Mobile Loaves & Fishes Blog

Press Statement from Alan Graham In Response to Statesman Editorial On Panhandling

No matter what side of this issue you're on we encourage you to talk about it with your City Council.  Click here to send and email telling the entire City Council what you think about this.  

PRESS STATEMENT

The following is a statement from Alan Graham, President/CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, in response to yesterday’s Austin American-Statesman Editorial “Whose sensibilities would be spared by expanded ban in Austin?”

“Yesterday’s Austin American-Statesman’s editorial asking the City Council to think long and hard before expanding the ban on panhandling downtown was right on target. While the editorial couched the issue, very laudably, as one of free speech, I would like to remind the Council and the public that there is also a very pragmatic angle to take when opposing the criminalization of panhandling.

It doesn’t work.  

Expanding the ban on panhandling downtown will simply consume more of the City’s law enforcement resources, push panhandling into other neighborhoods and give the perception that the problem is solved, or at least getting better.

That is a dangerous perception for our community.

Panhandling is a symptom of homelessness. Criminalizing panhandling does nothing to address the state of homelessness. Study after study supports that.  The answer to homelessness is long-term, affordable, sustainable housing. Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Habitat on Wheels project has a five year track record of lifting people off the streets and into affordable, permanent housing, in refurbished recreational vehicles (RVs) that we acquire.  

Currently, Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Habitat on Wheels is seeking a permanent location for our RVs. It is as shovel ready as a project can be and the Austin City Council’s time would be better spent approving that project than debating, yet again, an expanded ban on panhandling downtown.”

An Open Letter to the Citizens of Austin, Texas from Richard Troxell

This letter was written by RIchard Troxell, President of House the Homeless one of the strongest advocates surrounding the issue of homelessness in Austin.  I believe it is important that all sides be heard in this debate.  Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes that the answer to all of these systemic issues that exacerbate homelessness is affordable, permanent, sustainable housing and living wage jobs.  Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes that through the implementation of its Habitat on Wheels housing model (www.mlfnow.org/HOW) that we can mitigate over a relatively short period of time this sore on our society we call panhandling.  We are emphatically against any additional criminalization or any expansion of the panhandling ordinance in Austin.

-Alan
 
House the Homeless Takes a Stand
As we are well aware, the Downtown Austin Business Alliance (DABA), the East Sixth Street Community Association (ESCA) and Sixth Street Austin (aka) Pecan Street Owners Association), among other businesses, which includes, but certainly not limited to, the Alamo Draft House, B.D Rileys, Iron Cactus Cafe, the Margarita Bar, El Sol Y La Luna, Parkside, Blind Pig, and the Old Pecan Street Cafe are all promoting the expansion of the anti-panhandling ordinance from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM to around-the-clock, 24 hours a day, in the downtown area.   House the Homeless (HTH), the oldest, grassroots, all volunteer, action homeless organization in the State of Texas, made up of people experiencing homelessness, formerly homeless people and others wishing to end homelessness, is strongly against the expansion of this ordinance.  Although HTH has stated repeatedly that it does not condone panhandling, and it outright condemns aggressive panhandling, its members will fight to their last breath for a person's right to ask his or her fellow human beings for help.

A Fair Wage For A Fair Day's Work
The President of ESCA has said with conviction that "All of our businesses pay a Living Wage or more than a Living Wage." This is a blatant untruth.  Upon investigation, House the Homeless has learned that none of the businesses listed here pay a Living Wage. In fact, they all take advantage of a loop hole in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 for which businesses had previously lobbied Congress.  Presently, the Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hour, which is less than $15,000 per year.  Where people are earning a living based on "tips", employers can pay these employees as little as $2.13 an hour so long as you and I, as patrons, bring the wage up to the Federal Minimum Wage. We tip to express our gratitude to individuals who provide us good or exceptional service as a way of saying "thank you".  Who among you realize that you are being relied upon to provide the base pay of each and everyone of these employees? (Note. B.D. Rileys pays its' employees only $2.81 per hour).

