From 'Sideshow' to solid citizen

SYMin counseling set Simon
on the road to a productive life
  His name is Simon, but when he first came to us in 2016, he called himself “Sideshow,” behaved badly and covered his body with clown tattoos, as if to show why. He had spent seven years hopping freight trains and living in abandoned buildings and under bridges.
   He found his way to one of our counseling groups, where he got in touch with the challenges he faced. Like many clients, he puzzled about what he wanted to do. Over the next two years, he visited us 59 times, spending 67 hours collecting food or supplies or taking counseling, before leaving town in 2018.
   This Christmas, he reappeared, driving his pickup truck and sharing with us the news that he had spent the summer as a senior firefighter on a federal Wildland Fire crew in the western U.S. He was in town to certify as an EMT. While here, he helped transport potable water to families that had none during the February ‘SNOVID’ disaster. “I had to get to such a difficult and terrible place that I was willing to make a change,” he recalled. “I entered a Job Corps in the Pacific Northwest. I accepted discipline and hard work. I love mentoring others now.” He said he has accepted Christ.
   “I lead a team of firefighters today. I get them physically fit, mentor them and lead them into forest fires. You guys helped me so much, and I just wanted to stop by and say thanks.”

Days in our Lives' March 2021

 

Here's a look at some recent individual highlights and interesting tidbits that show how awesome and amazing our clients are!    Sun 3/7 – SYM finished its Amplify Austin and Facebook fundraisers and fully utilized the matching funds made available by our collaborator Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church, drawing contributions from more than 30 donors. Of those, we are excited to welcome several first-time financial supporters. We are supported by lots of regular people who have come to appreciate our clients and support the work we do.    Mon 3/8 -- Eleven clients visited us today, many working on improving their lives. Two have started working new jobs and another was on his way to an interview! We’re praying for all! One client stopped by Monday to tell us he had surgery for his eyes, and also that he is sober. Thanks for stopping by, we’re glad you’re doing much better! Special thanks to students from Regents High School who came to build a shelf, bring sandwiches and decorate the area! You guys are awesome! Many thanks also to Keep Austin Fed, St. Vincent de Paul Parish Church, Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church, Tammy Boehman & Angela Ash for the various donations.
Tue 3/9 -- Today was a cloudy day, but we were lucky and didn’t see even a drizzle. We had 11 clients today stop by outside the Drop-in Center to help decorate for St Patrick's theme week. We handed out six food bags; seven clients wanted hot food, and a few of the ladies wanted some clothes.  We hosted another beautiful session of “Gentlemen’s Club” Men’s Group filled with sharing, laughter and encouragement, where a client shared his intention of communicating better with his significant other. Thank you, Jonathan Tin & Siddhant Bhat for volunteering! Feedback from a volunteer about men's group: "I was surprised by how open and communicative men can be when given an opportunity."    Also thanks to Regents School for making the delicious meals for today and tomorrow! And thank you, Shepherd of the Hills Church for kicking off St. Paddy's Day theme week with some fun decorations!!    Wed 3/10 -- Wow, what a day! Seventeen clients came out in force to celebrate early St. Patrick’s week, while getting free haircuts from our volunteer, Muffie Peterson. Thank you so much, Muffie! Special thanks to Liz Cronen and the Buy Nothing Project Group from out in her area (Forest North Estates / Village Oaks / Parmer Village) for the carload of love they brought us today! Thank you for spreading the word about the needs of the clients, Liz.    Thu 3/11 -- Today was a cloudy day, but the overall weather was amazing. We had 14 clients stop by for service, we sent home four with food bags to stock their pantries. We had two donations come in the door with tons of clothes.
Fri 3/12 -- Twelve clients dropped by today, some for in-depth, one-on-one counseling. One client asked for help getting through a difficult personal situation; please pray for his peace & safety. Rosie stays in the mainstream of ministry daily (apparently especially when there is lasagna involved)! A client stopped by and let us know she’s been working for two years now. That’s wonderful, and we’re so proud of you! We all felt so LUCKY and blessed by the St. Patty's day meal provided by Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church and served by volunteers Tammy Boehman and Laura Marion-Faul! It was magically delicious! Thanks, y'all!

