouble," said a homeless woman on a scooter who would not give her name. "Today, you see the police coming through here all the time, and that's a good thing."
Meyer said she has learned to protect herself by sticking with a routine.
She rarely strays far from the Presbyterian Night Shelter or the nearby Day Resource Center. She doesn't wander into campsites or away from heavily traveled streets. She's made friends who would notice if something happened to her.
"Most people are just trying to survive, same as I am," she said. "I'm just happy I'm alive when I wake up every morning, even if it's out here."
The Homeless Outreach Haircut Ministry Day at Unity Park
Mark your calendar for The Homeless Outreach Haircuts Ministry day at Unity Park!
Who: Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Hair Stylest Minister Larry Ward and his Team, along with Homeless Outreach Director Richard Burrow as well as anyone who would like to join us and provide a service or assistance.
When : Saturday November 5th and Saturday November 12th 2011 from 11am 2pm.
Location of our Outreach is: Unity Park, at 1401 East Presidio St. Fort Worth, TX 76102 (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter).
Please note: Haircuts will be performed inside the building where orientation and their Bible Studies are held!
Our regular scheduled Outreach will be Saturday November 26th at 8am. I will have photos updated to our website from October Outreach soon. Executive Director Neale Mansfield expressed how multiple outreach ministries came together as one and with the same goal in mind. It actually was pretty amazing! Please visit us at: http://richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
With final victory, Mayor Mike Moncrief is set to make his last appearance before new mayor is chosen
After a challenging competition, Fort Worth earned top honors tonight as one of the National Civic League’s All-America Cities. This is the third time in Fort Worth’s history that the city has earned the honor.
Mayor Mike Moncrief, who led a Fort Worth delegation to the final competition in Kansas City this week, said the National Civic League recognized the quality of life that has made Cowtown one of the nation’s most livable cities.
“Words cannot describe the pride in the room when the winners were announced. We had some steep competition, but I think it was obvious to the judges that Fort Worth had what it took to be called an All-America City,” Moncrief said. “With this honor, Fort Worth stands as a shining example of what a city can be when its citizens, businesses and communities work together to resolve challenges.”
Fort Worth was among 26 communities from across the U.S. invited to Kansas City to compete for the 2011 All-America Award. Sponsored by the National Civic League, the award has recognized cities for civic engagement since 1949 and has helped past recipients bring new grant funds and employers.
Fort Worth won the All-America City Award in 1964 and again in 1993. Fort Worth’s 2011 application featured three challenges being addressed through public/private partnerships:
Homelessness, which is being addressed through the “Directions Home” plan
Mental health services, which are being addressed through the Mental Health Connection program
Graffiti, which is being addressed through the We Are Legal (WAL) program
Mayor Mike to make final appearance before new mayor is selected
Mayor Mike Moncrief will address the media and supporters tomorrow morning, and is expected to talk about the All-America City Award as one more example of the city’s growth, strength and commitment excellence. This will be the mayor’s final formal public appearance before a new mayor is selected tomorrow evening.
Where: DFW Airport Terminal D, North Ticket Hall
When: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 18. NOTE: Those photographers who would like to capture video or photos of the Shower of Affection (water sprayed over aircraft as it arrives), please arrive at the North Ticket Hall of Terminal D no later than 9 a.m. For more detailed instructions, please call David Magana at 469-569-2640.
Who: Speakers will include Mayor Moncrief and representatives of the delegation responsible for bringing home the All-America Award.
Highlights from the All-America City Application
Directions Home:
For decades, Fort Worth ignored a chronic problem: Homelessness.
Today, partner agencies work to make homelessness rare, short-term and non-recurring through Directions Home, a community-wide collaboration. In the last two years alone, the number of people living on the streets of Fort Worth has dropped by 30 percent. More than 600 people are now in housing and 368 have jobs.
Mental Health Services:
On Sept. 15, 1999, a mentally ill gunman opened fire inside Wedgewood Baptist Church, killing seven and injuring seven others. In the wake of this tragedy, Fort Worth devised an innovative and unique collaboration to address gaps and enhance access to mental health services. Since its formation 11 years ago, the Mental Health Connection has generated more than $45 million in funds and in-kind services to improve local mental health care. With one staff person and a virtual army of volunteers, the Mental Health Connection continues to focus on its vision of “No wrong door to the right mental health resources.”
Graffiti:
The We Are Legal (WAL) challenge describes how things can change when two high school art teachers and students from rival high schools decide to shift the talents and time of youth from “tagging” to producing well-conceived and approved art. The work of WAL students is paying off. Fort Worth has seen a 60 percent decline in reported graffiti, particularly in the neighborhoods from which most WAL participants come.
Previous All-America City Recognition
In 1963, Fort Worth was selected as an All-America City for a citywide town hall meeting process. The process is credited with starting many projects, including the construction of Tarrant County Convention Center (now the Fort Worth Convention Center) and the old Arlington Stadium, the creation of the Tarrant County Junior College System and the development of the Child Study Center.
Fort Worth 1993 selection as an All-America City came from The Fort Worth Vision Coalition/Town Hall ’92 series of citizen meetings. The ’92 series was responsible for the creation of Code Blue as a public/private partnership to fight crime, and for Targeted Area Planning (TAP), in which the city provided technical expertise to residential or commercial stakeholders seeking to revitalize their areas.
FORT WORTH -- Gary Dan Ali was the preacher man of East Lancaster Avenue.
Bible in hand, Scripture flowing from his mouth, he was a reliable presence outside the Day Resource Center, where he and other homeless people gathered.
"Have faith, brother," he told beleaguered passers-by.
He even preached in the showers, friends said.
Ali's belief in God was the theme of his memorial service Monday, when about 60 people gathered outside the Safe Haven shelter to mourn the man who was shot to death and put in the trunk of burning car.
Authorities allege that Ali, 44, was killed March 30 by a sex offender trying to fake his own death and assume Ali's identity. Investigators believe that he chose Ali because the two men had the same build.
It took authorities until May to identify Ali.
Ali lived in the Presbyterian Night Shelter until four days before his death, when he moved into Safe Haven, a shelter for people with mental illness, said Debbi Arbalais, the shelter's program manager.
Attendees at the service sang hymns and released balloons in Ali's memory.
"He was so joyful," said Sharon Adams, a shelter resident. "He was all about Jesus. Always walking back and forth with his Bible."
He wasn't a perfect man. Drug addiction forced him onto the streets, his family has said. But friends, who took turns speaking about Ali at the memorial, recalled a gentle nature.
"When I told him I was getting married, he got on his knees, kissed my hand and said, 'Congratulations, sister,'" Della Sapp said.
Many of those who attended the service lived or worked in shelters. But Rachel Allison, president of the Class of 1986 at Polytechnic High School and a classmate of Ali's, said she learned about his death while planning the class's 25th reunion this summer.
"He was one of the people we'd been trying to find," she said. "A lot of us are hurting over this."
Friends said they had heard about the slaying of the unidentified homeless man but did not realize at first that it was Ali. Some noticed that Ali hadn't been around, but hoped he had gotten day work at Texas Motor Speedway and was camping in north Fort Worth, said the Rev. Kenneth Coleman of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
"I assumed we'd see his smiling face when he got back," Coleman said.
The word on the street was that Ali's killer likely lured him into a vehicle under the guise of a temporary job, he said.
Ali worshipped at Bethlehem Baptist twice a week, riding a bus there with other homeless people as part of an outreach program.
If Ali suspected that another passenger had an ulterior motive for the trip, he demanded that the person get off, Coleman said.
Ali never had ulterior motives, Coleman said.
After sermons, when other attendees headed for the cafeteria to get a free meal, Ali always remained in his seat in the second pew.
POCKET PAL 2011 - Spanish Version - YOUR GUIDE TO HOMELESS SERVICES PROVIDED IN
GUÍA DE BOLSILLO 2011
Condado Tarrant, Texas
SU GUÍA A SERVICIOS PARA PERSONAS SIN HOGAR EN SU GUÍA A SERVICIOS PARA PERSONAS SIN HOGAR EN FORT WORTH, ARLINGTON Y ÁREAS LIMÍTROFES FORT WORTH, ARLINGTON Y ÁREAS LIMÍTROFES
GUÍA DE BOLSILLO 2011 Condado Tarrant, Texas InformaciónGeneralInformaciónGeneral Primera llamada de United Way * marque 211 ó (817) 258-8100 Marque 2-1-1 y presione Opción 1 para un especialista en información y referidos 24/7 para informaciónderecursos locales. www.tarrantcounty211.org
Depto. De Salud y Servicios Humanos de Texas (817) 321-8000
SNAP (estampillas de comida), WIC, TANF, Medicaid, etc.
Servicios Humanos del Condado Tarrant (817) 531-5620
Ayuda con utilidades, Renta, e Hipoteca
Street Outreach Services (S.O.S.) número gratuito (877) 414-8345
Ayuda material, Manejo de caso intensivo, Servicios de referido (solo en Fort Worth)
Administración del Seguro Social número gratuito (800) 772-1213
RefugioDiurno/ManejodeCaso Centro Diurno de Recursos para Personas sin Hogar (817) 810-9797
1415 E. Lancaster, 76102 www.fwdayresourcectr.org Manejo de caso, almacenaje, correo, teléfono, lavandería, facilidades con duchas
RefugiosNocturnosdeEmergencia/ManejodeCaso Refugio Nocturno Presbiteriano www.pns-tc.org (817) 632-7400 Centro para Mujeres y niños * 2401 Cypress (817) 632-7429 Oficina de manejo de caso* (817) 632-7461
Misión Union Gospel www.ugm -tc.org Hombres =(817) 332-3019 1321 E. Lancaster, 76102 Mujeres =(817) 332-7531 Familias =(817) 332-6908
ComidasPreparadas Cocina d Sopas Beautiful Feet 1709 E. Hattie (817) 536-0505 Desayuno – Lun-Dom - 9:00am Comida – Lun-Dom 12:00pm luego del servicio 11:15
Iglesia Bautista Broadway 305 W. Broadway (817) 336-5761 Comida en Bolsa – mar, jue & vier, 9am - 12pm: (por orden de llegada) Cena Ágape - Jueves, Boletos repartidos 4:00pm, Cena servida 6:00pm
Misión Metodista First Street 801 W. 1st (817) 335-6080 Lun 10:00am - 1:00pm Mier 2:30pm – 4:30pm Refugio Nocturno Presbiteriano 2400 Cypress (817) 632-7408
Cena servida a todos los huéspedes que pernoctan – 5:00-6:30pm diario
Ejército de Salvación 1855 E. Lancaster (817) 344-1800 [Desayuno 7:30] [Comida 12:30] [Cena 5:30]
Misión Union Gospel 1321 E. Lancaster (817) 339-2553 Lun – Sab (Desayuno. - 6:30am, Comida – 11:30am, Cena. - 5:20pm) Dom – (Desayuno. - 6:30am, Comida – 10:45am, Cena – 3:45pm)
Primera llamada de United Way * marque 211 ó (817) 258-8100 Marque 2-1-1 y presione Opción 1 para un especialista en información y referidos 24/7 para informaciónderecursos locales. www.tarrantcounty211.org
Depto. De Salud y Servicios Humanos de Texas (817) 321-8000
SNAP (estampillas de comida), WIC, TANF, Medicaid, etc.