Again, this gouging of patrons merely brings the pay amount up to the Federal Minimum Wage, which has been widely known to be wholly inadequate to attain housing.  In fact, according to the last several US Conference of Mayors' Reports, insufficient income is a leading cause of homelessness. They point out that no where in America, can a person earning at the Federal Minimum Wage get into and keep basic rental housing.    What ever happened to "A Fair Wage For a Fair Day's Work"?  Do these businesses act responsibly or morally if they don't even pay their
employees enough to make ends meet so they can afford basic housing? 
 
Employers who benefit from the labor of their workers need to ensure that the people working for them are able meet their core needs.  This is known as a Living Wage.  This means, at a minimum, paying a person who works 40 hours in a week enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter (including utilities).

Lack of Cooperation and Resistance:
Unfortunately, neither DABA, ESCA, nor 6ixth Street Austin have participated in or contributed one thin dime to alleviating the root causes of homelessness.  When the City of Austin reached out to the Federal government and borrowed eight (8) million dollars to create the current ARCH, the only DABA contribution was to insist that there be metal detectors at the front doors.   In addition to serving as president of House the Homeless, I operate Legal Aid for the Homeless, the 5th Resource Center for the homeless since I started in 1989.  None of these business organizations have supported any of these centers.   It was in 1995 (circa) that House the Homeless first engaged the DABA (then known as DAA) when it pressed for the passage of the “No Camping” Ordinance.  The issue set the city on fire.  House the Homeless took out a full-page ad in the Sunday Austin American Statesman showing how it was cheaper to house and job train all homeless people, as opposed to jailing them.  However, facts such as those did not deter the DAA. Everyone had a position and everyone chimed in.  Steve Fromholtz, singer/songwriter, camped out with us, as did Molly Ivans, who said "Outlaw camping?  That's just silly.  I'm a Texas gal and I like to camp."  Bruce Springstein was in town and in support, he gave House the Homeless proceeds from his t-shirt sales.  All the while, the DAA insisted that this was an “urgent matter”, and that once they got immediate relief, we could "slow things down and start looking at deeper, more substantive issues and causes of homelessness."

Additionally, rather than pay wages that would enable minimum wage workers to avoid experiencing homelessness, the DAA has dipped into the city coffers and funded in part, their own private police force - The Downtown Rangers.  They are separate and apart from our police force - the Austin Police Department.  But they didn't stop there.  The DAA said that it was "the homeless who were filling our jails with drunken episodes, and thus creating the need for a "Community" Court.  House the Homeless contended that this was not true.  Later, when the statistics came out showing that the biggest offenders were University of Texas students, the DAA remained undeterred by the facts, and went on to press for the creation of the Community Court, separate from the Municipal Court only one block away.  And again, this comes at a significant cost to taxpayers. 

*Note:  Today, in the Austin Metropolitan Area there are only two (2) substance abuse treatment beds for single, adult males outside of the criminal justice system.  They have it set up so that these beds are reserved for people who are in violation of the "Quality of Life Ordinances," i.e. no sitting, no lying down, no camping, etc. These are all ordinances promoted by these businesses directed at people experiencing homelessness and all under the banner of urgency.  This refrain has been repeated over and over again with the passing of each "Quality of Life Ordinance" - no camping, no sitting, no lying down, no aggressive panhandling etc., all of which the DAA has rushed
toward passage declaring an urgent need each time. With no subsequent significant efforts to address the root causes of homelessness being offered, House the Homeless can no longer consider espousers of such mantra as "honest brokers". 

In a city that so dramatically lacks resources for people experiencing homelessness; (If you have ever played musical chairs as a child, you know that 4,400 people cannot easily fit into 650 emergency beds) can we constitutionally pass muster under the necessity argument?  And in a City where 55,000+ University students are channeled into the Entertainment District would we be able to defend exclusionary practices regarding freedom of speech arguments? 