SYMinU opens its "doors," provides incentives to learn

   SYMinU is our latest initiative. It takes our existing self-improvement support groups and our in-person volunteering by clients and adds self-paced learning and packages it into a SYMinU transcript.
   As clients add experiences, they earn points they can redeem in our SYMinU store. We piloted this in 2019 and had planned to launch it, but plans changed in 2020. It is launching now in 2021, and we're super excited!
   Launch of SYMinU means we need cool, one-of-a-kind incentives for our store in the form of donations from around your house. Great examples of things our clients get excited about are working tablets, notebooks, phones, headphones, game consoles, name brand clothing, sunglasses, learning kits or tools, higher-end art supplies.
   The start of 2021 is a great time to give that working-but-no-longer-used-or-needed item to serve as incentive for clients as we encourage them to set rising expectations for the year and in their lives. Items can be donated by dropping them off safely at our alley door with social distancing M-F 12:30-4:30. You can also ship them to us at 408 W 23rd Street Basement.
   Wonder if it might be helpful? Text your questions and a photo to us at 512 553 3796. We'll let you know!

Autumn blessings from the SYMin team!

 Congratulations, Jerameel!

SYMin team members Tondra (left) and Yolanda stop by the food trailer where client Jerameel (in back) got a job. The Food Court is right across the street from the Drop-by location where clients gather for food, clothing and other items.

Arrival of baby changed it all for client Chuy

 

Chuy became a client several years ago when she found herself on the streets, addicted to drugs, beset with anxiety, drama and trauma. At first, she came for food, sleeping bags, clothing, etc. Later, she joined Art Group and displayed a wonderful talent. Next, she experienced healing during Peer Support Group and Bible Study, followed by deep, one-on-one counseling sessions with team members.

   Addiction, however, hounded her – until the day she discovered that she was pregnant with her first child. That day was the beginning of her journey to long-term sobriety. She was living in a tent near the UT campus, working long shifts and saving money for the day her baby was born. She began making decisions with her child in mind. She found a stable home with a family member, and when her son was born, she gave him every comfort.

   When the pandemic hit, she reconnected with our on-line support group several times a week, logging onto Zoom for SYMin Sisters and Heart to Heart. These groups offered her wisdom and prayer. Today, she has an excellent job and is working toward new and larger goals. Chuy is an excellent mother, and she loves her son, whom she named Guage, with all her heart. We are so proud of Chuy!

SYMin targets infant mortality, and a big surprise emerges

 

Some weeks ago, I noticed a big change had sneaked up on us -- a good change. First, I want to go back to our 2015 annual report. We made a pledge to do something about a terrible problem: the infant mortality rate among our clients living around Guadalupe Street was far higher than the rate elsewhere in the United States. Women were becoming pregnant, and the children were not being born alive or weren't being born at all, due to late-term miscarriages or stillbirth or failure to thrive in the first month. Most who did survive wound up in CPS custody.

It was a horrible situation, and we went to work on it. We tried several things, but none worked until we called the men and women in the community together. First, we urged them to have fewer babies, because they were not ready. That message didn’t resonate. A second message did: children were dying because we weren't taking good care of the pregnant mothers. At that time, it was common for the community to say to newly pregnant women, “You stay right here with us on the street and we’ll take care of you.” That failed to recognize problems of stress and drugs, especially a new drug at that time called K2 or synthetic cannabinoid.

So -- we made it a community goal that women would spend as many months of their pregnancies off the streets as possible. As a result, it is now common for girls who get pregnant to say, “Oh, my goodness, I have to get off the streets,” and for them to seek resources, including friends, family or supported housing. Over the next 18 months -- well into 2017 – they made solid progress. We taught them about prenatal care for themselves and their unborn, and how to make plans for nine months ahead. Still, the newborns often wound up in CPS custody, as has been the case for almost all my 20 years working with homeless young adults.

It’s 2020 now (oh boy, is it ever!). We still have about one pregnancy a month – or about nine pregnant clients at any given time, but something amazing has happened. We began hiring more diverse members to our team. We hired more women, and they formed a women's group, and the women's group has been particularly supportive of pregnant women and new mothers. I noticed about a month ago that we have six women under our care whose children are living at home with them. That’s far more than ever!

Yes, it's still a struggle for our moms, and perhaps it's not ideal, but they are now stable enough they can keep their kids. (There usually is some inspection by CPS from time to time.) I'm really proud of our clients for owning the challenge of making enough change that they can keep their children with them and raise them! This is how we break the cycle of street youth and street dependency.

This is how poverty is solved -- one family at a time. I am often asked why there are homeless young adults. And the answer is the breakdown of the family. I don't want to blame anyone, but one way or another the homeless kiddos do not have the same support their peers in college or at home have – the same housing, supportive parents, educational opportunities and so on. The difference is the families of origin of our clients don’t have the tools or resources or the ability to give that support.