Servicios Humanos del Condado Tarrant (817) 531-5620
Ayuda con utilidades, Renta, e Hipoteca
Street Outreach Services (S.O.S.) número gratuito (877) 414-8345
Ayuda material, Manejo de caso intensivo, Servicios de referido (solo en Fort Worth)
Administración del Seguro Social número gratuito (800) 772-1213
RefugioDiurno/ManejodeCaso Centro Diurno de Recursos para Personas sin Hogar (817) 810-9797
1415 E. Lancaster, 76102 www.fwdayresourcectr.org Manejo de caso, almacenaje, correo, teléfono, lavandería, facilidades con duchas
RefugiosNocturnosdeEmergencia/ManejodeCaso Refugio Nocturno Presbiteriano www.pns-tc.org (817) 632-7400 Centro para Mujeres y niños * 2401 Cypress (817) 632-7429 Oficina de manejo de caso* (817) 632-7461
Misión Union Gospel www.ugm -tc.org Hombres =(817) 332-3019 1321 E. Lancaster, 76102 Mujeres =(817) 332-7531 Familias =(817) 332-6908
ComidasPreparadas Cocina d Sopas Beautiful Feet 1709 E. Hattie (817) 536-0505 Desayuno – Lun-Dom - 9:00am Comida – Lun-Dom 12:00pm luego del servicio 11:15
Iglesia Bautista Broadway 305 W. Broadway (817) 336-5761 Comida en Bolsa – mar, jue & vier, 9am - 12pm: (por orden de llegada) Cena Ágape - Jueves, Boletos repartidos 4:00pm, Cena servida 6:00pm
Misión Metodista First Street 801 W. 1st (817) 335-6080 Lun 10:00am - 1:00pm Mier 2:30pm – 4:30pm Refugio Nocturno Presbiteriano 2400 Cypress (817) 632-7408
Cena servida a todos los huéspedes que pernoctan – 5:00-6:30pm diario
Ejército de Salvación 1855 E. Lancaster (817) 344-1800 [Desayuno 7:30] [Comida 12:30] [Cena 5:30]
Misión Union Gospel 1321 E. Lancaster (817) 339-2553 Lun – Sab (Desayuno. - 6:30am, Comida – 11:30am, Cena. - 5:20pm) Dom – (Desayuno. - 6:30am, Comida – 10:45am, Cena – 3:45pm)
Ropa Ropa Misión Metodista First Street 801 W. 1st (817) 335-6080 Banco de Ropa – Lunes Solamente (10:00am-12:30pm)
Iglesia Bautista Broadway 305 W. Broadway (817) 336-5761 Ropa de Adultos – Mar. y Jue. 9:00-12:00 pm (por orden de llegada)(atendemos 30 Personas) Ropa de niños – Lunes. 9:00-12:00 pm (por orden de llegada)
Misión Union Gospel (817) 339-2553
Las personas pueden completar un vale para ropa durante el horario de comida
Misión Metodista First Street 801 W. 1st (817) 335-6080 Banco de Ropa – Lunes Solamente (10:00am-12:30pm)
Iglesia Bautista Broadway 305 W. Broadway (817) 336-5761 Ropa de Adultos – Mar. y Jue. 9:00-12:00 pm (por orden de llegada)(atendemos 30 Personas) Ropa de niños – Lunes. 9:00-12:00 pm (por orden de llegada)
Misión Union Gospel (817) 339-2553
Las personas pueden completar un vale para ropa durante el horario de comida
ServiciosGeneralesServiciosGenerales ServiciosGenerales Autoridad de Vivienda de Fort Worth Admisiones (817) 333-3510
1201 E 13th St. www.ftwha.org Autoridad de Vivienda de Arlington501W. Sanford #20 (817) 275-3351 Caridades Católicas-FW 249 W. Thornhill Dr. 76115 (817) 534-0814
Manejo de casos en general w w w . c c d o f w . o r g Centro de Enriquecimiento Comunitario (817) 281-1164 6250 NE Loop 820 – NRH 76180 w w w . t h e c e c . o r g Red de Asistencia Cornerstone (817) 632-6000
Alimentando por Gracia 1401 E. Presidio, 76102 (817) 744-8211 Servicios de organización religiosa para Sin Hogar www.feedbygrace.org
Casa Samaritana 929 Hemphill - 76104 (817) 332-6410 ext.166 Vivienda de apoyo y Manejo de caso VIH/SIDA www.samaritanhouse.org
Servicios de Re-entrada de Texas3001 Race St. 76111 (817) 834-2833 Manejo de caso para Ex-Ofensor w w w . t x r s . o r g YWCA – Fort Worth 512 W. 4th St - 76102 (817) 332-6191
Autoridad de Vivienda de Fort Worth Admisiones (817) 333-3510
1201 E 13th St. www.ftwha.org Autoridad de Vivienda de Arlington501W. Sanford #20 (817) 275-3351 Caridades Católicas-FW 249 W. Thornhill Dr. 76115 (817) 534-0814
Manejo de casos en general w w w . c c d o f w . o r g Centro de Enriquecimiento Comunitario (817) 281-1164 6250 NE Loop 820 – NRH 76180 w w w . t h e c e c . o r g Red de Asistencia Cornerstone (817) 632-6000
Alimentando por Gracia 1401 E. Presidio, 76102 (817) 744-8211 Servicios de organización religiosa para Sin Hogar www.feedbygrace.org
Casa Samaritana 929 Hemphill - 76104 (817) 332-6410 ext.166 Vivienda de apoyo y Manejo de caso VIH/SIDA www.samaritanhouse.org
Servicios de Re-entrada de Texas3001 Race St. 76111 (817) 834-2833 Manejo de caso para Ex-Ofensor w w w . t x r s . o r g YWCA – Fort Worth 512 W. 4th St - 76102 (817) 332-6191
SaludMédica/Mental SaludMédica/Mental Salud Pública del Condado Tarrant 1101 S. Main St. (817) 321-4700 Centro de Elegibilidad 1325 S. Main, 76104 (817) 927-1001 Clínica Ambulatoria VA FW 2201 S.E. Loop 820 76119 (817) 335-2202 MedStar (No Emergencia) (817) 927-9620
Hospital JPS–Emergencia Psiquiatría 1500 S. Main, 76104(817) 921-3431 MHMR Línea de Crisis 24 Horas (817) 335-3022
Salud Pública del Condado Tarrant 1101 S. Main St. (817) 321-4700 Centro de Elegibilidad 1325 S. Main, 76104 (817) 927-1001 Clínica Ambulatoria VA FW 2201 S.E. Loop 820 76119 (817) 335-2202 MedStar (No Emergencia) (817) 927-9620
Hospital JPS–Emergencia Psiquiatría 1500 S. Main, 76104(817) 921-3431 MHMR Línea de Crisis 24 Horas (817) 335-3022
AbusodeAlcohol/Substancias AbusodeAlcohol/Substancias Concilio de Recursos de Recuperación (817) 332-6329 Concilio de Recursos de Recuperación (817) 332-6329 2700 Airport Freeway – FW 76111 w w w . r e c o v e r y c o u n c i l . o r g 2700 Airport Freeway – FW 76111 w w w . r e c o v e r y c o u n c i l . o r g MHMR Servicios de Adicción (817) 569-5760 MHMR Servicios de Adicción (817) 569-5760
Empleo/AsistenciaconTrabajo Empleo/AsistenciaconTrabajo Workforce Solutions del Condado Tarrant (817) 413-4000 Workforce Solutions del Condado Tarrant (817) 413-4000 Proyecto WISH www.wo rkforce s o l utio ns.net (817) 455-4800 Proyecto WISH www.wo rkforce s o l utio ns.net (817) 455-4800 Industrias Goodwill 4005 Campus (817) 332-7866 Industrias Goodwill 4005 Campus (817) 332-7866
Educación Vocacional/Capacitación destrezas Oficina-Médicas/Experiencia de Trabajo
División de Servicios de Rehabilitación (DARS) (817) 321-8500
Educación Vocacional/Capacitación destrezas Oficina-Médicas/Experiencia de Trabajo
División de Servicios de Rehabilitación (DARS) (817) 321-8500
VA - FW Programa de Veteranos Sin Hogar (817) 255-7150
1518 E. Lancaster w w w . n o r t h t e x a s . v a . g o v Agencia Local de Ancianos 1500 N. Main, Ste. 200 (817) 258-8081 Apoyo a los Soldado - PNS (817) 632-7422
************************************************************************* Actualizado 15 de diciembre, 2010 – Coalición de Sin Hogar Condado Tarrant www.AHomeWithHope.org
¿No encuentra lo que usted necesita? Llame al 2-1-1
Sellos de Pascua de N. Texas 1424 Hemphill St. 76104(817) 332-7171
VA - FW Programa de Veteranos Sin Hogar (817) 255-7150
1518 E. Lancaster w w w . n o r t h t e x a s . v a . g o v Agencia Local de Ancianos 1500 N. Main, Ste. 200 (817) 258-8081 Apoyo a los Soldado - PNS (817) 632-7422
************************************************************************* Actualizado 15 de diciembre, 2010 – Coalición de Sin Hogar Condado Tarrant www.AHomeWithHope.org
¿No encuentra lo que usted necesita? Llame al 2-1-1
"LITTLE FAITH" Off the Streets by Gary York
Back in January at our Homeless Outreach we met Gary York. A writer of Poetry. He shared some of his poems and read this following poem called "Little Faith". He was selling booklets and only had one left to sell. He left to go back to his tent and returned. This past Saturday we didn't see him. We were informed that he is no longer homeless and his wife and him now have a house where they live. He is getting his work published and beginning on his 3rd book. When I googled his name. I was taken to a poetry website where in 2007 he posted the same poem he read to me that morning. Just another reminder that Faith will carry us through. "LITTLE FAITH" I had hard times, no end in sight. I'm in a tunnel, and there's no light. Each day I struggle just to get by. It's harder and harder just to survive. The roads I travel are long and rough being cold and hungry there's never enough. I hit rock bottom and lost my way. I fell on my knee's and started to pray. The lord blessed me that very night. At the end of the tunnel I saw the light. One lesson He taught me I cherish each day. Just a little faith goes a long, long way. From that day forward I was never alone. Life's journey is too hard to make it on your own. Remember this lesson and cherish it each day. Just a"Little Faith" goes a long,long way. By author, Gary York...
Today’s post comes from André C. Wade, program and policy analyst at the Alliance.
As many of you may have seen last week, 20/20 recently aired a segment on homeless youth.
This important episode looked into the lives of four teenagers: - George, who was “thrown away” by his mother, - Rebecca who “couch surfed,” - June, a transgender male to female youth who ran away from a home where she didn’t feel safe with her brothers, - and Dakota, who “doubled up” with a friend before she became emancipated from her biological mother and obtained housing on her own.
Unfortunately, these stories are all too real.
Most children who experience homelessness return home and require family preservation services, but some youth do not return home; instead they seek shelter and are often placed into transitional living programs. Still other youth remain on the street and are continuously at risk of being exploited (research has shown that youth experiencing homelessness are at higher risk of experiencing violence, abuse, and exploitation than their adult counterparts.) A small number of youth, like Dakota, are able to obtain stable housing through the help of federal, state and or local housing subsidy programs.
Youth homelessness is a nationally overlooked phenomenon that affects too many of our country’s young people. And as a result, many communities face a dearth of information and services targeted at young people.
This year, the Alliance is committed to increasing awareness about this critical problem and finding effective, efficient ways to better serve the young people in our nation facing homelessness. You can count on us to look into the federal programs available for youth, including the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs, the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), and the Family Unification Program (FUP). And we’ll look at local programs too, to see if there aren’t innovative new ways to serve homeless youth germinating from the ground up.
