2-1-1 On The Go! speaks with Little Foot, James and Rob
Hello again readers and encouragers!
On Tuesday John and I headed out onto the streets again, but this time with a most welcomed guest: Mike Brennan. He decided to carve out a couple hours in the afternoon to come experience 2-1-1 On The Go! firsthand. Within minutes of parking the car, we were already engrossed in conversations with Detroiters in all types of life situations. One of the people we ran into is an interesting character who goes by "Little Foot". In the course of our various homeless outreach events last summer, John and I talked with Little Foot on a regular basis, so it was somewhat nostalgic to see him. He says he's a rapper, and that he works "for the people". Since this past summer, Little Foot has got himself into Section 8 housing, and is no longer subject to the rigors of street life, not that it ever affected his jubilant disposition anyway. Still though, it was great to know he was on the upward swing and has a warm place to lay his head.
As we talked with him on the corner of Woodward and Willis, Mike and I asked him about life on the streets and he was (as usual) more than willing to indulge us. With the utmost animation, Little Foot quickly slipped into the role of reporter as he discerned the situation of each woman and man in sight. He gave us his take on how to tell when someone is using drugs, and when they actually need help to get on their feet. He pointed to people panhandling and laid out for Mike and I his prediction of what would happen in the next few moments. With stunning accuracy he was able to predetermine who would give them money, and what direction people would head once they got the money. Although he'd seen it a thousand times, he still appeared to be disappointed when people would beg for money to get drugs. Some of the people Little Foot pointed out as "users" were very obvious. Their faces were thin, hands were shaky, and they were highly recognizable to John and I as staples of the street community. Others were less obvious; well-groomed and prideful. Because the physical signs weren't always accurate, Little Foot reinforced the idea that each person, whether on the street or in the office, is unique and has their own story. He knows these people, he was recently among them. He's got a leg to stand on now, and we want to help get more people into that position.
Mike, John, and I eventually made our way off of the corner of Woodward and Willis, and headed south. We made a decent loop of the Midtown area, hitting MLK and Cass along the way. While out on the journey, we spoke with several people in dire circumstances. We listened to their stories as they poured out their hearts, and we recommended the resources of 2-1-1 as often as possible. If you haven't yet read Mike's email about James, a hurting, repentant man at the beginning of another tough battle, I would encourage you to do so. With that, I'm going to hand it over to John. Thanks for your support.
Hello all!
As Nick pointed out, it was a pleasure to have Mike Brennan get down in the trenches with us for a couple of hours. I really feel that with each time we go out, we are growing in the area of discernment. It gets a little bit easier to figure out who really needs help, and who is just telling us what we want to hear. We are learning to have patience with those that aren't ready to get the help that we feel they need, and we are excited to help those that just need that extra push! There are a lot of people out there who have some pretty incredible stories, one of which is a man I spent some time with named Rob.
Rob came up to me excited about the Rack card and referrals that Nick gave him, and assured me that he would be calling these agencies and using 2-1-1. It didn't take anything on my part for Rob to begin spilling his life story to me. All I had to do was be ready to listen, and I'm glad that I did. Rob is sort of the encourager/big brother of his area. If you read Mikes email about James, he is the guy that is fixing the brakes on James' van. He is a mechanic and makes some money here and there by fixing cars for people that would otherwise pay a lot more at a repair shop. Rob has lived the typical life of someone struggling on the streets, and has since left that lifestyle behind. He has spent some considerable time in prison for, from what I gather, robbing a bank. He has been addicted to drugs and alcohol and "by the grace of God" he so joyfully proclaimed, he was able to receive the strength to stand up on his own two feet, and leave that life behind! Amazingly, he didn't kick his addiction by going to any substance abuse treatment centers. He basically just quit on his own, by making a decision to that he didn't want to live that way anymore. Rob spoke very passionately to me about the importance of helping yourself instead of waiting for handouts. He also expressed his passion for seeing those around him get their lives together. He encourages those around him to follow his lead, and take ownership of their own lives, which I think is just what the homeless community needs. Rob is not homeless, in fact he obtained permission from the city to live in a small shack that he built for himself in an open area behind the apartment building where we met James and some others. When people give him money, he goes to the grocery store and buys meat and things to cook on the grill that he owns. He hands out meals to those that chip in a buck or two, and even slips some food to those who hoped to get a free meal.
The thing that is so inspiring to me about Rob is that he is the perfect example of someone who has taken a look at his life, didn't like what he saw, and took the necessary steps to changing his situation. He spoke of the people on the street that know they need help, but decide to just remain helpless and just lay down and die. He hopes to see those people pull themselves together and take the initiative to getting what they really want out of life, but keeps them at a distance so that he doesn't fall into that lifestyle himself. Rob expressed his excitement about 2-1-1 On The Go! and seemed to think that he would be able to use our services. We are looking forward to helping more people like Rob who just need a hand getting stable in life.
We are hoping to get more pictures up regularly in these blog posts. I will do my best to make sure you all can put some faces to the names we will talk about in future posts.
