Clients Need More than Housing

   "We don't just need housing,” a client named Curtis told me recently. “We need help learning how to live in housing." He was frustrated, but he's part of a voice of change in Austin.

Street Youth Ministry is trusted, and we inspire our clients. We empower them to make change -- we don't make it for them. We are an evolving ministry, always looking to keep things fresh. Being fresh helps attract people to us, but there's more to needing to be fresh than that. The landscape and the needs are always changing. One must listen intently and inquire directly to learn what clients are coping with and what they need now. And you must pay attention to the environment in which they are homeless and seeking help: other agencies, local and federal agencies, relevant social problems and pressures.

   Curtis was referring to a new HUD initiative (administered by ECHO with federal funding) that has provided many clients with free housing for a period of time. I know its origins well, because helped write the program definition that got HUD approval and brought the $5.5 million initiative to life. HUD pays only for housing, so we receive none of the funding and we are not able to be part of the oversight. However, we refer lots of interested clients into the program and continue to work with them afterwards.

Curtis was voicing concern that people who are taken from the streets and placed in apartments, even free ones, lose their community. They can become depressed and isolated. In addition, we see clients with stress and anxiety from housing responsibilities that can seem almost unsurmountable. Many invite their friends over to re-establish that community, but this can lead to eviction. Depressed and isolated people have a hard time with motivation to find and keep jobs—a new experience for many--so they are often unemployed.  Overall they don’t feel competent at life.

SYM has adapted to this changing environment by listening to our clients. We asked how can we help. Some want one-on-one budgeting help. Some want employment guidance. We spend considerable time in guidance counseling these days with people who have housing but aren't sure what is next. In addition, we help with groceries once a week (see story next page). And we provide cleaning supplies once a month. All this allows us to maintain our relationship, even though the clients perhaps don't come to our Drop-in Center as often, because they have an apartment.

   We have added several events and activities with a goal of creating a feeling of competency within our clients: art group, game night and talent night. They can volunteering at SYM to earn credits so they can purchase nice donated items from our “store.” (We've found this to be a great way to also re-engage clients in a personal economy and teach deferred gratification.) They can earn participate in our online learning programs and earn credit for merchandise on Amazon. (This teaches them the process of saving for larger items and planning purchases.) We have several events that are great for lonely clients who might need a community: peer support group, movie night, or game night.

  

Curtis is a good example of our guidance counseling at work. He first received services almost daily about 18 months ago. Then he stopped coming and began pursuing jobs in security. He got an apartment under the HUD program, pays his bills and buys his groceries. Recently, he started coming back to us on occasion for community and guidance. He shared that he doesn't want to work in security. It's just what he found. He wants to start a camp for disadvantaged children, but he doesn't really know where to start.

   Curtis has become our next client intern for entrepreneurship. He will work in our Drop-in like any intern, but we will also spend time with him teaching him about donors, volunteers, in-kind giving, program management and so on. We hope that by the end of the internship he will know if education or more practical experience is the next step in pursuing his dream!

   Thank you for being a part of all the guidance counseling and practical help we supply to our street youth clients! It matters! It works!

  

Terry

Churches Helping in Big Ways

We are pleased to announce that we have two partner church organizations that are working to do something that almost no one can do--provide transitional housing for some of our clients. This is a hard thing to do because it's a long-term commitment. Research on homeless people similar to our clients has shown it often takes 18 months from the time that someone truly wants to get off the street and begins to dedicate themselves fully to this. It's not a straight uphill path, either. Typically, a street-dependent youth has multiple episodes of living on the street.

 

"Fostering" a street youth is what we call this activity. It's not for all churches and it's not for all clients. And we don't know exactly what will make it work perfectly every time, but a couple of brave organizations have felt God's call to try. And we think that's awesome.

 

So far, clients focused on are women with babies on the way, because obviously the benefits will change not only the client's life but the life of the baby coming. Not all women who have babies while being street-dependent need housing help. In fact, quite a few are able to use the baby's arrival as new motivation and urgency to get things together. However, a fair portion of babies do end up in foster care. And since 50% of our clients were in foster care, there may well be a cycle here. And helping a young expecting mom with housing might just break the cycle.

 

Right now, we have two young ladies in temporary housing. One program is urban based using financial means to provide a boarding house. The other program is rural based, using land and a trailer to provide housing. Both efforts including lots of life skills training and help from case managers. One is more social-work based, with a retired social worker being the main point of contact, and the other is more community based, with a small group of people surrounding the client with fellowship, support, and advice. Both programs are defined around strong boundaries, accountability, and a finite duration.

 

Our goal is to make sure our clients are safe and emerge as better off. We also want to protect our partner organizations from pitfalls that commonly shut the doors of new outreach efforts.