But in the meantime, we’re counting on you to be additional sets of eyes and ears. If you know of programs serving homeless youth – in your community or a ways away – please let us know! We’re eager to coordinate and collaborate with the local and national leaders in the field to prevent and end youth homelessness and ensure that all young people have a safe place to call home.
Demand exceeds supply for Salvation Army and Arlington Life Shelter
February 01, 2011
Demand exceeds supply for Salvation Army and Arlington Life Shelter
The Salvation Army and the Arlington Life Shelter are scrambling to take care of additional poor and homeless people from the current winter blast.
The Salvation Army plans to operate two emergency shelters tonight at 207 Elm Street in Lewisville and 3528 E. 14th Street in Plano.
The organization’s full-time emergency shelters in Fort Worth and Dallas are already at capacity. In Fort Worth, the group is working with the nearby Presbyterian Night Shelter and Union Gospel Mission to house extra people. In Dallas, The Bridge, a homeless facility, is helping handle some of the overflow.
With sub-zero wind chills and icy precipitation expected to grip North Texas this week, the Arlington Life Shelter is making a public appeal for help with cold-weather gear.
The homeless shelter, which normally houses about 80 each night, is expecting an additional 30 or 40 people with the extreme cold weather on tap this week.
The shelter is asking for sweatshirts (all sizes), hats (adult sizes), gloves (adult sizes) toilet paper, paper towels and cough drops.
"We pass these items out throughout the winter season but we have been passing out a lot of stuff this winter," Mario Salazar, a receptionist with the shelter. "We really need warming layers to go under coats. Most of them are going to be out there throughout the day looking for work or doing something outside."
But Salazar said the shelter will stay open during the day if there is extreme cold.
Those who want to donate items can drop them at the shelter at 325 W. Division St. all day Monday through Friday and after 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Those interested in donating can also call the shelter at 817-548-9885.
This week's 2011 homeless count found significantly fewer homeless people living unsheltered in Tarrant County than in 2009, suggesting that prevention and rehousing efforts are working, officials say.
Volunteers counted 136 people living outdoors late Thursday and early Friday, down 30 percent from 195 in 2009.
The census, which includes a survey, is required by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department and is performed every two years.
Cindy Crain, executive director of the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, attributed much of the change to more case managers in shelters, Fort Worth's 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness, rehousing programs and better assistance for veterans.
"The housing-first model has been working," she said. "We're keeping more people from falling into the homeless cycle."
The county's total number of homeless won't be known until the shelters' populations are tabulated, which will take time, Crain said. The 2009 count found 2,181 homeless people.
This year, 14 of the unsheltered people were in Arlington, one fewer than in 2009. No homeless people were found in Parker County, although several camps have been discovered there in the past.
More than 400 volunteers participated in the count, Crain said.
She said the recent clearing of a 50- to 60-person campsite on private property near downtown Fort Worth contributed greatly to the decrease because the camp was not there during the 2009 count.
The campsite, at Riverside Drive and East Lancaster Avenue, was still empty when volunteers searched it Thursday night.
Crain said she has not heard reports of homeless people in Tarrant County being run out of campsites as the Super Bowl nears.
"We would have heard something if that was happening," she said.
Otis Thornton, Fort Worth's homelessness program director, said the census's unsheltered count suggests that the city's plan to end homelessness is paying dividends.
A homeless tent city. (credit: Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – The Tarrant County Homeless Coalition combed the streets of overnight to count the homeless living in Fort Worth, Arlington and many of the surrounding cities.
The biannual Homeless Count took place Thursday night across Tarrant and Parker Counties. The census and survey is part of a U.S. Housing and Urban Development program to allocate money to work with and care for the homeless in major metropolitan areas across the nation.
Each person or family surveyed is asked information on how long they have been homeless, and what kind of resources they use or would utilize if available.
In addition to unsheltered homeless sleeping in tent cities or under overpasses, people staying in one of Fort Worth’s shelters were also counted Thursday.
Presbyterian Night Shelter Executive Director Toby Owen said the 2009 count showed there were over 2,000 homeless people living in the Tarrant County area. Owen says based on his experience in working with the homeless over the past few years he believes this year’s count numbers will show an increase in families and veterans.
Since the release of Homelessness Counts: Changes in Homelessness from 2005 to 2007, the Alliance has chronicled changes in the levels of homelessness in the nation and in individual states and communities to chart our progress toward the goal of ending homelessness. This comprehensive examination not only reveals national and state level homeless counts, but also delves into economic indicators and demographic drivers – taking an in-depth look at risk factors for homelessness. Built upon the most recent nationally available data from the federal Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Justice, and other public information sources, this report analyzes the effect the recession has had on homelessness and how it has contributed to an increased risk of homelessness for many Americans.
Major Findings
The State of Homelessness in America report consists of four major sections. Chapter 1 chronicles annual changes in overall homelessness and homelessness among families and other subpopulations. Chapter 2 demonstrates how economic risk factors, including unemployment, have increased during the recent economic recession. Chapter 3 identifies some specific populations, including doubled-up people and youth aging out of foster care, that are at increased risk of homelessness and documents trends in the sizes of those populations. Chapter 4 identifies a series of states, including California, Florida, and Nevada, that face multiple risk factors for worsening homelessness. Key findings for each of those sections are presented here.
Major Findings
Key findings of the report on homelessness:
The nation’s homeless population increased by approximately 20,000 people from 2008 to 2009 (3 percent increase). There were also increased numbers of people experiencing homelessness in each of the subpopulations examined in this report: families, individuals, chronic, unsheltered.
A majority – 31 of 50 states and the District of Columbia - had increases in their homeless counts. The largest increase was in Louisiana, where the homeless population doubled.
Among subpopulations, the largest percentage increase was in the number of family households, which increased by over 3,200 households (4 percent increase). Also, the number of persons in families increased by more than 6,000 people (3 percent increase). In Mississippi, the number of people in homeless families increased by 260 percent.
After population reductions from 2005 to 2008, the number of chronically homeless people in the country remained stagnant from 2008 to 2009, despite an 11 percent increase in the number of permanent supportive housing units.
While most people experiencing homelessness are sheltered, nearly 4 in 10 were living on the street, in a car, or in another place not intended for human habitation. In Wisconsin, twice as many people experienced homelessness without shelter in 2009 as did in 2008.
It is widely agreed upon that there is a vast undercount of the number of young people experiencing homelessness. Underscoring this is the fact that 35 percent of all communities reported that there were no homeless youth in their communities in 2009.
Economic Indicators
In recognition of the reality that homelessness is most often caused by job loss and other economic factors, this report explores economic indicators for homeless people and people at risk of homelessness. The economic indicators examined in this report point to worsening conditions across the nation and all states. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and RealtyTrac, this report chronicles the changes in four economic indicators from 2008 to 2009.
Key findings of the report on economic indicators:
Conditions worsened among all four economic indicators examined in this report: housing affordability for poor people, unemployment, poor workers’ income, and foreclosure status.
From 2008 to 2009, the number of unemployed people in America increased by 60 percent from 8.9 to 14.3 million. Every state and the District of Columbia had an increase in the number of unemployed people. The number of unemployed people in Wyoming doubled.
Nearly three-quarters of all U.S. households with incomes below the federal poverty line spend over 50 percent of monthly household income on rent. Over 80 percent of households below the federal poverty line in Florida, Nevada, and California spend more than 50 percent of income on rent. Forty states saw an increase in the number of poor households experiencing severe housing cost burden from 2008 to 2009.
While real income among all U.S. workers decreased by 1 percent in 2009, poor workers’ income decreased even more, dropping by 2 percent to $9,151. Poor workers in Alaska, the District of Columbia, Maine, and Rhode Island saw their incomes decrease by more than 10 percent.
Foreclosure affected nearly half a million more households in 2009 than in 2008, a 21 percent increase for a total of 2.8 million foreclosed units in 2009. The number of foreclosed units more than doubled in Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
Demographic Drivers
While homelessness affects people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and geographies, there are groups of people at increased risk of homelessness. The demographic indicators examined in this report focus on four populations at increased risk of homelessness: people living in doubled up situations, people discharged from prison, young adults aged out of foster care, and uninsured people. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the Department of Health and Human Services, this report chronicles the changes from 2008 to 2009 in demographic drivers of homelessness.
Key findings of the report on demographic drivers:
The doubled up population (people living with family or friends for economic reasons) increased by 12 percent to more than 6 million people from 2008 to 2009. In Rhode Island the number increased by 90 percent; in South Dakota the number more than doubled.
In the course of a year, the estimated odds of experiencing homelessness for a doubled up person are 1 in 10.
In the course of a year, the estimated odds of experiencing homelessness for a released prisoner are 1 in 11.
In the course of a year, the estimated odds of experiencing homelessness for a young adult who ages out of foster care are 1 in 6.
While the national number of uninsured people remained relatively constant, 33 states saw an increase in the number of uninsured people.
States with Multiple Risk Factors
One of the unique features of The State of Homelessness in America is the simultaneous examination of homeless counts and associated economic and demographic indicators. This affords a unique opportunity to identify states facing multiple economic and demographic risk factors for worsening homelessness.
Key findings of the report on states with multiple risk factors:
Half of all states have multiple risk factors for increased homelessness; that is, they have rates worse than the national average on at least two of five indicators (unemployment, foreclosure, doubled up, housing cost burden, lack of health insurance).
The presence of multiple economic and demographic risk factors is associated with higher rates of homelessness. In particular, states with high rates of cost burden among poor households exhibit higher rates of homelessness. Ten of the fourteen states with rates of homelessness greater than the national rate also have levels of cost burden greater than the national average.
California, Florida, and Nevada – states known to have been disproportionately impacted by the recent housing crisis – have both high rates of homelessness and high levels of unemployment, foreclosure, housing cost burden, lack of insurance, and doubling up.
Moving Forward
These findings project a disquieting picture of what depressed wages, stagnant unemployment, unrelenting housing cost burden, and the lagging pace of the economic recovery could bring about: increases in homelessness and heightened risk of homelessness for more and more Americans. As the new Congress and the Administration consider steps to revitalize the American economy with jobs, extension of benefits, and access to health care, it would be prudent to take note of these increased risk factors and incorporate homeless interventions into their recovery strategy.
Luckily, there are a number of strategies that can be administered effectively and efficiently:
Federal support of local efforts: To date, over 270 communities have adapted and adopted the Alliance’s Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. In July 2010, these communities found a federal partner; the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness released Opening Doors, a national, cooperative, interagency approach to end homelessness. Working together, communities – with the assistance of federal agencies, services, and resources - can achieve the goal of ending homelessness in America.
Examine state institutions: Discharge from state institutions – including foster care, incarceration, and health facilities – contributes to the number of people experiencing homelessness, but with the proper interventions and transition support, this is a problem that can be remedied. Prevention efforts to curb homelessness before it occurs are one critical way to reduce homelessness.
Strategic use of federal resources: This report shows that the need for homeless assistance programs is both abundant and critical - but federal resources are increasingly scarce. Ongoing federal initiatives to prevent and end homelessness must be implemented strategically to maximize their impact and efficacy.
The director of a homeless shelter in Columbus, Ga., refuses to budge on his opposition to serving gay and lesbian people.
WRBL-TV reports that House of Mercy director Bobby Harris kicked out two women earlier this month for breaking curfew and smoking a cigarette, claiming that one of the women broke curfew to have a rendezvous with the other.