We continue to work toward solutions. And for now, we celebrate the fact that clients under our care have kids at home with them! Thank you for supporting our work and being involved with us. It truly does make a difference! Change is why we love working with our homeless young adults. The future is very bright for them -- when they claim it. And we love being guidance counselors as they move through this journey and mature and claim their futures!

                                  -- TERRY

Theme weeks prove popular with clients

We continue to adapt our delivery of services to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions on the size of gatherings have limited the opportunities for partner groups to volunteer, but we've come up with a great idea to counter that -- theme weeks.

Most recently, 12 clients participated in the first activity day of Fashion & Jobs Week, at which they were encouraged to pursue their dream jobs. (see photos) Between now and the end of the year, the following weeks will have themes:

Sept. 28 -- Self-Care Week (eat well, rest well, care for your body, care for your mind, care for your soul)

Oct. 12 -- Exploring Your Identity Week (loving yourself, your heritage, who you are, finding yourself and your community)

Oct. 26 -- Halloween Week (includes All Saints Day

Nov. 1 -- Day of the Dead, goblins and fun)

Nov. 9 -- Favorite Foods Week  (food foods, comfort foods, practical foods)

Nov. 23 -- Feast/Gratitude Week (it starts the last two days of the prior week -- gratitude, plenty, harvest, feasts of all sorts)

Three and a half weeks of Christmas: Faith 11/30, Hope 12/7, Love 12/14, Peace Out 12/21-22.    Exactly what happens is really up to our partners and volunteers as we brainstorm together how to best help our clients explore and engage each theme in fun and uplifting ways. Partners also can help collect and deliver the needed materials, and -- if all parties deem it's sufficiently safe -- participate outdoors with our clients, remembering to wear masks and observe social distancing.

Happy Juneteenth!

On June 19, the clients were celebrating Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in Texas and this year symbolized hope of social justice and equality for all. Clients enjoyed delicious hot meals cooked by volunteers with donated ingredients. Serving was through the front gate of the Drop-in Center; check out the menu!

Clients flocking to SYMin services!

Covid-19 restrictions hit many clients hard immediately, costing them jobs and apartments. Clients turned to SYMin en masse -- we reached an all-time April high of 150 clients with drop-by and on-line services. Clients have fulfilled 422 goals this year thru April, another all-time high. We split our staff into two teams -- one stays at home and works the phones and internet, chasing down resources that suddenly are more difficult to find; the other sorts in-kind donations and prepares food at the Drop-in Center so clients can be served as they come to the gate outside.

Here are some highlights from a recent day:

• Five people spent time in our Zoom prayer group.
• One client got a new job and plans to come to the drop-by for work clothes.
• Another spent some time learning DIY car repair since she cannot afford repairs right now.
• Eight clients joined us for Virtual Movie Night and enjoyed chatting and watching Scooby Doo!
• Eighteen clients came by to get food pantry bags and clothing.
• A young woman made use of the outside laptop to research jobs and how to get a copy of her social security card.

Hot meals still served

Hot meals are still a favorite. We prepare them inside the Drop-in Center, then pass them to clients through the gate outside.

Drop-by services

We re-organized our clothing and other client supplies so we can carry the right sizes out to the front gate more quickly.

Client events go on-line

Our client events have all gone virtual since the Drop-in Center became inaccessible to groups of 10 or more. Client links to them on Facebook.

Clients flock to SYMin 'Drop-by' Services

Indoor activities at the Drop-in Center remain suspended as we start June, but staff can still use the facility to collect and sort donations and prepare hot meals and food bags for distribution to clients outside at the front gate.

Adapting to the virus!

Our "Drop-by team" handed out supplies, food and clothing through the gates in front of the Drop-in Center as we met clients -- keeping a safe distance -- after coronavirus restrictions were put in force. The offerings included a pizza party, above and at right!

Amplifying Together To Raise Our Clients Up!

Opening up the 3rd floor!

Many volunteers and SYMin clients spent countless hours organizing our third floor. Our Wednesday Girls Group became the first to take advantage of the new space. Clients love it! Now -- on to the next room!

What's ahead!

To address the clothing crisis, we are talking to a local laundry to provide a service to replace doing the laundry at the Drop-in temporarily. It will increase our costs, but clients need to feel clean and put together.