The Criminalization of the Homelessness 

In fact, actions by the DAA have collectively created what House the Homeless refers to as the Criminalization of Homelessness Cycle. 

The Cycle works like this: 

(1) businesses pay so little that is causes minimum wage workers to fall into homelessness;

(2) there is a wholly inadequate response with  less than 650 emergency shelter beds (for every man, woman and child), for an actual head count of about 4,400 people;

(3) The City Council (at the urging of the DAA passes "Quality of Life" laws against camping, sitting, lying down, loitering, solicitation, etc.;

(4) citizens can't pay $200-$500 fines and must work for free "Community Service."  Some have called this "slave labor;"

(5)workers are later jailed when Class C criminal tickets go to warrant and people are forced to panhandle to survive, but are labeled "criminals;" and

(6) people can't rent or find jobs due to their criminal records
and remain homeless.

The DAA continues to say that they are attacking the act, not the actor.... and panhandling, not the people who are panhandlers.  But there is danger in this broad brush approach.  The Chronicle just published an expose entitled Panhandlers for God.  They focused on an organization calling itself Austin Restoration Ministries or ARM.  Theywere described as an organized group of panhandlers who aggressively demanded attention and money to support what was described as a dubious substance abuse treatment ministry.  The first thing that we need to note is that ARM's behavior as described is clearly illegal under the Anti-Aggressive Solicitation Ordinance. Also, as depicted, it should be repudiated.  What was described was a highly organized scam, relying on intimidation to commit highway robbery.  House the Homeless would be among the first to condemn the suggested activity. 

However, one does have to ask why the citizen who was interviewed failed to act and report the illegal activity, and then press for a legal response of the existing law, to have it stopped.   There is something very disquieting in this and the recent findings of  the ACLU and their Open Records Request. This revealed that the point person for the DAA anti-panhandling initiative, Bill Brice, likewise had not attempted to use the existing law before he and his business buddies
launched into yet another "emergency" response to pass laws against persons experiencing homelessness. Nonetheless, the alleged activity cited in the Chronicle is that of an organization, not individuals.
 
But the question of reporting is greater than just this limited view. I’ve read in two reports and had one conversation that Front Steps is supporting the expansion of this ordinance because of two frightening encounters with aggressive panhandlers by their Board members. This unacceptable behavior and should not be tolerated.  The suggestion that they should have reported the incident to the Police was waved off with “neither they nor the aggressive panhandlers would have waited for the police to arrive.”  Well maybe the victim would not wait, but I’ll guarantee you that the person standing on the corner is not about to abandon his or her corner.  And how are they going to know that you placed a call to the police on your cell phone?  They wouldn’t. Life is not always convenient.

There is a law in place against aggressive pan handling and just because we would be too inconvenienced to have it enforced is no justification to enact yet another law...especially one that curtails freedom of speech.  Again, I guarantee you that if you pull one of the aggressive panhandlers away from their source of income for half a day to explain their aggressive behavior, you will see a sea change.  But as it sits now we see no complaints and no efforts to enforce the current law.

Targeting the Homeless:

As stated, the DAA and all these businesses continue to contend that they are "not targeting the homeless; rather, they are targeting behavior”.  Really?  Consider this: when House the Homeless pointed out that firemen were stepping into traffic (with bag pipes) to solicit motorists for money, an exception was made and a state law was changed.  What will happen when the Salvation Army asks for an exception for its bell ringers?  When the Austin Advocate asks for an exception for its
vendors, will it be granted?  

The other day while leaving ARCH and racing to a meeting, a person experiencing homelessness ran up to me and presented me with a ticket that he had received for "Aggressive Panhandling."  He is a struggling Austin Musician who plays an acoustic guitar, is homeless,  and plays with his guitar box open for contributions. He insisted that he had no sign and the only words that came out of his mouth were song. Racing away, I told him how important it was that I get a copy of the ticket.  Clearly he was not aggressively panhandling. But the question sits on the table like an 800 pound baby elephant. 