"That act is not tolerated here at all," Harris said. "Let me tell you one of the reasons why, because of the bible of course, and then we have little children that we won't have tolerate that kind of act here."
Following a media uproar, Harris tried to claim that he kicked the women out solely because of the curfew rule. Later, in another interview with WRBL-TV, he talked about his opposition to homosexuality.
According to the Bilerico Project, it appears that the House of Mercy receives government funding.
FORT WORTH -- A large homeless camp near downtown Fort Worth was dismantled Saturday with help from church volunteers.
Most of the 50 tents that were pitched on the hill at Riverside Drive and East Lancaster Avenue were gone by early afternoon. Two people crammed bedding and other possessions into a shopping cart.
Volunteers who provide outreach at the camp would help the homeless clean up remaining trash, said Rick Paredes, a volunteer. Church members moved a large trash receptacle to the hill.
"If there is still trash here, it will only be because someone else came and made a mess after we left," he said.
Campers were told to leave after city code officers found numerous code violations. They also discovered that the tents were pitched illegally on private property owned by a subsidiary of XTO Energy.
XTO was gracious in giving the homeless people a week to move, said James Buckley, a member of The Abbey Church in Fort Worth.
Volunteers are paying to put some campers in motels for the short term. Paredes said. The long-term plan is to pair the homeless people with churches, where members will try to help them overcome the problems that forced them onto the street.
"What kind of help do they need to get back on their feet?" Paredes said. "That's what we need to find out."
Several homeless people still at the camp Saturday said they were still deciding where to go. Patricia Elkins said she and a friend own three dogs, which makes it hard to find a place that will accept them.
"Not sure where we'll go, but I guess we've got to," Elkins said.
R.L. Dean leaned against the hood of his silver Mercury sedan, where he said he lived. Dean said he has parked his car on the hill for six months. His clothes were on hangers in the backseat.
"This is the only place I've parked it where the cops don't wake me in the middle of the night and make me move," he said. "I'll just have to find another place."
FORT WORTH -- A large homeless camp near downtown Fort Worth was dismantled Saturday with help from church volunteers.
Most of the 50 tents on a hill at Riverside Drive and East Lancaster Avenue were gone by early afternoon. Two people crammed bedding and other possessions into a shopping cart.
Volunteers who provide outreach at the camp will help the homeless clean up remaining trash, said Rick Paredes, a volunteer. Church members moved a large trash receptacle to the hill.
"If there is still trash here, it will only be because someone else came and made a mess after we left," he said.
Campers were told to leave after city code officers found numerous violations. They also discovered that the tents were pitched illegally on private property owned by a subsidiary of XTO Energy.
XTO was gracious in giving the homeless people a week to move, said James Buckley, a member of The Abbey Church in Fort Worth.
Volunteers are paying to put some campers in motels for the short term, Paredes said. The long-term plan is to pair the homeless people with churches whose members will try to help them overcome the problems that forced them onto the street.
"What kind of help do they need to get back on their feet?" Paredes said. "That's what we need to find out."
Several homeless people still at the camp Saturday said they were deciding where to go. Patricia Elkins said she and a friend own three dogs, so it's hard to find a place that will accept them.
"Not sure where we'll go, but I guess we've got to," Elkins said.
R.L. Dean leaned against the hood of his silver Mercury sedan, where he said he lived. Dean said he has parked his car on the hill for six months. His clothes were on hangers in the back seat. "This is the only place I've parked it where the cops don't wake me in the middle of the night and make me move," he said. "I'll just have to find another place."
FORT WORTH — Stripped of their leaves, winter trees have revealed a secret in Fort Worth.
Drivers just outside of downtown have spotted a growing tent city — homeless people who have been camping illegally on private land for months.
They've had help from local religious volunteers, but now that the secret is out, they have been told they have to go.
So far, the homeless encampment remains.
Anjanette Collazo, 23, showed us something she's hidden from friends, classmates and even family members: The tent that she calls home.
"I hide it very well," said Collazo, who is training to be a pharmacy technician. She craves a job and a real home.
Collazo is desperate. She's pregnant.
"This is real life, and this does happen," she said. "Everybody's not bad; everybody's not out here because it's their fault. Some of us are kind of forced in this situation and others aren't."
Collazo's boyfriend admits he served 10 years in prison, and says that's the reason he can't find a job.
Their tent is one of nearly 60 outside of downtown Fort Worth, off Lancaster Avenue. Some have been here a year or more, through heat waves and snowstorms. How do they cope?
"Just get up under your blankets and get as warm as you can," said Terry Waits.
But now, they have to go, the upshot of good intentions from good samaritans. They brought food, blankets and better tents to the encampment.
When word got out, the camp got so big that Fort Worth Code Compliance officers spotted it from the road.
The city has given the property owner, a private company, 10 days to dismantle the camp, saying it's a health and safety threat.
Area shelters stand ready to take the tent-dwellers in.
"We allow any homeless person to come into our doors," said Toby Owen of Presbyterian Night Shelter.
But on a night that temperatures were forecast to plunge into the teens, the illegal campers said they'll find another location to pitch their tents before going to a shelter.
"Those are much worser than out here," Collazo said.
The homeless camp residents are trespassing on the land they're using. The property owner has the right to call in the police at any time for help in moving them.
FORT WORTH -- People living in one of Fort Worth's largest homeless campsites will likely have to relocate after city code officers reported many violations there.
The development has church members who provide outreach at the camp worried that occupants will have to leave before they can find another place to stay.
City code officers responded Friday to complaints about a camp that has "mushroomed in size" at Riverside Drive and Lancaster Avenue and found about 50 tents pitched on a ridge, said Brandon Bennett, Fort Worth's code compliance director. They also found food and paper waste, as well as empty alcoholic beverage containers.
The camp is on private property, so officers contacted the owner, who said the campers did not have permission to be there.
Homeless people at the camp Monday said they were under the impression they had 10 days to leave. Bennett said that no deadline has been set but that the city could start issuing criminal trespass citations if the property owner wants the campers removed.
"You can't just build a camp on someone else's property," Bennett said.
Members of several churches who regularly deliver food and other supplies to the camp said that not giving the campers time to find new places to live will leave some with nowhere to go.
"You can't displace people that fast. People need time to figure out what to do," said James Buckley, who oversees ministry for the homeless at The Abbey Church in Fort Worth.
The campsite may be the largest in Fort Worth. There is a "kitchen tent" with two smokers where campers cook meals. In another tent, there are shelves holding cans of peas and corn, as well as crates of onions.
On Monday afternoon, several campers milled about, including a woman with a stroller and a young child.
Terry Waits Jr., 21, who said he has lived at the camp for two years, said the campsite started small but grew rapidly as "word on the street spread."
Waits acknowledged that trash is an issue, gesturing toward an overflowing trash barrel. But he said campers do their best to keep the camp clean and not cause problems.
"It's not a secret we've been up here," he said. "The police drive up here all the time to shine their lights and check on us. And now, suddenly, they want us gone."
Church groups involved with the campers will meet Thursday to help them relocate, said Rico Paredes, who is with a private outreach organization.
Otis Thornton, the city homelessness program director, said Fort Worth's homeless shelters have room to house the campers. Church groups supplying the camp are well-intentioned, he said, but the food and supplies the groups deliver are one reason the camp has grown.
Thornton encouraged organizations to get involved through partnerships with established homeless service organizations.
The 2011 homeless count will start at 9:30 p.m. Jan. 27. Volunteers will stage before the count at University Christian Church, 2720 S. University Drive in Fort Worth, and the Arlington Human Resources Building, 501 W. Sanford St.
To volunteer, go to www.ahomewithhope.org and click on the "How Can I Help" link in the section on the homeless count.
Hundreds more volunteers are needed for a Jan. 27 count and survey of Tarrant County's homeless population.
The count, which federal officials require every two years, will start at 9:30 p.m. and usually lasts several hours. Volunteers in groups of four will visit campsites, bridges, shelters and other areas frequented by homeless people.
About 500 volunteers are needed, said Cindy Crain, executive director of the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition. As of Thursday, about 110 were signed up. Volunteers will stage before the count in Fort Worth and Arlington.
The 2009 count found 2,181 people living outdoors or in emergency shelters and transitional housing.
This year's count will include changes from past censuses, Crain said. Volunteers can sign up for webinar training sessions, which will cover subjects such as safety and how to best communicate with homeless people.
The coalition is also using a geographic information system to produce maps of campsites for volunteers, a vast improvement over hard-to-read printouts of maps used previously, Crain said.
The Feb. 6 Super Bowl in Arlington will pose a challenge to this year's count. Because of security needs for events leading up to the game, fewer police officers will be available to escort volunteers into homeless camps.
Crain said, however, that the coalition may get help from constables or the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department. The plan is to have one officer for every four teams of volunteers.
"We have never had an incident," Crain said. "We have very experienced volunteers and a tremendous amount of safety. We're hoping a lot of people will choose to get involved."
FORT WORTH -- Blurry vision has made life on the streets all the more challenging for Thomas Lujan.
"I have a lot of trouble seeing," said Lujan, 49, who says he has been homeless for six years. "I have to listen for cars when I cross the streets."
At the First Street Methodist Mission, Lujan was able to sign up Wednesday to receive routine healthcare and treatment for his cataracts through the JPS Health Network.
"We're not just sitting around waiting for them to come to us," said Mary Perez, community health advocate for the JPS Health Network. "We're going to them."
The goal is to reach out to the unsheltered homeless before they get so sick that they end up in the emergency room, she said. The key to a healthy community is prevention, Perez said.
Besides being better for the patient, it's cost-effective. An emergency department visit costs about $3,000 compared with $500 when someone goes to an urgent-care center.
Twice a month, a team will set up at the Methodist Mission to sign people up for the JPS Connections program. Team members are also visiting many of the estimated 70 homeless camps around town to take blood pressure, do dental screenings and urge people to see a physician.
It is often a hard sell. "Don't be afraid, we're not going to hurt you," Perez told one man as he backed away. "We're only going to help you."
Mental illness and fear often keep the homeless away. Without transportation, they question how they can get care. Keeping a doctor's appointment is a huge challenge for someone who doesn't know what day it is or how to get there, one homeless man said. Those who feel well simply postpone seeing a doctor for months or years.
"I've seen women who haven't had a Pap smear in 20 years," Perez said.
But a minor cold can turn into a serious infection for someone who lives in the elements, said Elizabeth Becker, assistant director for the First Street Methodist Mission. Mental illness and dental and vision problems are common, as well as feet issues.
By coming to the same places where the unsheltered homeless get food, Perez said she hopes to build relationships that will lead to trust. During her first visit, Perez handed out her card and urged everyone to call her personally.
"The best way to build relationships is to just listen," Perez said. "All they want is to be heard."
HUD housing intervention counselor Michael C. Raven, says he has seen an increase in the number clients who are gay and homeless moving into Denton.
Raven serves as secretary for HOPE, Inc., which provides financial assistance and case management to families who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless and seeking to secure permanent housing.
Before coming to HOPE, which is non-faith-based, Raven worked for the Salvation Army.
Rven said that compared to Dallas, homeless numbers in Denton are low. The latest count is 103 people in the city of Denton and 547 in the county. Homelessness is more of a rural problem in Denton County, he said, and many of the county’s homeless live in tents in the woods.
Raven, who is himself gay, said the biggest problem he has seen with gay homelessness in Denton County is that the Salvation Army provides Denton’s only shelter — and that organization does not welcome gays or lesbians.