Until next week, thanks for all your support and encouragement and if you see us out on the street, come say hi!
On Tuesday John and I headed out onto the streets again, but this time with a most welcomed guest: Mike Brennan. He decided to carve out a couple hours in the afternoon to come experience 2-1-1 On The Go! firsthand. Within minutes of parking the car, we were already engrossed in conversations with Detroiters in all types of life situations. One of the people we ran into is an interesting character who goes by "Little Foot". In the course of our various homeless outreach events last summer, John and I talked with Little Foot on a regular basis, so it was somewhat nostalgic to see him. He says he's a rapper, and that he works "for the people". Since this past summer, Little Foot has got himself into Section 8 housing, and is no longer subject to the rigors of street life, not that it ever affected his jubilant disposition anyway. Still though, it was great to know he was on the upward swing and has a warm place to lay his head.
As we talked with him on the corner of Woodward and Willis, Mike and I asked him about life on the streets and he was (as usual) more than willing to indulge us. With the utmost animation, Little Foot quickly slipped into the role of reporter as he discerned the situation of each woman and man in sight. He gave us his take on how to tell when someone is using drugs, and when they actually need help to get on their feet. He pointed to people panhandling and laid out for Mike and I his prediction of what would happen in the next few moments. With stunning accuracy he was able to predetermine who would give them money, and what direction people would head once they got the money. Although he'd seen it a thousand times, he still appeared to be disappointed when people would beg for money to get drugs. Some of the people Little Foot pointed out as "users" were very obvious. Their faces were thin, hands were shaky, and they were highly recognizable to John and I as staples of the street community. Others were less obvious; well-groomed and prideful. Because the physical signs weren't always accurate, Little Foot reinforced the idea that each person, whether on the street or in the office, is unique and has their own story. He knows these people, he was recently among them. He's got a leg to stand on now, and we want to help get more people into that position.
Mike, John, and I eventually made our way off of the corner of Woodward and Willis, and headed south. We made a decent loop of the Midtown area, hitting MLK and Cass along the way. While out on the journey, we spoke with several people in dire circumstances. We listened to their stories as they poured out their hearts, and we recommended the resources of 2-1-1 as often as possible. If you haven't yet read Mike's email about James, a hurting, repentant man at the beginning of another tough battle, I would encourage you to do so. With that, I'm going to hand it over to John. Thanks for your support.
Hello all!
As Nick pointed out, it was a pleasure to have Mike Brennan get down in the trenches with us for a couple of hours. I really feel that with each time we go out, we are growing in the area of discernment. It gets a little bit easier to figure out who really needs help, and who is just telling us what we want to hear. We are learning to have patience with those that aren't ready to get the help that we feel they need, and we are excited to help those that just need that extra push! There are a lot of people out there who have some pretty incredible stories, one of which is a man I spent some time with named Rob.
Rob came up to me excited about the Rack card and referrals that Nick gave him, and assured me that he would be calling these agencies and using 2-1-1. It didn't take anything on my part for Rob to begin spilling his life story to me. All I had to do was be ready to listen, and I'm glad that I did. Rob is sort of the encourager/big brother of his area. If you read Mikes email about James, he is the guy that is fixing the brakes on James' van. He is a mechanic and makes some money here and there by fixing cars for people that would otherwise pay a lot more at a repair shop. Rob has lived the typical life of someone struggling on the streets, and has since left that lifestyle behind. He has spent some considerable time in prison for, from what I gather, robbing a bank. He has been addicted to drugs and alcohol and "by the grace of God" he so joyfully proclaimed, he was able to receive the strength to stand up on his own two feet, and leave that life behind! Amazingly, he didn't kick his addiction by going to any substance abuse treatment centers. He basically just quit on his own, by making a decision to that he didn't want to live that way anymore. Rob spoke very passionately to me about the importance of helping yourself instead of waiting for handouts. He also expressed his passion for seeing those around him get their lives together. He encourages those around him to follow his lead, and take ownership of their own lives, which I think is just what the homeless community needs. Rob is not homeless, in fact he obtained permission from the city to live in a small shack that he built for himself in an open area behind the apartment building where we met James and some others. When people give him money, he goes to the grocery store and buys meat and things to cook on the grill that he owns. He hands out meals to those that chip in a buck or two, and even slips some food to those who hoped to get a free meal.
The thing that is so inspiring to me about Rob is that he is the perfect example of someone who has taken a look at his life, didn't like what he saw, and took the necessary steps to changing his situation. He spoke of the people on the street that know they need help, but decide to just remain helpless and just lay down and die. He hopes to see those people pull themselves together and take the initiative to getting what they really want out of life, but keeps them at a distance so that he doesn't fall into that lifestyle himself. Rob expressed his excitement about 2-1-1 On The Go! and seemed to think that he would be able to use our services. We are looking forward to helping more people like Rob who just need a hand getting stable in life.
We are hoping to get more pictures up regularly in these blog posts. I will do my best to make sure you all can put some faces to the names we will talk about in future posts.
Until next week, thanks for all your support and encouragement and if you see us out on the street, come say hi!
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