121 Years of Service
DenverRescueMission.org
June 2013
C RISI S ON THE
StrEETS You’re exiting the highway, pulling up to a stoplight. You see a man holding a sign that says: “Homeless. Anything helps.” Maybe you avoid eye contact. Maybe you offer up a smile. Or maybe you go as far as rolling down your window to hand him some change. But whatever you do, you’re never sure if it was the best thing to do.
Sometimes being approached by a homeless person is intimidating— their needs often seem too overwhelming—but we all want to treat them with dignity and respect. Here are some simple guidelines to equip you to truly help the homeless people you meet.
8 Ways to Truly Help the Homeless BE PREPARED. Anticipate the opportunities you may have to engage with homeless
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people and be “salt and light.” Develop a game plan. In time, you might find that you are intentionally walking closer to the person on the sidewalk or merging into the left lane, just to ensure you have an encounter. RECOGNIZE THAT HOMELESS PEOPLE (AND THEIR PROBLEMS) ARE NOT ALL THE SAME. The person you meet may be a battered woman, an
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addicted veteran, someone who is lacking job skills…the list goes on.
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TALK TO THE PERSON WITH RESPECT. Taking time to talk to a homeless person
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PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE TO MONEY. If a person is asking for spare change,
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PRAY FOR THE HOMELESS. Ask God to bring them peace and encouragement
in a friendly, respectful manner can go a long way. We all need the consistent love and encouragement of other human beings to help us make smart choices in our lives.
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instead of giving money, offer fast food coupons. Better yet, bring carryout from a restaurant and sit or stand with the person and share it. Depending on the person's expressed needs, you can also offer gloves, socks, tissues, a granola bar, bottled water, and the like. to meet their physical and emotional needs, and to satisfy their spiritual hunger. Specifically, ask God what he would have you do in each situation. DON’T HESITATE TO CALL THE POLICE. In extreme weather, a stationary individual may be on the verge of hypothermia or heat stroke. If in doubt, call the police. You may save their life.
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ENCOURAGE THE HOMELESS TO GET HELP THROUGH DENVER RESCUE MISSION.
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SUPPORT DENVER RESCUE MISSION. The Mission is supported by caring individuals,
Every day the Mission provides a variety of services that include: meals, shelter, clothing, food box and household good distribution, and health care. The Mission’s New Life and STAR Transitional Programs give people tools to overcome addictions and become productive, self-sufficient members of the community. churches, businesses, and civic groups who see the value of sharing their resources with the less fortunate.
Please Give NOw Please use the enclosed envelope to make your donation today!
I
ON
T H E S T R E E T S I N TO A S U M M E R O F H O P E !
TURN A CR
S
IS
SUMMER OF 2013
CRISIS
Flying a sign. Begging. Soliciting. Hustling some change. Money making. Flagging. Getting out on the block.
ON THE
StrEETS
Panhandling. While there are no simple answers, Denver Rescue Mission views panhandling as a short-term solution to a long-term problem. At best, it may give someone enough money for temporary shelter or for a couple meals, but it won’t give someone the tools to become a self-sufficient citizen. Every person who holds a sign or sits outside with a cup for spare change has a unique story. Here, some of our program participants share their panhandling experiences, and motivations to leave that lifestyle behind.
Cameron Cameron is in the New Life Program at The Crossing. In December 2011, he moved from Dallas to Denver and was looking for work and resources after decades of life on and off the streets. He panhandled for a year before moving to Denver. “Sometimes I would use the money to eat, but the majority of it was to support my habits. I would use anything that would take my mind off of my situation: weed, crack, alcohol—anything,” says Cameron. Someone once said to him, “If you can stand out here and ask for change then you can go get a job.” Cameron remembers: “It was embarrassing and degrading, but at the time the ‘want’ overrode the insults. I had that focus of ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes.’ If people had that same determination to do something positive, then they would be limitless with what they could achieve.” Cameron came into the program searching to end his cycle of homelessness. “What brought me to Denver were the prospects of a new life here as well as seeing my daughter graduate from high school. Denver Rescue Mission represents stability and an introduction into a new way of life through Jesus Christ,” he says.
Each day Cameron works in Client Services at the Lawrence Street Shelter, helping Judith, Client Services Caseworker, by organizing clothing donations and interviewing new applicants. He aspires to become a barber, and his next phase of the program will be finding employment outside the Mission.
Jeff Jeff is a new Program Candidate at the Lawrence Street Shelter. Panhandling was an active part of his life at one point. “My goal then was to take the edge off and forget about my circumstances,” explains Jeff. “I was on and off the streets for 11 years in Fort Collins, and I got hooked on the bottle. I always tried to work at least temporary jobs.” When he didn’t have enough money or couldn’t find work, he relied on other people. “I could make between 40-100 dollars a day panhandling. Sometimes I would spend it on a motel, food or clothing. But most of the money went to cigarettes and alcohol,” Jeff admits. “I came to Denver Rescue Mission for the stability of the program. I want to get back to helping my family. I’ve seen the good side of life and I’ve enjoyed it, and I want to give it another shot,” says Jeff.