“It takes awhile to get someone off the street and into affordable housing,” Raven said. “We give them three years to graduate into self-sufficiency.”
Raven follows everyone who contacts his office.
“With housing counseling, we hope they’ll have a surplus each month,” he said.
The goal is to get them into transitional housing and then something permanent.
Among the many reasons for homelessness are mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse and family violence. But unemployment is the top reason for homelessness currently in Denton.
Of those who reported a cause, 20 percent said loss of a job and another 15 percent were “unable to pay rent or mortgage,” mostly related to employment issues.
Not everyone who is homeless was without work, Raven said, but some may be working at a much lower-paying job or only finding part-time work.
Raven said he has notes about available jobs all over his office and is constantly checking a number of sources. If he knows a client has a particular skill, he tries to make the connection.
But he said employers are terrible about taking advantage of the homeless.
Raven cited one case of a client with a degree in accounting. A retail store didn’t have an accounting position open, but hired her as a cashier and taught her the accounting process for their business at the same time. After four months, she was doing most of the store’s accounting work but was still being paid as a cashier.
A major retailer hired another of his clients. When they found out that she had a degree, which required a higher salary by their own company rules, they fired her, Raven said.
Once every two years, Denton counts its homeless population. Raven is part of that counting process, which will start after the New Year.
He said he doesn’t like to just show up and take census figures, so he asks his HOPE donors for personal care items and blankets to distribute on counting night.
While usually associated with urban areas, Raven said homelessness is increasing in rural areas.
During the recession, he’s noticed that everyone’s watching their money. But he thinks that people are just being more prudent because homelessness could happen to anyone.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition December 10, 2010.
Blanket & Winter Drive for our December Christmas Day Outing
Blanket & Winter Drive
This year the our December Homeless Outreach which is always on the 4th Saturday falls on Christmas Day, December 25, 2010. We will be going out and doing Hot Breakfast (Sausage, Eggs, Grits, Bread, Coffee and Hot Chocolate) as usual we would like to also take much needed blankets, gloves, hats, scarves, socks and hygiene items as well. We always have a few blankets each month, but never enough for all the people that ask for them. So this year we are doing a Blanket & Winter Item drive.
We always try to get a head start on things, but this year we are running late. We would like to ask as you start your winter cleaning, getting things in order for the holidays, if you have old usable blankets/bedspreads, hats, coats, scarves, gloves or socks and would like them to go to persons that are in need please contact us.
Your donation is tax deductible as THM is a 501(c)(3) ministry. A Tax Receipt is given upon request.
We normally help at least 200 people or more per month with hot meals, clothes and hygiene products.
Here is a list of things that we would like to provide:
Winter Items Needed:
Blankets
Hats Gloves
Scarves Socks
Coats
Hygiene Items Needed:
Washcloth
Soap
Deodorant
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Comb
Razor
Shaving Cream
You can also check us out on our website at www.triumphantheavenlyministries.org click the outreach button at the top of the page and look at a few pictures of what we’re doing. If you would like to do an online donation. Please go to the web page and do the donation by clicking the PayPal link.
Please feel free to share with your family and friends.
FORT WORTH -- Patti Nicholson hadn't seen Karen Shearhart in decades, but she sometimes wondered what happened to her old friend from Western Hills High School.
So, Nicholson said, it was stunning and sad to see Shearhart's yearbook photo in a recent Star-Telegram story about Shearhart, who died last month in her homeless camp.
"She was a such a sweet girl," Nicholson said. "You lose touch with people over time, and it breaks your heart the way things turned out."
Nicholson was among several of Shearhart's long-lost friends who attended a memorial for her Monday. As a candle burned in Shearhart's memory, those friends joined dozens of social service workers who had gotten to know Shearhart.
Many volunteers and outreach workers tried to help the homeless woman, but she had a mental illness and wanted to live outdoors, friends say.
In recent years, Shearhart, 56, wore bulky clothes, carried garbage bags and wore a wool cap, even in the summer. But friends had pictures depicting a brighter time in Shearhart's life. In one, she was a teen with long blond hair flowing past her shoulders as she rode a bicycle, smiling at the camera.
"She was just beautiful," said Julia Mclain, who knew Shearhart in high school. "So friendly and warm."
David Young, a former classmate, recalled sitting next to Shearhart in typing class. She often watched over his shoulder at what he typed and giggled until the teacher finally put them on opposite sides of the room, he said.
A teacher once asked the students what kind of animal they would like to be, he said. Shearhart said a koala bear. That's how she signed his yearbook, "Koala Bear," he said.
"So I would always call her Koala Bear," he said. "That's what I knew her by."
Shearhart's high school friends listened as several social service workers recounted meeting her and earning her trust. They talked of trying to get her to go to a shelter on cold nights and, when she refused, asking paramedics to check on her.
They spoke about taking Shearhart blankets and making sure that she had enough food.
Nicholson's eyes teared as she stood and addressed those workers and volunteers. "Thank you all for taking such good care of her," she said.
FORT WORTH -- Every Monday morning Kevin Polk takes a bus across town to the near east side and gets off where East Lancaster Avenue crosses Cypress Street, the corner of Jobless and Dispossessed.
At a nearby vacant lot the man recovering from alcohol and drug addiction joins a group of friends, his soccer teammates.
"That's Kevin over there," Karla Gray said.
Smiling, she nodded toward the goalie as he patrolled the net, alert and watchful, the bill of his white cap turned backward.
Gray is co-founder of an unusual Fort Worth sports team.
The NTX Stars participate in Street Soccer USA, a national nonprofit outreach program designed to teach goal setting, commitment and accountability to those in the growing homeless community. When Gray began the volunteer undertaking two years ago, she marched up and down the sidewalks in the homeless district, east of downtown, looking to recruit players.
She cheerfully invited anyone who met her gaze.
Polk, 42, was among those who appeared one day at the practice field.
Gray offered a hug and asked his name.
For a few weeks the man -- a "lifeless" figure is how Gray remembers him -- kept his distance, watching from the sidelines, unsure what to make of the sport, which he had never played.
"Kevin, c'mon. Join us!" Karla called out.
Two good friends
At the time, Polk slept at the neighboring Presbyterian Night Shelter, which provides bunks, meals and basic care to an average of more than 700 men and women every night. He receives benefits from the Social Security disability insurance program because of heart problems and bulging discs in his neck.
For years he took prescription painkillers in excess. In and out of hospitals, he had bouts of depression and anxiety.
In time, Polk joined in the practices and fellowship.
Gray and the team's coach, Ryan Robbins, gained his trust.
Polk had found two friends who listened to him as if what he said mattered. They offered guidance and encouragement and -- in his words -- "cared more about me than I cared about myself."
Now Polk is reclaiming his life, one day -- and one saved goal -- at a time.
As he spoke openly of the gift of acceptance, this man who has survived three heart attacks and battled the demons of addiction for more than half his life gathered himself when his voice faltered. His dark brown eyes glistened with emotion.
"Karla and Ryan, they have big hearts," he said.
"If it wasn't for this soccer program, I wouldn't be alive."
'Shame and guilt'
When Polk lived among the homeless, he had a name for the street outside the night shelter.
It's also the title of a hit song recorded by the band Green Day.
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
"We all walk around like this," he said, dropping his gaze. "Nobody knows what your face looks like. But they know the shoes you wear. You don't look nobody in the eye because you don't like who you are. And where you ended up."
Polk turned to alcohol and drugs as a teenager as a way of dealing with a troubled family life.
A high school dropout, he had his first heart attack four years ago while standing in the lunch line at the Salvation Army in Denton. A subsequent coronary (he has five stents) did more damage to his heart and his prospects for finding happiness.
He lost his job, his fiancee and his apartment.
Under the dark cloud of depression he rode a bus to Fort Worth and moved into the night shelter, where he bunked for almost a year.
Fort Worth's Directions Home program, which provides services including housing assistance and mental health counseling, helped Polk move into an affordable apartment in October. While he lived alone, his anxiety worsened.
Polk became afraid to leave his apartment.
Gray took him grocery shopping.
Polk didn't shave because he hated the thought of confronting the image in the mirror.
"I was full of shame and guilt," he said. "This wasn't how my family raised me to be, but I wasn't doing anything about it."
He prayed, he said, but not for forgiveness.
"I prayed every night to die."
In the spring Gray received a desperate phone call. Polk tearfully told her that he needed to go to John Peter Smith Hospital's psychiatric ward.
"Something," he said, in hindsight, "had to change."
'Grace of God'
On April 27 a case worker with Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County-Addiction Services assisted Polk in entering a rehab facility near the night shelter. Fighting his fears and not wanting to let down those who befriended him, he stayed 41 days.
Four months of sobriety, Polk said, have changed his outlook profoundly. He is going to church and looking for employment. He regularly attends Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. This summer, when the NTX Stars played in Street Soccer's national tournament in Washington, D.C., Polk telephoned his case worker, Cindy Bell, in Fort Worth.
"Guess where I am," he said excitedly and answered his own question.
"I just walked out of the Capitol."
In Washington, Polk shared his life story at an open AA meeting that his coach attended.
"Kevin spilled it all," Robbins said. "He talked for an hour. He shared every detail from the time he was a kid and was told he was worthless, a piece of trash. In the end, he gave credit to our soccer program and the grace of God."
'Biggest honor'
He had just sat down at a local AA meeting when his cellphone rang.
Gray and Robbins had big news.
Street Soccer USA officials had selected eight players from teams nationwide to represent the United States in the 64-nation Homeless World Cup, Sept. 19-26 in Rio de Janeiro.
Nominees are chosen for their soccer ability, personal achievements and positive spirit.
Polk was one of the eight. Soon the man once anchored on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams will fly to Brazil.
"Coming from where I came from, to represent my country, clean and sober, is the biggest honor of my life," Polk said.
Each day tests his resolve. Temptations, he knows, are all around. But he no longer walks with his head down. He can face the person in the mirror now.
Polk rubbed his chin and smiled.
"I shaved this morning," he said.
Fort Worth's proposed budget slashes jobs, libraries, inspections, funding for arts and the homeless
FORT WORTH - A proposed $1.3 billion city budget unveiled Tuesday closes a $73 million funding gap without increasing the city's property tax rate, but it eliminates more than 200 city jobs, lays off 90 employees, closes libraries and a city pool and slashes funding for the homeless, city maintenance and health inspections.
"The proposal presented today is our financial blueprint for sustainable, long-term city services," City Manager Dale Fisseler said. "It's our attempt - without a tax increase - to balance our need to reduce costs while maintaining the best possible quality of life for the people of Fort Worth."
The proposed budget would raise various city fees, such as increasing the city's monthly water/sewer rate by 2.5 percent and raising municipal golf fees.
The proposed 2010-11 budget freezes 40 empty police positions, cuts 36 empty firefighter positions and "strategically deactivates" fire companies at one or more of the city's 12 two-company fire stations.
It reduces overtime for city employees, closes Forest Park Pool, closes the Meadowbrook Northside and Ridglea branch libraries, reduces maintenance at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and cuts funding for health inspections, mowing properties that violate the high grass rule and funding for freeway light maintenance.
The city will rearrange some city departments - such as moving environmental services to transportation and public works, shifting solid waste to code compliance and transferring external communications to the city manager's office.
Funding for the arts, the homeless and a subsidy for the Ambulance Authority will all be reduced. And the city will eliminate its plan that buys back vacation from city employees.
Officials expect to gain nearly $7 million by repealing the policy restricting ad valorem taxes on mineral values, funding that will help with street repairs, graffiti abatement, gang intervention and more. And they hope to use about $15 million from the General Fund and Worker's Compensation Fund to restore debt capacity to help make sure capital projects are completed on time.