If this ordinance were to be expanded, in the "Live Music Capitol of the World", would you again write an exception to the ordinance to allow for such activity in the downtown Entertainment District?  Firemen, bell ringers, newspaper solicitors... how many exceptions before the charade is
exposed and it becomes clear to everyone that people experiencing homelessness are being targeted.

What about the Neighborhoods?

The DAA and all the associated businesses cry for relief from the "siege" they suffer under by people experiencing homelessness, and those who panhandle for survival.  But what do they say about their concern for the neighborhoods around them who would clearly then become victims of the relief that they seek.  The business mentality is, "I got mine...good luck to you."  Is that good community partnership?  No.  It is elitism.  Good community citizenry is evidenced by the City of Austin, who pays a living wage to the least among its employees and to Travis County, who worked to get to that position, and to CVAN R Automotive, Wheatsville Co-Op, Run Tex and others who pay living wages or have pledged to work toward them because it is the ethical thing to do.   This is a new day and a new way.  We must all be our brother's keepers. Everyone should be paid a fair wage for a fair day's work, and everyone should have a roof over their head (other than a bridge).  Until that day, House the Homeless will continue to stand up with our brothers and sisters who ask, "Buddy, can you spare a dime." 

What Do The Surveys Say? 

On Tuesday, August 19, 2008, the City of Austin received the results of its Commissioned Solicitation Survey from the University of Texas School of Social Work.  They had interviewed 103 individuals, specifically excluding any kind of organized solicitation, and found that:

(1) These individuals were soliciting (panhandling) for daily survival and

(2) Making persistent efforts to work, with a long work history.  They found that 51 percent of those surveyed wanted job training and 52 percent were looking for work.   

In the Community Action Network (CAN) Unsheltered Homeless Count Survey, conducted in Austin in May, 2007, over 200 respondents were interviewed.  When asked as to the cause of their homelessness, 100 said it was because of "being unable to pay either their rent or mortgage."  Another 188 said it was "due to unemployment." 

In a third survey, this time conducted by the City of Houston Health and Human Services Department, 345 persons were interviewed.  When asked their reason for their street solicitation,
250, or 72.5 percent, stated "income for survival."  When asked if they enjoyed street solicitation, 280, or 81.2 percent, said "No."  When asked what would be required for them to stop street solicitation, 196, or 56.8 percent, responded with "employment." 

A fourth survey was conducted by House the Homeless, Inc., in Austin in November, 2007.  In this instance, 526 people experiencing homelessness were successfully interviewed.  Thirty-six point eight (36.8) percent said they were working at the time of the interview. *Remember, the U.S. government found 42 percent of those experiencing homelessness nationwide were working at the time of their interview.  When asked if they would work a 40 hour week job if they were sure it would pay them enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter (including utilities) (in other words, a living wage), 468, or 90.7 percent, said they would work 40 hours for a Living Wage. 

In a subsequent fifth survey, conducted January 1, 2009 by House the Homeless, 429 people experiencing homelessness were interviewed.  When asked for the cause of their homelessness, "job loss" and "insufficient income" ranked as the 1st and 2nd answers respectively. 

The findings from the surveys are self evident. People want to work, and they want to be paid living wages. But, regardless, the DAA has once again refused to not take responsibility for their role in both creating and maintaining homelessness in our town by failing to pay fair living wages.  They continue to act as non-community partners who are some how entitled to their own private police force, their own set of laws and a separate court system all at the tax payers' expense, while at the same time, failing to exercise basic moral and ethical standards by paying a fair wage for a fair day's work.  Instead, they are relying on the compassion of their patrons to step up and fill their moral void while they press for more and more laws and ordinances to isolate and insulate themselves and their businesses.

Needs and Solutions:

Bottom line...people experiencing homelessness fall into two distinct categories:  those who can work and those who cannot work. 