But he’s ready to put those days behind him. “Now,” he says, “my goal is to have a job, to be motivated and feel good about myself and getting off the streets.”
Ryan Since he was 17, Ryan traveled the country. He would train hop with friends to follow his favorite bands, always wanting to meet new people and experience new things. When he panhandled, his demeanor was less one of despondence than one of adventure. His goal wasn’t to evoke pity, but humor. He says: “We tried to be funny. A woman once bought my sign for $30. It was a drawing of Yoda and it said: ‘Traveling Jedi. Anything helps.’” For a while the lifestyle was exciting, but eventually it lost its appeal. His drinking escalated from fun into alcoholism. “The wanderlust mixed with the alcoholism was a downward spiral. It got bad, and it wasn’t fun anymore. I knew that it had to be something larger than me to kick alcohol,” Ryan recalls. “There’s a lot of suffering involved in panhandling. It’s demeaning. I think it’s harder than what I’m doing now,” Ryan says. He has been in the New Life Program for ten months and works as a Customer Service Agent for a printing company. “Now I have a good job, and I make more than a livable wage. I just want to be of service to others—I want to glorify God,” he says.
“The Mission is a piece of my trajectory that was crucial in a way that I can’t even explain right now. At first, I had a lot of resentment about what was said in the Bible classes. But it gave me the impetus to research it. It showed me that this isn’t just a religion. It is a way of life,” Ryan explains.
Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in Social Science and an intelligent, playful and artistic mind. Cameron speaks every sentence with eloquence and grace. Jeff has incredibly kind eyes and a warm smile. “Panhandler” no longer describes any of them. Thank you for choosing to invest in their futures and helping them set goals beyond daily survival. Thank you for helping turn the Crisis on the Streets into a Summer of Hope!
From the CEO Dear Friends,
I have hope for the future. I know that the signs on the cover of this month’s Changing Lives do not instill hope. Instead, they are a painful reminder that there is a crisis on our streets, a crisis of homelessness. Why, then, do I have hope? Because we continue to see lives changed in the name of Christ at Denver Rescue Mission. Three of our program participants are featured in this edition. Their stories are about coming to us after panhandling on the streets, and finding a new life full of purpose and a reason to hope. Every day, as I travel to work and see people holding their cardboard pleas for help, I am reminded of donors who have asked me if they should offer money to the homeless. I can't help but think this prolongs their time on the streets. How do I know this? Because the men in our New Life Program share this with us. But the signs also remind me of something else—the people we have helped, and the hope that exists inside our walls at the Mission. So, when you look into the eyes of the men and women holding these signs, remember that there is a place where the hope of Jesus is alive and well. Where lives are changed forever and people can become productive, self-sufficient citizens. It is called Denver Rescue Mission. Together we are making a difference! God Bless,
Brad Meuli, President/CEO
Thanks for a Great Easter Banquet! Denver Rescue Mission, Volunteers of America and Runner’s Roost Denver came alongside 50 volunteers for the Annual Easter Banquet. The groups served 732 meals, provided 650 pairs of new socks and shoes, and washed the feet of 48 people at the Mission’s Lawrence Street Shelter. All the children who attended received Easter baskets! The 20th Annual Easter Banquet was an opportunity to provide more than just a meal. It was a time to extend Christ’s love and hope to the city’s most vulnerable—the hungry and hurting. Thank you to Volunteers of America, Runner’s Roost and our invaluable supporters for helping make this event possible.
Mission Events
Statistics (Fiscal Year)
Fourth Annual Boot Scoot 5K Harvest Farm 4240 E. County Rd. 66, Wellington, CO 80549 Saturday, September 7th 7:00 a.m. Registration 8:00 a.m. Race kick-off
How You Help
To register, please visit DenverRescueMission.org/BootScoot5k For more information, please contact Ann at 303.313.2454 or ASchlesinger@DenRescue.org.
APRIL
YTD
Meals served
47,248
466,799
Beds
26,504
236,045
Chapel attendance
8,485
65,195
118
1,985
2
339
Clothing (lbs.)
17,607
177,111
Chiropractic
49
617
Dental
162
1,461
Medical
634
7,552
Optical
337
3,256
Food boxes distributed Furniture (households)
Our Outreaches Lawrence Street Shelter: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter, free health care, food box and clothing distribution. Fort Collins Rescue Mission: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter; and transitional program. Champa House: Residential facility offering long-term help toward self-sufficiency to single mothers with dependent children. Harvest Farm: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, farming and ranching operation, food and clothing distribution, and Fall Festival. The Crossing: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, transitional program for New Life graduates and homeless families, temporary housing for interns and visitors. Ministry Outreach Center: Warehouse facilities; food, clothing and household goods distribution. Family Services: Transitional program; assistance for permanent housing; mentoring for homeless working families, seniors and refugee families. Global Ministry Outreach: Consultation, resources and support to city/rescue missions around the world. Changing Lives is the monthly news publication of Denver Rescue Mission. Director of Communications: Christine Gallamore Designer: Rachel Vigil Writer: Rachel Greiman P.O. Box 5164 • Denver, CO 80217 • 303.297.1815
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