The city's current property tax rate is proposed to remain at 85.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
Public hearings
Four public hearings are currently scheduled to work on the city budget: 10 a.m. Aug. 17; 10 a.m. Aug. 24; 7 p.m. Sept. 14; and 7 p.m. Sept. 21. The hearings will be in the council chamber at Fort Worth's City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.
FORT WORTH -- After a day of jockeying with other homeless people to escape the baking August heat, Mark LaCroix feels cool, calm relief when a Broadway Baptist Church van arrives at the Day Resource Center.
He climbs in and is greeted moments later at the church door by a blast of air conditioning. He pulls his mattress from a closet and dresses it with crisp, clean linens.
Then he's munching on grapes and chatting with church members as part of Room in the Inn, a program in which area churches take in the homeless during the summer and winter.
"It is peace and serenity," LaCroix, 49, said of his accommodations at Broadway Baptist. "Out there in the shelters and on the street, it's hot and crowded. It's a relief to get here."
Broadway Baptist and St. Stephen Presbyterian Church launched the program in December 2007, said Mary Sumner, a Broadway Baptist member who helped start the effort after learning about the program's success in Nashville.
The churches offer meals and a place to sleep for up to 15 homeless men or women a night. Church members pick up their guests in the late afternoon from the Day Resource Center, a day shelter that screens the homeless for good program candidates.
The next morning, church members drive the homeless people back to the shelter.
Room in the Inn helps keep the guests healthy in the cold or heat, Sumner said. But it also strives to build relationships between them and church members.
"We have some that really become like family," she said. "You get to know and understand things going on in their lives."
The men arrived around 5 one evening this week. Volunteers passed out bedding and hygiene kits packed with soap, shampoo and toothbrushes. Some of the men are exhausted and fall asleep immediately. Others read books and magazines.
"A lot of them are really big readers," Sumner said. "They just want a quiet place to enjoy their books."
Dinner this week was brisket, potatoes and salad with homegrown tomatoes. Volunteers try to avoid cooking meals like spaghetti, which the men are often fed in shelters, said Lynn Williams, a church volunteer.
At St. Stephen, church members and the homeless often play dominoes or spades, church member Wendy Larmour said. After a family-style dinner, they sometimes watch movies. Last winter, they saw the entire Jason Bourne series, she said.
"Our members really enjoy the time we spend with them," she said.
Eight other churches have joined the effort, including Richland Hills United Methodist, the first one outside Fort Worth to get involved, Sumner said.
Each church selects one night a week to take in the homeless, she said. Right now, two churches are hosting homeless women while the remaining churches invite men. Almost 800 people have already been helped.
Organizers would like to find more churches to start taking in homeless families for the night, she said.
"The demographic seems to be changing," Sumner said. "There are more parents and children in need."
LaCroix said he hopes to keep coming to Broadway as long as he is welcome. He prepared a plate of food and sat down to eat at a table with church members.
"I just like the chance to socialize," he said. "Just sit around and talk to nice people."
FORT WORTH -- On Palm Sunday, Alvin Sandlin was preaching to the city's homeless at The Church on the Slab, where he stepped from behind the pulpit, walked among the seated worshippers and lifted his voice in song.
He sang a hymn titled Do You Know Him?
When Mr. Sandlin finished the song he collapsed from a heart attack.
Paramedics resuscitated him and took him to John Peter Smith Hospital. Nicknamed "Love" by the street people he served, Mr. Sandlin, a family man who had ministered to hospice patients, mowed lawns of the elderly, and fed, clothed and assisted homeless veterans and the working poor, lived for a week after the removal of life support.
Mr. Sandlin died April 8. He was 51.
"Alvin went the way he wanted to go," Co-pastor Dan Robbins said.
"Race, color, rich, poor. He put all that aside. Everyone was God's children to him," Robbins said.
Alvin Dexter Sandlin was born in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Feb. 15, 1959, the son of Leo Sandlin and Dora Flagg Sandlin. A graduate of Central High School in Fort Pierce, he attended the University of Central Florida before moving to Fort Worth in 1990.
Mr. Sandlin served as pastor at Lighthouse Church of God and Friendship Community Church of the Nazarene, which operated a food bank and delivered hot meals to seniors living in the Polytechnic Heights and Stop Six neighborhoods.
In 2006, Mr. Sandlin and Co-pastor Cherryll Wallace reopened a church without walls, a slab of concrete, on the northwest corner of Interstate 35W and East Rosedale Street.
The initials of The Church on the Slab stand for salvation, love, anointing and blessings.
The Rev. Charles Williams, a funeral home director, described Mr. Sandlin as a "modern-day John the Baptist."
Robbins said on the morning his associate collapsed, the church service continued, as Mr. Sandlin would have wished. The Church on the Slab served lunch to 160 people.
The church will hold a memorial service for the pastor at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Survivors include wife Montrice Sandlin; children Aaron, Lovie, Hannah and Amber; mother Dora Flagg Sandlin; brothers Samuel, Lawrence, Kenneth, Leo and Rubin; and sisters Dearndra Adderly and Jennifer Hall.
Hello Men & Women of God Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Our next homeless outreach is this Saturday and this is just a friendly reminder for some and new for others The Homeless Outreach date is Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:00 AM Place of distribution is Unity Park, 1401 East Presidio St., Ft Worth, TX 76102, (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter)
In December SPREAD THE WARMTH COLLECTED 700 Sleeping Bags for the Homless!
This week I recieved a message that the MCC Agape in Ft.Worth had collected 20 sleeping bags that never were picked up. So after Church my FOLO Partner Rhonda Nix and myself whent to pick them and up deliver them that day to the homeless in Ft.Worth. We stopped down at the Salvation Army Mission and gave out all of them. The sad part was that when we were done. It was like a scene from a Movie as they were running towards us requesting a blanket or sleeping bag in Sunday 1-10-10 knowing they were in for another freezing night. So So Sad...
FORT WORTH — Trimyian Barrow burned his socks to stay warm.
The homeless man lit a white athletic sock with a Bic lighter and dangled it over a pile of sticks and branches outside his tent staked on a hill east of downtown.
He dropped to his knees and blew a long, frozen breath to ignite the kindling.
It flickered, then crept into a flame.
"You gotta do what you gotta do, " Barrow said from under the hood of his coat. "This is how you survive."
Homeless people on Thursday hunkered in shelters, under makeshift tents and around campfires as temperatures plummeted to dangerous levels. Overnight lows were expected to bottom out in the low teens, conditions that last occurred here more than a decade ago and are unfamiliar to even some grizzled street dwellers.
Space remained at homeless shelters as of Thursday afternoon, but officials worried about possible overflow at night as the bone-chilling weather lingers, said Otis Thornton, Fort Worth’s homeless coordinator.
"I think folks who were willing to tough it out the first night may decide after an entire day of these bitterly cold winds to get inside where it’s warm," Thornton said.
A 2009 census counted 2,181 unsheltered homeless in Tarrant County.
Bruce Miller, 50, waited in the freezing wind to get inside St. Benedict’s Mission for a cup of hot chocolate and a doughnut. His jacket zipped to the top, he remarked that he lost his job and has been homeless for only three days.
"Can you believe it — just in time for the coldest weather in years?" he said.
Metro shelters
Homeless shelters worked together to make sure none was overloaded, officials said.
The Presbyterian Night Shelter, the city’s largest emergency shelter, serving 700 clients nightly, had to redirect a half-dozen men Wednesday night to the Salvation Army and Union Gospel Mission.
During the day, the shelter stayed open, easing the burden at the Day Resource Center, the city’s only day shelter.
Near the night shelter, Leah Pool, 43, tied her hood tightly around her head and guarded her large stack of possessions against a chain-link fence. The women’s section of the shelter had space, but Pool said she and her husband slept outside under the shelter’s awning Wednesday night because there wasn’t room for both of them, she said.
"I didn’t sleep a wink," she said. "It’s a painful cold. I am gonna get inside tonight, because I don’t want to freeze out here."
Misunderstandings may lead some homeless people to remain outside. Barrow, the camper who built the fire, said he wanted to stay at a shelter but lacked the identification card proving that he has taken a tuberculosis test that is required to get inside.
He took the test two days ago and was waiting for the results, he said.
Salvation Army officials say they relax that requirement during extreme weather, though they isolate those without cards. The Presbyterian Night Shelter issues temporary cards, good for 30 days, to homeless people waiting to take the test or get results, shelter spokeswoman Lyndsay Hoover said.
"We want everyone to be safe," she said.
In the countryside
Shelters elsewhere in North Texas also stayed busy.
The Arlington Life Shelter took in 20 people Wednesday night on an emergency basis. Officials stocked up on extra blankets and sheltered 99 people overall, said Chandra Thompson, community services director.
Even more-rural areas that don’t typically offer homeless shelters are concerned. In Cleburne, nine people stayed at a temporary shelter set up in the former Central Church of Christ, said Bill Wissore, executive director of the Johnson County Christian Lodge. Wissore set up the shelter after seeing television reports Wednesday about homeless people and the frigid weather.
Some of those staying at the temporary shelter have been homeless for a long time; others just don’t have heat, he said.
"I don’t care where they live or what they do. If they are cold, they are welcome," Wissore said.
On their own
Some people don’t want help. Just east of downtown Fort Worth, Michael Curley, 56, and his wife, Brenda Goss, 53, cuddled inside a tent layered with blankets, quilts and tarps.
It is the same tent in which they survived the Christmas Eve snowfall and a summer flood that forced them to rebuild their camp on higher ground about 50 yards away.
Still, they prefer it to the shelters.
"Germs," Curley said. "Those places are full of germs."
Their tent is filled with a mattress and bundles of clothing. They eat hot soup and bologna sandwiches. No need to worry about him and his wife freezing to death overnight, he said.
"We’ll make it," Curley said. "We just snuggle up real tight and wait for morning."
ALEX BRANCH, 817-390-7689 ELIZABETH ZAVALA, 817-390-7418
Shelters Planning For Increase During Cold Weather in DFW
Sana Syed FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Click to enlarge
1 of 1
For many people who are homeless, when the temperature drops they wait in line at a shelter. Saturday night, the line started forming at dusk outside Catholic Charities. Many wait for hours for a cot, somewhere to lie down out of the cold.
The city of Fort Worth and the three homeless shelters in town are working together to make sure no one has to spend the night outside during the coldest nights of the year.
The Presbyterian Night Shelter is the largest homeless shelter in Tarrant County. If the shelter fills up to its capacity of 544, it will send people to Union Gospel Mission, which has room for 75. If that fills up people will be sent to the Salvation Army. The city of Fort Worth has not had to open an emergency shelter to handle more of the homeless, but it is prepared to do so tonight.
Fort Worth Police officers will also patrol the streets to try to make sure everyone is in a warm place.
"All I'm trying to do is get somewhere warm," says Tony Harvey.
Harvey is one of the more than 2,000 who live on the streets of Fort Worth. Everything they own is with them in bags.
"Got all my clothes, sleeping bag, blanket, shirt, pants, underwear. The whole nine yards," says Clarence Holloway.
The city is prepared to provide an emergency shelter at the Bertha Collins Recreation Center if the shelters fill up.
"We're pretty close to capacity now," says Otis Thornton.
Thornton is the Homelessness Coordinator for Fort Worth. He's in charge of trying to eradicate homelessness in the city. He says homelessness has gone down about 19% in two years.