• We must help complete the work of the "Let's Get to Work" Task Force. We must ensure that their idea of involving Community Sponsorship to move people out of transitional housing, secure basic additional education and then secure Living Wage jobs on a temporarily supported basis is paramount for the basic health of our community. It is simply not reasonable to expect that after we have put them through the Continuum of Care Process and brushed them off, dried them out and prepared them for work, that we can simply then put them back into an under-funded economic system and expect them to thrive. The rate of recidivism will be close to 100 percent. As long as there is no clear pathway that will move people from homelessness into emergency shelter, then into transitional housing and then into a living wage job that affords them regular housing and a reasonable opportunity to remain housed, while receiving adequate health care, then for that homeless individual, Front Steps, Caritas, House the Homeless and all the rest of us are falling short.
• We must promote such innovative programs as Habitat on Wheels being promoted by Mobile Loaves and Fishes that offers truly affordable housing based in a true community of active participation and love.
• We must put our preconceived prejudices aside and seriously consider and actively promote the type of "Wet Housing" that is being promoted by Front Steps. The current approach to substance abuse is limited, exclusionary, prohibitively costly and simply not working.
• For those who cannot work, we need the federal government to fix the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) levels so that people can be housed.
• For those who can work, we must provide a Universal Living Wage. Imagine working five or six days a week and with no time off and no vacation. If you were to let the stress overwhelm you and not show up just one day, you are quickly on a direct path to homelessness. And to expect that these same workers who work a full-time job at McDonalds, who still do not have enough to pay the rent after exposure to constant performance and time pressures while sweating over a hot grill, can long avoid homelessness is short sighted and unrealistic. The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker. So we as affected Austinites must act. We must provide our own leadership to create change.

Since House the Homeless first devised the Universal Living Wage Formula in 1997, the Federal government has created "Locality Pay," and the U.S. Military has moved from the VAH pay system to BAH - Base Housing Allowance, which recognizes that we are a nation of thousands of economies.  And now the Federal government, itself, recognizes geographic considerations as well through its Locality Pay enhancement stipend program.  That just leaves "We the People" out.  Just as the Federal government abdicated its role of housing our nation's poor under the Regan Administration, causing homelessness to percolate up in our urban centers (Austin included), it would seem that they are leaving the wage issue to us as well. 

The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker in their new found realization tht the wage must be indexed to the local cost of housing because again, we are anation of thousands of economies...Every time that Congress raises the Federal minimum wage, it is tamped down by short sighted business interests that fail to realize the potential retraining cost savings. And the limited increases are always an amount which is less than that needed to enable workers to reach the Federal Poverty Guideline.  The result is economic slavery of millions of people, now evidenced by the 3.8 million people experiencing homelessness nationwide and over 4,000 in Austin again this year.  So we as affected  Austinites must act.  We must provide our own leadership to create change. 

Conclusion: 

If we were to ask a person experiencing homelessness for a letter grade on how we are doing, and if they were honest, the answer would be "F".   The problems of homelessness are being left up to the communities of America to resolve.  And resolve them we must, but it will require that each of us participate as cohesive community partners...with no exceptions. This is a new day with new opportunities for our businesses to assume the leadership roles that they deserve. But until our businesses recognize this and join hands with us in a force strong enough to defeat homelessness, this societal disease will only continue to grow and divide our community. 
 

I went to the corner and held up a sign today
Someone rudely told me "I have bills to pay"
 
I thought how lucky a roof and a bed
Luxury like that would go to my head
 
How can you sit there and look down your nose
Because my hair is messy, or maybe my clothes
 
All you see is someone you think is drunk or full of drugs
Someone diseased and full of bugs
 
It's amazing how totally wrong you can be
I'm completely sober, no bugs, AIDS, or VD
 
I'm a good girl, God's laws I don't break
But tonight you'll sell yourself for a few drinks and a steak
 
Although it may take 4 hours because of people like you
to get "two burgers please" from the dollar menu
 
It wouldn't take much just a five or a one
Not your car or house or fist born son
 
What harm would it be for you to give
a little money to help me live
 
And although my life is harder than you could have guessed
I smile through each day knowing I am truly loved and blessed
 
-Deborah Smith 2009

Societal Honey- What the #Homeless Have in Common with the Honey Bee

My daughter Taylor wrote this as a paper for one of her classes at Mount St. Mary's University.  Her daddy is proud and I thought you would enjoy.

