Answering the call

How can we help the homeless in East Dallas?

Story by Brittany Nunn | Photos by Kim Leeson

Have you ever pulled up to a stoplight and seen a man or woman holding up a cardboard sign asking for money and wondered, “What should I do?”

If you give him or her cash, there’s a chance — although not a guarantee — that the money will go toward supporting a bad habit. However, many well-meaning folks hand over a couple bills anyway, perhaps unsure of how else to help.

That’s exactly the kind of scenario the East Dallas-based nonprofit Our Calling is trying to help neighbors avoid.

Every week a search-and-rescue team scours Dallas County, hitting more than 1,200 locations where they’re likely to find homeless men, women and children in need, including several East Dallas areas, such as behind liquor stores, behind the QT on Garland and the 7-Eleven on Buckner, around the water systems at White Rock Lake, all through the woods and under the bridges.

“We’ve found babies, we’ve found bodies, we’ve found everything between people who haven’t eaten in a week, or people who haven’t eaten in a day, and people in desperate situations,” says Wayne Walker, the executive director of Our Calling.

“We utilize thousands of volunteers, many of them in the Lakewood area, to go with us. We’ll have 6,000 volunteers this year and six people on staff. It takes a whole community to serve this need.”

The search-and-rescue teams offer food, water and other emergency supplies to the homeless individuals they encounter.

Our Calling is not a soup kitchen, shelter or medical facility; instead, it partners with organizations that can provide those services. The team offers van rides to people who need access to shelters, rehab facilities or other emergency centers, although many refuse transportation.

“Most of them are what we call shelter-resistant,” Walker explains. “It’s not just about knowing the place; it’s about trusting the people who take you there.

“Our goal is not to pick somebody up, duct tape them and take them to a shelter. Our goal is to build personal relationships with them, and through that is where life change really happens.”

• Low student – teacher ratio

• ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) scores an average of 2.5 years above grade level nationally

• Music/Fine Arts, Religion, Spanish, Technology and Athletics Programs

• Age 2 through 6th grade programs

• Before and after school care programs

• Traditional educational curriculum blended with integrated technology

214-368-1371 | www.orlcs.com

7611 Park Ln, Dallas, TX 75225

Ages 2-6 yrs • AMS Affiliated

For nearly 30 years we have been giving children the opportunity to develop at their own pace in a safe and nurturing environment.

• Computer

• Chinese

• Spanish

• Ballet

• Drama

• Godly Play

• Chess Class

• Gymnastics

• Fine Art

PreK - 6th Grades

PreK

6th Grades

WE EDUCATE THE WHOLE CHILD

-

Low Teacher Student Ratio

SACS/CASI Accredited

After School Enrichment Programs

We Educate the Whole Child

Before & After School Care

Low Teacher Student Ratio

Art, Music, Library Time, Daily Spanish, Reading Lab

SACS/CASI Accredited

After School Enrichment Programs

Before & After School Care

1215 Turner Ave. Dallas TX 75208 214-942-2220

TheKesslerSchool.com

Art, Music, Library Time, Daily Spanish, Reading Lab

THE KESSLER PUMPKIN PATCH AND ART FAIR SAT OCT 5

1215 Turner Ave. Dallas, TX 75208 214-942-2220 eKesslerschool.com

ITBS Test Scores in Top 2% Nationwide WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL

That’s where the Our Calling headquarters come in.

Our Calling is based in a 3,200-square-foot facility in East Dallas. Jonathan Habashy, who works in development at Our Calling, says the building was designed to be a sort of “café for the homeless” because it provides a welcoming place for hundreds of men and women to gather during the day.

and 65, and 80 percent are addicted to something, and about 75 percent of them have a serious mental health condition. They’re just not interested in some of the programs provided by the city.”

Our Calling is a faith-based organization, and although they don’t believe in “shoving their beliefs down anyone’s throat,” they do believe faith can lead to change.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

Our Calling serves thousands of men and women every year, and the number of homeless people in Dallas County is increasing, Walker says.

The facility serves lunch every day and provides people with necessities like clothing, socks, shoes, blankets and hygiene items, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner. Our Calling also has a washer and dryer, and a shower available for guests to use.

Our Calling’s goal is not to “fix” the individuals they encounter, but rather to build long-term relationships and encourage life changes through mentorship.

“We take people to the shelters, and we take people to the rehabs, but we also care for those who just aren’t interested in either yet,” Walker says.

“Our average guest is between 45

To better serve the at-risk population, Our Calling developed an easy-touse iPad and iPhone application to help their staff and volunteer members organize important information about the individuals they serve.

The app allows them to take a photo and log biographical information about each of their guests. If they find a man near White Rock Lake, they’ll set a GPS coordinate for the location where they found him. If a woman comes to lunch with bruises, they log the current bruises and have access to previous entries where bruises also were recorded. If someone asks for shoes, knowing shoes are a commodity among the homeless community, Our Calling can track the last time it provided the individual with shoes and how many days are left before he or she qualifies for another pair.

“It gives us an opportunity to really