"The goal of our plan is to make homelessness rare, short-term, non-renewing. And I think that's absolutely within our grasp."
But right now the city is trying to make sure everyone has a roof over their heads for the next two nights. But it won't be easy.
"I'd rather be out here by myself than in there with someone coughing all over me and hacking. I'm not trying to catch everybody else's germs," says Rene Boyd.
Boyd blends in with the blankets that serve as her home. She says Thornton has her on a list to move into a home soon, and that gives her the courage to brave this weather on the streets.
"It's been three months but I'm hanging in there, it's going to be a minute."
If you find someone on the streets tonight, you can call 211 to see where that person can go.
If you want to help, the city discourages giving anyone a handout. You can call the shelters to see if they need anything.
TCU football coach Gary Patterson guided the Horned Frogs to an undefeated regular season, and the city’s homeless will reap the benefits.
Patterson chose the Presbyterian Night Shelter to receive the $50,000 donation that came with his being selected the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, the shelter announced Wednesday.
The money is particularly helpful because the shelter is entering 2010 with a budget shortfall, said Lyndsay Hoover, shelter spokeswoman. The shelter has a $4 million budget.
It isn’t the first time Patterson and Texas Christian University have helped the shelter.
During the 2008 season, it received two turkeys to feed the homeless for every point scored by the team, eventually totaling more than 800 birds.
Since 2006, the Gary Patterson Foundation has underwritten school supplies and clothing for homeless children.
"Being selected as the Pattersons’ charity of choice helps our 700 homeless clients feel valued and remembered," Hoover said.
— Alex Branch
Zach Bonner was selected as Most Inspiring Person of 2009
Zach Bonner was selected as Most Inspiring Person of 2009 for his compassionate, selfless service to homeless children. Not only has Zach made it his mission to call attention to the plight of needy kids, he literally walks his talk.
He is only 12, yet since the age of six he has been living his conviction that no one is ever too young to change the world. Zach is the youngest winner in the decade-long history of this award.
We caught up with Zach for a short interview between his homeschool lessons and his preparations for a big holiday party for homeless kids.
Beliefnet: Congratulations on being the Most Inspiring Person of 2009. How are you feeling about this new honor that's been bestowed on you?
Zach Bonner: I think it's pretty awesome that I was even chosen to be in the running for it, and to be selected is even cooler.
What do you think it is about you that people find so inspiring?
Zach: I think when people see a kid trying to do good—and not just me but any kid trying to do good—I think that they are really supportive and they really want to help.
You've been doing this kind of work since you were six. What is your inspiration? What motivates you?
Zach: It's really the kids that keep me going. You know, getting to do the projects and stuff like that, and really getting to go out into your own community and to see these kids, it really just makes you want to continue going and to continue helping.
Beliefnet: How were you first exposed to the plight of homeless children? You're so young. How did you learn about it?
Zach: Well, my first project was with Hurricane Charley. I started [collecting] food and water and supplies for victims of Hurricane Charley. I just had a really good time with it and I continued to do a couple more projects. And one day, my mom was kidding with me and she said, "Well, what are you going to do now?" And I said that I wanted to help homeless people. And she said, "Well, why don't you try and do something a little bit smaller?" So we came up with homeless children.
You've taken some big commitments on. Do you ever feel like it's too much, or does it always feel easy to you?
Zach: Well, there's definitely days in there that it feels like, "Why did I ever get into this," and stuff like that. But I just think about the kids. And that's what really keeps me going, because these kids, they're homeless and they don't get to just say, you know, "I'm tired of being homeless. Oh, well, I'm not going to be homeless anymore." So why should I get to quit walking or whatever project I'm doing? And plus, it's a lot of fun. That's what kind of keeps me going.
Do you do this kind of work instead of playing games or doing Little League? Or do you do this in addition to doing kid stuff?
Zach: I still do kid stuff. I still play with my friends and play video games and stuff like that. But this is a lot of fun. And for me, this is my baseball and this is my soccer. And this is what I like to do and this is my hobby.
What are some of the ways that you've seen your work make a difference in people's lives?
Zach: Well, there was this one boy, his name was Chris. It was when we first started with the backpack program. With the backpacks, we put a food pack, a personal hygiene kit, a sewing kit, a first-aid kit, a candy pack, and a small toy. This boy received a backpack. He (was) pulling out the food and the personal hygiene and the sewing kit and all that stuff, the basic necessities. But then he pulled out the candy pack and the toy. And the organization that we were working with at that time said that was the first time that they had seen him smile in the whole entire time that they had been working with him. He said that that was the first toy that he had gotten in as long as he could remember. And that's just one of the stories that we've heard from the different organizations that we've been working with, that the backpacks or different projects that we do, the holiday parties or stuff like that, have impacted families and children.
Given everything that you've done at such a young age, what do you feel that you might like to do when you grow up?
Zach: I'd like to be a prosecuting attorney. But I would also hope to continue to do work with homeless children and continue to do community service.
Up until this point, what do you think your greatest accomplishment is?
Zach: The “My House to the White House“ walk is, I guess, what I would think is probably one of my greatest achievements.
So what’s next?
Zach: We're planning our next walk from Tampa to Los Angeles, once again to bring awareness and funds to the homeless youth. We're working on that right now.
Do you have a message for kids out there?
Zach: I guess the message that I want kids to receive is that no matter how old or how young you are, no matter how rich or how poor, you can always make a difference. You know, just volunteering your time, doing a food can drive for your local food bank, and just anything. Because everything really adds up and really makes a difference. And if you're not into giving time, whether you donate a dollar or a hundred dollars, whether you spend one hour or 15 minutes, it all adds up and it really makes a difference.
FORT WORTH — About 700 homeless people will stay warmer tonight.
That’s how many sleeping bags photographer B.J. Lacasse delivered to the Presbyterian Night Shelter on Thursday.
In September, Lacasse hosted an exhibit of photographs she took while spending three days with Fort Worth’s homeless. The exhibit will be on display again Jan. 22 in the west wing of the downtown library.
The experience led her and a friend, Shawn Moore, to start collecting bedding in November through donations from businesses, schools and churches. The willingness of those people and organizations to help was incredible, she said.
"Sometimes, I would come home and find a couple sleeping bags left outside my studio, no note or anything," she said.
The night shelter usually has to turn away eight to 10 men a night, spokeswoman Heather White said. The number can be higher when temperatures approach freezing, as in recent weeks.
"At least this way we can also give [clients] sleeping bags so they can stay warm," White said.
ALEX BRANCH, 817-390-7689
MSNBC's Picture Stories - First jobless, now homeless.. This really disturbed me and I understand that it is reality in today's society. So many want to volenteer only at the Holidays. It is important to do all you are able to through out the year!
Please review this Unemployment map of the United States. This is hard to believe! I had to review this map a couple of times to grasp the enormity of it.It changes slowly so you may absorb what has ALREADY happened.
Never think you are not indispensable...check this out and then pray for those who have already been impacted and those who will be!
This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!):
I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.
The last class I had to take was Sociology.
The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.
Her last project of the term was called, 'Smile.'
The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake,
literally.
Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald 's one crisp March morning.
It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.
We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.
I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.
As I turned around I smelled a horrible 'dirty body' smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.
As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was 'smiling'
His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance..
He said, 'Good day' as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.
The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.
I held my tears as I stood there with them.
The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.
He said, 'Coffee is all Miss' because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).
Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.
That is when I noticed all eyes in the
restaurant were set on me, judging
my every action.
I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.
I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand.
He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, 'Thank you.'
I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, 'I did not do this for you.. God is here working through me to give you hope.'
I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, 'That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope..'
We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.
We are not church goers, but we are believers.
That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.
I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.
I turned in 'my project' and the instructor read it.
Then she looked up at me and said, 'Can I share this?'
I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.
She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.
In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald 's, my son, the instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.
I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:
UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.
Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to
LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS -
NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.
Wishing you Enough...
You drive to your crappy job in your crappy car
wearing your crappy work clothes
all the while you are eating your crappy makeshift breakfast
and downing that crappy am latte you are oh so addicted to
and these crappy thoughts run thru your head
and you think why me Lord why has my life turned out this way…
Just then you turn into your crappy parking garage
and you glance in your rearview mirror just in time
to see a raggedy homeless guy climb out of the local dumpster
with a small piece of tinfoil in his unclean worn down hands…
You are now waiting impatiently to badge
into the crappy parking garage you curse everyday
because the speed limit is 5 mph
it is crowded and hard to find parking
and you are in a hurry to get in get out and on with your life…
Still looking at the homeless guy in your rearview mirror
Your brand new $500 cell phone rings
and you look down to see it's your spouse calling
and normally this would irritate you too…
But you look back at the homeless guy
sitting on the ground leaning on the dumpster
about to devour the contents within the tinfoil
you just watched him pull from the inside of the dumpster…
It begins to rain and the gate lifts
as you enter the safety of the parking garage
just moments ago you were so irritated with
along with everything else in your life…
Once inside you park your car that you realize is sufficient
for you and your family safe and reliable…
you emerge from it in your business suit
and matching shoes with a well fed stomach…
A newly acquainted smile plasters your once scowling face
because you have finally realized what you have is enough
and you stop once more to speak with God
but this time you thank him for everything you have been blessed with…
You look to your right where the homeless guy still sits in the rain
with his tinfoil and you say a prayerfor him too…
It is amazing what we take for granted before we realize what we have…
The lucky ones of us figure it out before it is gone…
the rest of us dig in the metaphorical dumpsters searching for what we've lost for the rest of our lives…
Amanda Willingham
October 19, 2009
‘Same Kind of Different as Me’
Samuel Jackson set to star in film version of ‘Same Kind of Different as Me’
Producers have confirmed that Samuel L. Jackson is set to star in and executive produce a film adaption of the best-selling inspiration book, Same Kind of Different As Me. Jackson will star as Denver Moore, the homeless man who befriends Ron Hall, an art dealer from Fort Worth.
The nonfiction bestseller tells the story of the growing friendship between the two men who come from vastly different environments. Much of the tale takes place in Fort Worth, particularly the Union Gospel Mission where the two men initially meet.
The book, written by Hall, Moore and Lynn Vincent, was optioned by Veralux Media, a development and production company, in 2008. Though Jackson has been “attached” to the production, financing is still not set. According to an e-mail from Mark Clayman, head of Veralux’s west coast operations, the producers will be seeking financing from the studios this week. Clayman produced another inspirational film, The Pursuit of Happyness, which starred Will Smith.
A prolific actor, Jackson may be best known for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. He has played a homeless man before, in The Caveman’s Valentine from 2001.
The authors of Same Kind of Different As Me released a follow-up What Difference Do It Make? on Sept. 29. Same Kind of Different As Me remains a bestseller, listed as No. 12 on the nonfiction paperback on the New York Times Best Seller List for Oct. 4, its 80th consecutive week on the list.
“Denver and I never dreamed a couple of nobodies like us could make the New York Times Best Seller List,” said Hall, in a press release to the new book. “It was only possible because we told the story about Miss Debbie [Debbie Hall, the late wife of Ron Hall], a real somebody. Thanks to all our readers who read our story and told their friends.”
rfrancis@bizpress.net
Great News for "The Street" exhibit
B.j. Lacasse found this out! Great news... Each print they sell from "The Street" exhibit will feed a homeless person for 24 days! Whoa! Come one come all, our next booking! The Women's Center in Fort Worth, TX Oct 7-9 call for details (817) 927-4040
Small homelessness project by a Fort Worth photographer turning into exhibit to benefit city's largest shelter
FORT WORTH — B.J. Lacasse has traveled across Texas to photograph all 254 county courthouses. She has scoured small towns for picturesque movie theater marquees.