-Alan

I pass them everyday. They are always there, without fail. Usually I just walk around and don’t even give them the time of day; sometimes they get in my face from out of nowhere, and I flinch, as to avoid fully encountering their presence. Today, however, I broke my pattern. Today I stopped and let them charm me with their story.

People see bees as two things: a popular Halloween costume and a pesky insect, buzzing in the ear, relentlessly seeking the nectar that surrounds us. The bees tell me otherwise. As I watch them, swarming the trashcan like electrons to the nucleus of an atom, my rhythm syncs with theirs. 

I dive into their world and suddenly feel isolated, unwanted. People walk by and don’t even look at me. The buzz of thought fills my head, and I wonder where they came from. Surely the campus trashcans are not their natural habitat. Have they been abandoned by their colonies, left to survive in the man-made wild? Do they have a family or a life away from the Mount? Empathy for the bees inundates me. I feel their pain, rejected by the world, misunderstood. Nobody wants them. They stick together as rejects of the world, thriving off the company of kindred souls.

The sting of a bee is undesirable at best. It has always annoyed me, subsequently having to deal with the throbbing, the itching, the piercing pain, until alas it dissipates. This sting defines the bees, but now I see that that characterization is perhaps unjust. The bee stings defensively, not offensively. They do not swarm around in search of their next victim, but rather only sting when intruded upon. They are not evil and malicious, but rather guarded and protective. Their desire is not to harm, and passersby remain hassle-free. 

But still, people cannot stand them. It seems like such juxtaposition that something as sweet as honey can come from this seemingly vile insect. If we just got rid of them, people say, then they would not bother us any more. No more bee stings. No more swarming around our trashcans. HELLO!!! ATTENTION: WORLD! If we killed off all the bees, then who would pollinate our plants? The existence of our vegetative food supply lies in their ability to pollinate, and do not even get me started on a world with out honey!

We are so quick, as a human race, to judge solely based on the qualities that bother us. Bees are so helpful, yet we write them off because they could potentially sting us. Your neighbors could be the nicest people in the world, but because of the way they dress, you won’t talk to them. We are unable to see far enough beyond the traits that we deem undesirable to find the person within. 

I drive past them everyday. They are always there, without fail. Usually I just drive on by and don’t even give them the time of day; sometimes they come to my window, and I look away, as to avoid fully encountering their presence. Today, however, is a new day. Today I stop, and their story captivates me.

Society sees homeless people as two things: lazy and addicted. The homeless tell me otherwise. I watch them in the park, swarming around the truck that has just come to bring them food, like bees to a trashcan. Their humanity enthralls me.

I try to immerse myself into their foreign world, but something blocks me. They are too… human. They are not some animal or insect; they are human beings, just like me, made of the same fabric. Where are they from? Where is their family? Why have they been abandoned? They have been rejected by the world. Unwanted. Misunderstood. They form a family on the streets, united not by what they have in common, but by what they are all lacking – Home. I feel the sting of loneliness, of hopelessness, in their hearts. It pains me to try to imagine a life so void of love, but even my attempts fall short of their reality. This sting does not dissipate; it does not fade over time. It is not temporary. 

Every day people pass the homeless by and act as if they do not exist. Why do we fear them? They will not bother us unless we are bothersome to them. Homeless people are not generally aggressive; in fact, I have met the most big-hearted, caring and generous people out on the streets. 