 

Both programs have made us optimistic. The Body of Christ stepped in to do something that no-one else could or would do. It is doing so in a loving but accountable fashion.  We dream of the day that lots of churches might be involved in "fostering" street youth. It's a long term (think 12 months) program to undertake. We think it takes a small group to hold the client AND the main caregiver accountable. We believe it's not for every client--in particular we don't believe this is for clients with current addictions or untreated mental health challenges. We wonder how many rural churches could find a way to foster one couple or one mother. We actually think rural churches may have an edge here, because costs are lower and the client is removed from the street element. Only time will tell, but we're privileged to be involved and proud of partners willing to "get out of the boat" and see if God will equip them to do things that would be absolutely impossible without His power and strong hand.

 

If you'd like to be involved, you can engage with SYM at partners. We do have a quarterly interchange group for those providing care to street-dependent youth in Austin. Contact us to be invited.

 

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Venting to God

I met one of my dear friends on the street this week. "Joe" has remarkably changed his life the last three week. Joe has become sober from multiple substances that he was abusing. He has gotten a job. He has moved into a stable housing situation. He has begun attending sober meetings and working the 12 steps. Everything Joe told me was great, but it suddenly, but as I listened to him I realized that his words were saying one thing and his voice was saying another.

I interrupted Joe, "Can I stop you and just ask you a question?" He said, "Sure. Anything." I continued, "You are telling me all these wonderful things, but your voice sounds frustrated and stressed. What is up?"

Joe looked at me for a while and then began venting. He was frustrated because the stable living situation that he could find was a boarding house that is also a sober house. "They expect me to do 20 hours of community service every week. They expect me to give them 48 hours notice if I'm going to be out after 9. I can't do that stuff. If I'm not working, I'm at a meeting or with my sponsor working the steps. They just don't understand!" His voice got more and more angry. I let him vent.

Joe suddenly stopped, looked conflicted, and said, "I know I need to be grateful. I should be grateful. Really I am grateful, but I didn't sign up for this sober house. I thought I was just getting into a boarding house. I feel like just taking my next check and running away and saying 'Screw this!'

"I'm sorry. I need to be grateful. I'm sorry."

I thought about what to say and what to do next. I asked, "Do you have a Bible? Are you reading scripture through all of this?" He said, "Yes and no. I'm reading the Bible but I don't have one of my own. I'm using my sponsor's." I knew this was something that I could fix, but I continued with more questions.

"What are you reading" I asked. Joe opened his diary and showed me passages that he had written down. Psalm 25. (To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me....) Matthew 4:1-11 (...Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.). Joe told me why he loved these passages and then added, "And I love reading Job."

I responded and asked him, "I love reading Psalms. Did you know that a lot of the Psalms start out with intense anger and frustration being directed at God! Some of the psalmists really let God have it: 'Why have you forsaken me? Where the heck are you? Why are you letting the bad guys beat me up like this? I hate this! And I'm pissed at you!' And then they end with things like: 'But... you are my God. I will trust in you even now. I will put myself into your care. I have no other hope, so I will count on you.'

"I am noticing that you are angry but that you feel like you have to be 'sweet' with God. I suggest that you approach God on your knees but with all your emotions intact. Let him know how hard it is. Let him know how betrayed you feel. Let him know how scared you are. Don't just share the grateful side of you with him--although it's wonderful that you can be humble and grateful. Dare to share your whole self with God.

"My favorite character from all the Bible is in Job. Elihu is his name. He's a young man your age. He sits and listens to Job. He sits and listens to the old men who are supposed to be wise. Job cries out from the pity pot of life. The three men offer him sharp rebuke in the disguise of friendship. When Elihu has heard them out, he tells them, 'I have waited because you are old. I have listened because you are supposed to be wise. But you have totally missed the point!' And then he tells them the truth. I love that! And I can't imagine how God must have smiled during his speech to Job and his three 'friends.'

"And while we're talking about Job. Remember that Job totally loses his temper and self control in the last chapters. He cries out, 'You have forsaken me... I want to see my God and my accuser and my judge right here... right now... right before me.' These are angry and frustrated words. And God listens... and God shows up. It's horrifying and humbling. Job immediately falls to his knees and says, 'I am nothing. You are everything. I'm sorry, and I was wrong. Forgive me.' God does. And God restores him fully... better than ever, in fact. But notice that Job didn't get there by being sweet or even by being grateful. He got there by being real with God. And I think it's OK... I think it's necessary... for you to be real with God, too."

We prayed together. Joe also needed to tell someone here on earth (a case worker) that he is frustrated with the current living solution. We practiced doing that until he could do it authentically but not hurtfully. When he was ready, Joe used my cell phone to call the human he was angry with to be real with him as well. It was frightening to Joe, but he did it.

We walked together back to my truck, and I gave him a Bible. I wrote these words in it and presented it to him in the parking lot:

"I believe in you. You are a beloved child of God. In you, He is well pleased. Be blessed by this Word and become a blessing to others. In love... Terry."

He read the words, looked at me, and said, "Thank you. This really means a lot." We hugged. And he went to his job and to his meetings and to the next hour of his new life.

May God bless Joe today and every day. May Joe grow in his authentic relationship with God. May we all grow in authentic relationship with God, so that we can fulfill God's purpose for us: enjoying God today and tomorrow and forever and becoming a blessing to all nations.