But the Fort Worth photographer says she has never taken on a project quite like the three full days she spent this summer snapping photos of Fort Worth’s homeless people.
On the streets and in shelters and campsites, she found people ranging in age from 8 months to 85 years.
"I felt torn between two worlds," said Lacasse, who operates her studio out of her west Fort Worth home. "I came home at night and had to write in my journal to decompress. I couldn’t get the people off my mind."
Officials hope to turn what began as a small project into a traveling exhibit at Tarrant County’s churches, agencies, businesses and schools. The prints are for sale and will benefit the Presbyterian Night Shelter.
The exhibit, "The Street," opens Saturday night at Museum Place in Fort Worth.
Lacasse is no stranger to homeless people. She has volunteered at the night shelter for four years, taking free family portraits of clients and photographing events.
The project grew out of a discussion with a board member about the shelter’s 25th anniversary.
In early August, at 5:30 each morning, Lacasse stocked a backpack with socks, razors and toothbrushes to hand out to homeless people and hit the streets. Her camera attracted attention.
"Their first question was usually was I with the newspaper," she said. "Some people worry about having their pictures taken because they don’t want their families to see them that way. I was very careful about only photographing those who were OK with it."
She took a photograph of a disabled man with one shoe lying on the sidewalk next to his walker. A close-up of an 8-month-old girl with her homeless mother, who was waiting for a city bus. Two worn teddy bears in a shopping cart.
She walked through mud and poison ivy and clouds of mosquitoes to the homeless camps.
"It was early August and got up over 100 degrees each day," Lacasse said. "So I got to feel exactly what it is like to be them. I heard the most heartbreaking stories you can imagine."
Afterward, Lacasse and a shelter official posted some of the photographs on social networking sites. Requests have already come in for copies and information about the exhibit.
"She has done such a fantastic job capturing the human spirit," said Heather White, the shelter’s public relations and volunteer manager. "It is a great thing she is doing for the shelter."
To capture the grittiness of homelessness, Lacasse is mounting the 40 black-and-white photographs on refrigerator boxes. She installed hinges and strengthened the boxes so they can be broken down and moved.
Several people have asked for copies of a close-up of the scuffed shoe soles of a homeless man named Clarence. She turned it into postcards and posters and added this quote, attributed to Henry David Thoreau:
"How wonderful it would be if we could see the world through one another’s eyes."
Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area, the Fort Worth World Outreach Church, in the southwest Fort Worth area, and the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth. Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburn, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park. Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you each month. Visit us at www.richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburn, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park and Kathy LaQuey, Volunteer Coordinator of the Feed By Grace Ministry. Thanks in advance to ALL our monthly friends and new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you this month. Little about the Homeless Outreach Ministry: Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth area at 1401 East Presidio St. Fort Worth, TX 76102, (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter) for well over a year. We started out doing 100 lunches, but as the need was much greater, we are currently feeding 170 --200 people per outing. Current Partners working together along side are, the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area (FOLOCHURCH.ORG), and the Making A Difference Ministry in Cleburne, TX. This is a Monthly Mission ministry. We go out the 4th Saturday of each month and distribute clothes, hygiene products and sack lunches or hot meal to the homeless in Tarrant County and whenever someone calls with a need ...
Our Homeless Outreach Haircut Day at Unity Park 11-12-11 Mark your calendar for The Homeless Outreach Haircuts Ministry day at Unity Park! Who: Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Hair Stylest Minister Larry Ward and his Team, along with Homeless Outreach Director Richard Burrow as well as anyone who would like to join us and provide a service or assistance. When : Saturday November 5th and Saturday November 12th 2011 from 11am 2pm. Location of our Outreach is: Unity Park, at 1401 East Presidio St. Fort Worth, TX 76102 (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter). Please note: Haircuts will be performed inside the building where orientation and their Bible Studies are held! Our regular scheduled Outreach will be Saturday November 26th at 8am. Please visit us at: richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
Our Homeless Outreach Haircut Day at Unity Park 11-5-11 Mark your calendar for The Homeless Outreach Haircuts Ministry day at Unity Park! Who: Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Hair Stylest Minister Larry Ward and his Team, along with Homeless Outreach Director Richard Burrow as well as anyone who would like to join us and provide a service or assistance. When : Saturday November 5th and Saturday November 12th 2011 from 11am 2pm. Location of our Outreach is: Unity Park, at 1401 East Presidio St. Fort Worth, TX 76102 (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter). Please note: Haircuts will be performed inside the building where orientation and their Bible Studies are held! Our regular scheduled Outreach will be Saturday November 26th at 8am. I will have photos updated to our website from October Outreach soon. Executive Director Neale Mansfield expressed how multiple outreach ministries came together as one and with the same goal in mind. It actually was pretty amazing! Please visit us at: richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you each month. Little about the Homeless Outreach Ministry: Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth area at 1401 East Presidio St. Fort Worth, TX 76102, (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter) for well over a year. We started out doing 100 lunches, but as the need was much greater, we are currently feeding 170 --200 people per outing. Current Partners working together along side are, the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area, and the Making A Difference Ministry in Cleburne, TX. This is a Monthly Mission ministry. We go out the 4th Saturday of each month and distribute clothes, hygiene products and sack lunches or hot meal to the homeless in Tarrant County and whenever someone calls with a need. Everything is given free of charge to those that need them (nothing is ever sold).
Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area, the Fort Worth World Outreach Church, in the southwest Fort Worth area, and the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth. Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburne, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park. Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you each month. Visit us at richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area, the Fort Worth World Outreach Church, in the southwest Fort Worth area, and the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth. Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburne, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park. Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you each month. VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AT: richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburne, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park. Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you each month. Check us out at richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
When one of our ministers approached me and gave a vision of creating a Educational Video of our Ft.Worth Homeless and myself in the recording studio with our version of Rascal Flatts "I Won't Let Go" After I finished recording the following video was taped at our monthly Outreach along with another evening off Lancaster with out the ministries out and about feeding and clothing. If you would like to donate, Please visit triumphantheavenlyministries.org Also visit our Website at richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area, the Fort Worth World Outreach Church, in the southwest Fort Worth area, and the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth. Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburn, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park. Visit us at folochurch.org Thanks Love Ricky
In the chaos of East Lancaster there is an urban oasis called Unity Park. It is where people come together. Those seeking help and those offering help. People with different backgrounds, resources and needs. The common denominator is love. Love is expressed in many ways at the Park. It begins with Hospitality. Area churches bring food and clothing to the residents of East Lancaster. Volunteers serve as hosts. We believe that sharing a meal with someone is not only compassionate, it's a good starting point. At the Park, meals lead to prayer and Bible study. And to work, training and mentorship for some who are ready to commit to learning new skills and beginning a new life. Last year, over 10000 people connections were made at the park. Unity Park is about relationships, about discovery - theirs and ours. If you commit to the Park, you will be changed. There are many ways you and your church can get involved. Your dollar contributions will help sustain the costs of operating the park. But, more than this, your contribution as a volunteer will provide the personal capital to change lives. We can use your talents in many ways. We need volunteers to help run the park. We need teachers to work in our Bible studies and training programs. In short, we need people with big hearts who want to reach out to the people of East Lancaster. Contact us: www.feedbygrace.org
Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburne, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park. Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you each month. Check us out at richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com
Our Homeless Outreach at Unity Park Visit us at richardburrowhomelessjournal.shutterfly.com Our website gives the items needed as well as directons. We are expecting another great mighty move of God once again.
This month at our Monthly Homeless Outreach. One of our partners brought music for all to sing and give God all the Praise and Worship at Unity Park in Ft.Worth. A Homeless Women gives God his Praise.
Unity Park 1401 East Presidio St. Ft Worth, TX 76102 (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter) Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburn, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park and Kathy LaQuey, Volunteer Coordinator of the Feed By Grace Ministry. Thanks in advance to ALL our monthly friends and new Partners. We look forward to working with each of you this month.
This month 4-24-10 at our Monthly Homeless Outreach. One of our partners brought music for all to sing and give God all the Praise and Worship at Unity Park in Ft.Worth. A Homeless Women gives God his Praise.
Our Outreach on Saturday May 22, 2010. Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Inc., a 501( c )(3) recognized ministry in the east Fort Worth area, the Fort Worth World Outreach Church, in the southwest Fort Worth area, and the Fellowship of Love Church in the northeast area have been going out once a month feeding and p...roviding clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth. Thanks to all that help every month, thanks to the Making a Difference Ministry, Pastor Glenn, Cleburn, TX, Fellowship of Love Outreach Church Family, Outreach Director Richard Burrow, as well as the Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church, Pastor Chris, Family & Friends, Pastor Neale Mansfield, Director of the Unity Park. Thanks to the new and old friends Rhonda Nix, Shae Lacy, Greg Arrington, Pastor Glenn, Minister Cross, Rachel Hightower, Kristi & Craig Morris Rush, Brian Santieago and all the many others that show up to help. Thanks in advance to ALL new Partners, Kimberly Caldwell, Timmothy Crawford, and more. We look forward to working with each of you each month.
Little about the Homeless Outreach Ministry: Triumphant Heavenly Ministries Church in the East Fort Worth area, and the Fort Worth World Outreach Church in the South West Fort Worth area have been going out once a month feeding and providing clothing and hygiene items to the homeless in Fort Worth area at 2400 Cypress St. Fort Worth, TX 76102, (behind the Presbyterian Night Shelter) for well over a year. We started out doing 100 lunches, but are currently feeding 170 200 people per outing.
We go out at 8am every 4th Saturday of the month. Unity Park 1401 East Presidio St. Ft Worth, TX 76102 (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter) Coming from 35W South: Take 35W north to Lancaster Road exit. Turn right onto Lancaster. Turn right at 3rd street (Cedar). Park is one block ahead on the left. Coming from 35W North: Take 35W South to I-30 exit. At I-30 split, take left side (30 West). At next split, take right side (287 & Lancaster). Take far right exit, Lancaster West. 3rd Street on the left is Cedar Street. Park is one block ahead on the left. Coming from I-30 eastbound: Take Lancaster exit and stay on Lancaster. After passing under the 35W overpass, turn right at 3rd street (Cedar). Park is one block ahead on left. Coming from Westbound I-30: Take Riverside South exit. Go up to Lancaster, turn right. After passing under the overpass, 3rd street on the left is Cedar Street. Park is one block ahead on the left.
We go out at 8am every 4th Saturday of the month. Unity Park 1401 East Presidio St. Ft Worth, TX 76102 (a block from the Presbyterian Night Shelter) Coming from 35W South: Take 35W north to Lancaster Road exit. Turn right onto Lancaster. Turn right at 3rd street (Cedar). Park is one block ahead on the left. Coming from 35W North: Take 35W South to I-30 exit. At I-30 split, take left side (30 West). At next split, take right side (287 & Lancaster). Take far right exit, Lancaster West. 3rd Street on the left is Cedar Street. Park is one block ahead on the left. Coming from I-30 eastbound: Take Lancaster exit and stay on Lancaster. After passing under the 35W overpass, turn right at 3rd street (Cedar). Park is one block ahead on left. Coming from Westbound I-30: Take Riverside South exit. Go up to Lancaster, turn right. After passing under the overpass, 3rd street on the left is Cedar Street. Park is one block ahead on the left.
Share
Recommend