   We know that a financial crisis is coming. Almost all our clients lost their jobs when the city was shut down, and bills are coming due. We don't provide direct emergency financial support, but we are looking for organizations that can. We also have been encouraging job searches. Lots of people are hiring.

   We also expect a wave of evictions in June or so. Many clients have had their bills deferred, but we don't expect such bills to be forgiven. Many will lack resources to catch up. We'll be ready with guidance about how to bounce back from eviction if it does occur. We also plan to launch learn-and-earn to help our clients get more financially literate and re-enter the job market.

    We are concerned that our clients may become COVID-infected once the "lockdown" in Austin is ended. Our clients have not proven they can reliably observe social distance -- just as most young people have not. If one client gets the virus, the rest are likely to get it in clusters. While we will pray the impact is minor for most, we know some who will likely be compromised. The worst is yet to come and, unfortunately, their exposure will require they be quarantined from our services. For this reason, we are taking a cautious approach to re-opening of our Drop-in Center.

   Finally, we know from the 2008 financial meltdown that events like our unemployment situation impact the rate at which we see future clients. We anticipate that 2021 will see a surge in clients because of many factors. Some will be from families that experienced increased economic turmoil in 2020. Some college students will be forced to drop out of college and some will experience homelessness. But we'll be here with proven resources and guidance to help them recover and find their way.

No Pranks Here; Only Blessings Raining Down!

Supplies ready for clients dropping by

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are not able to operate the Drop-in the same way as before. But, we have adopted. Our 'drop-by team' receives clients outside our gates with a smile, with a meal, usually hot, and with supplies. We are trying to fill the gap created by temporarily disappearing services, so we are doing things like food bags and toilet paper. The 'drop-by team' chats with clients outside (observing social distance) about life and challenges ... hope and hardship in these coronavirus times. They also help drop-by volunteers unload supplies. Meanwhile, our "home team" works the phones, seeking resources.

Donation from One Chapel

Wonderful members of One Chapel stay true to their church's belief that "our faith is practical and our lives are meant to be lived in service to others" as they deliver in-kind donations for SYMin distribution outside the Drop-in Center.

Clients just love Talent Night!

Clients just love Talent Night! We continue to be astounded at the event and how healthy self-expression leads to healing and recovery. After Terry shared recently about a friend who passed away and how he wants to tell his young son one day about his father (to the sounds of "Amazing Grace") as his “talent,” the clients broke into a series of worship songs and shared their stories, hopes and dreams.

Christmas for SYM Clients

Merry Christmas!

   As the time to share that greeting rolls around each year, I think of the 3,000+ clients our ministry has served since we began in 2008. What kind of Christmases will they have?

   Thanks especially to social media these days, we know more of the answers. Some clients have excelled, and they’ve written us. A few lives ended tragically. Other clients intrigue us – they surface periodically to say “thanks” or share news, infusing us like the episodes of an old-fashioned serial, complete with cliffhanger endings.

   Such a continuing story this year was shared by a client whose street name was “Powder”:

   2012-13, off and on – Powder attended a few of our events back before we had our Drop-in Co-op, and he came to the 2013 Christmas party at All Saints Episcopal. He was using drugs at the time, and he ran around with friends using street names like Merce, Grinch and Bean.

   We hadn’t seen Powder since 2013, then he resurfaced three years later with a Facebook message:

   1 a.m., June 16, 2016 – “You probably won’t remember me. I hung around for a little while in 2012-2013.  I remember speaking to you multiple times at the Drop-in. I don’t know how many success stories you hear, but I just wanted to let you know that I haven’t done dope in 2 1/2 years and I just bought my own house in a suburb of Kansas City.”

   I checked into his records and finally ran into an old photo that summoned memories. What I didn't know was how deeply we had changed the direction of this young man's journey. Powder and I had the following Facebook exchange, edited for space:

   Terry: “Well congratulations on all that! … I always love hearing from people who are doing well. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) to know that it's a whole lot of people!

   Powder: “I was pretty nondescript and tried my best not to be noticed.  If you don’t remember me that doesn’t hurt my feelings, I remember you and the rest of the staff and how much the simple things y'all did for me helped. It made me feel like an actual person.”

   Terry: “I know your face. I don't yet recall your street name Powder. I'm really glad we were able to love on you a bit and that it helped. What made you decide to retire and get sober and all that?

   Powder: “I just got tired of living that way. I went to jail for a few months, then a psych ward, and then a rehab program. After that I just decided I wasn't going to go back and live that way again, so I got into a halfway house and got a job and all that.”

   Terry: “Cool. I'm glad. I assume it's better for you? Doesn't have to be, but is faith a resource for you at this point?

   Powder: “I struggle with faith and spirituality. I have had a lot of things happen, seen things and whatnot, but it just doesn't seem to "click." I haven't had the spiritual awakening or whatever you want to call it.”

   Terry: “I'd say be patient with yourself and stay in touch with that part of you that knows or wants there to be something bigger than us. It doesn't hurt to hang around people who are further along than you are, but not to let them tell you what to think. Just to learn and see and feel how it is for them. I'll be praying for you in that regard. Any other way I can be praying for you? Also, could I use your words to encourage others? I wouldn't use your name unless you want me to. Recovery is a long road and it's great for those who feel like it may never happen to them to hear from people like you who were around quite a while but are recovering!”

   Powder: “Yeah sure, I appreciate all your help, past and present.”

   Fast forward three years, four months. I heard from him again:

   11:08 p.m., Oct. 5, 2019 -- “Touching base again, Terry. I just want to say again how helpful the Drop-in was to me at a time when I needed it the most. I’m still sober, haven’t touched drugs or booze since January 10, 2014. I’m still bouncing around, but I’m in much better condition than I was back then, physically and spiritually.

   “I have a skilled trade. I’m a butcher. I work full-time and I can’t help but feel like I’ve left that world behind. It’s for the best, but some of the happiest moments of my life happened on the Drag. I’ve noticed that it’s almost like a class graduating: people I knew ended up dead, in prison or clean, and a new generation came to replace our spots.

   “Now I’m sitting on the couch in a home that I ‘own’ and watching cable. I’m not in Missouri anymore. but that’s where I learned to butcher, in a family-owned shop that was looking for some help during deer season. I managed to leverage that into a union full-time job at a grocery store. I’ve tried to settle down a couple times and it just hasn’t worked out. I think I just enjoy being a rambler.

   “I’m still not sure where I stand on my beliefs. I go back and forth a lot. I’d like to settle down somewhere, That’s the big one. I want to continue this trend of “living a normal life” without being too boring. Maybe I just need to find a hobby. I’ll get back in touch with you again when I think about it.

   Terry: “How old are you now?”

   Powder: “I’m headed toward 27, I was 19-20 in Austin.”

   Terry: “You're right on track. I find a lot of people who hit the road for whatever reason start settling things at about 26 or so.”

   Powder: “That’s nice to hear, honestly. I had a lot of people ask me when I was in high school  and “full of potential” what I wanted to do with my life, and when I would say “ I don’t know,” I’d get the same long and boring lecture about needing to do something important.

   “I wish someone would’ve told me, or I would have known that it’s totally OK to make $35,000 a year cutting meat and going fishing every day before work. I’m never gonna have a lot of anything, but I have enough of the stuff I want and a plan for the immediate future, which is to move someplace that has trout and moving water so I can learn how to fly fish.

   “I just wish I could’ve started on this path five years ago and not be struggling toward it now. I suppose you know what they say about wishing in one hand and doing something in the other. I just have to remember I’m not that old yet, and there’s still time. Pleasure to have met you, Terry.”


Read on... for the follow up story of Powder

https://streetyouth.blogspot.com/2019/12/defining-our-life-purpose.html  

Defining our life purpose

   Toward the end of my “conversation” with Powder, I saw words that concerned me yet left me with hope. He’s still “struggling,” he said, but “I’m still not that old yet, and there’s still time.” In my final reply, I sought to leave some thoughts that would carry him over to the next time we connected, or beyond. Here’s what I wrote:

   “If I had heard you say that “you don’t know” when you’re 18 or 19, I would’ve responded, ‘That’s OK. You’re not supposed to know yet.’ I think your life has purpose, but that purpose is probably not defined by what you do to earn money or to relax.

   “I think that purpose is probably defined by the relationships you have in your life and what you do with them: being kind, being patient, seeking peace, instilling hope, loving others, etc. And I bet you still don’t know all the answers to that question -- and it’s still OK. I’m sorry for the angst and more along your path, but I don’t even know that you started out on the wrong path. It led to here, and it leads into the future. So perhaps it was the right one all along.”

   We likely have this type of impact on our clients with our guidance counseling every day and don't yet know it. Our journeys in life are filled with people who matter to us and people to whom we matter. Sometimes we don't even know it. This Advent and Christmas, enjoy the journey and enjoy the people around you. You never know who you will be making a difference to!

   Thank you for supporting SYM and being a part of making a difference!