In Vancouver there is a huge homeless population. For the 2010 Olympics, in an effort to make the city clean, pretty, and presentable to the nations of the world, the British Colombian government has decided to give the homeless people a one-way bus ticket out of the city. WHERE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GO??? Homeless people are human beings. Like the bees, they cannot simply be shipped off, exterminated from their habitat. And like bees we rely on the homeless. Mother Teresa has a great saying, “When we all get to heaven we are going to owe a great debt of gratitude to the poor for having brought us closer to God”. They pollinate our relationship to God and to each other. The hospitality of merely offering a meal connects one heart to the other. 

The state of homelessness, not the people, is transitory if we allow it to be. For this is not a question of should they stay or should they go. It is a question of how we, as a society, can create a world in which nobody is forced into living on the streets. It is not acceptable for them to be pushed out of their natural habitat and forced to swarm where the food is. 

What makes the rest of us so much better than the panhandler on the street? Where do we get the idea that we deserve more or better than they do? There exists this false sense of superiority because we do not understand their story. We cannot understand what they have been through. However, if we remove the blinding judgment and approach them with love and compassion, we have the ability to transform the quality of their lives. We can get them off the streets and give them another chance at life. 

For it is not merely in their existence, but in their ability to be a part of society, that they find their purpose, and when they find it, when they realize what they have truly been made for, they produce a honey sweeter and richer than all the bees’ honey in the world.

-Taylor

"Draw Close" Music Video on the #Homeless & Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Draw Close from Kristopher Rutherford on Vimeo.

Life may not seem easy, But the solution is simple

I met Gary several years ago on a street corner.  He was panhandling to support his heroin addiction.  Coming up on a year he has been sober from this debilitating disease.  He now lives in one of our RV's that is part of our Habitat on Wheels program (www.mlfnow.org/HOW).  He is a guest blogger and he too is transforming the world one human at a time.

-Alan

   My name is Gary and I am a very grateful recovered Heroin addict. It is only by the Grace of a loving and forgiving God that I can say ‘that’ today, because left to my own decisions and free will I would still be suffering in the disease of addiction by using or no longer be here to share my story of recovery with others. Since November 1, 2008, I have not found it necessary to use heroin or other illegal drugs and only prescribed narcotic medication when necessary.
 
   The abstinence from heroin use has been a fairly simple decision for me given the knowledge of the harm and destruction it has caused me both physically and mentally. The diseases I created in my liver through precarious I.V. drug use over the last 38 years are evident in my physical appearance and my abilities today. Daily I awaken, and retire at night, with a feeling of lethargy. My ability to think with clarity and make decisions without hesitation has been affected. I refer to it as my “..foggy, drug – affected mind”.
 
   The mental anguish and humility create isolationism to not let others know I suffer like this, until I try to express or converse in detail. - i.e.: While I am clear at present what I want to say here and how I want to express it, I am reaching for the words that I could recall before by referring to a thesaurus. This is why sometimes it may take longer to write a simple letter. First, I want to say something exactly how I feel it and second, I do not want to say something that may be misunderstood and taken wrong. Anguish, humility, frustration and embarrassment are just some of the mental nuisances that create a feeling of guilt. Others may consider this commonplace in everyone’s life. The guilt is there for me because I know of the harm done to myself for continuing to use drugs and alcohol for so many years. When I do ‘get it right’, I allow my ego to take over and I have learned, in sobriety, this is just Edging God Out of the glory of my recovery.
  
    I only share all of this because I pray it may help others to think about the decision to use, or continue to use such toxins that will negatively affect them later in life; if it has not already. My God gave me the ability to love and share with others as a beacon of His love for them. The guilt and resentment created, by me, through long – term drug use reflected the wrong picture of my God’s reason for placing me in others lives, it has also left me feeling empty and alone in this world before now. I am grateful my God so loves me that today I have several individuals that express unconditional care and concern by trying to help me regain my direction in this life. I say “this life” because I feel this is only a temporary assignment until I fulfill God’s original intent, which was to live and share happiness with Him in Eternity.
 
    I write these contributions with the desire that others will become more understanding and compassionate to those suffering from addiction, and for those who have found recovery to be more empathetic to others that have reached the extremes of degradation I did. It took me a long time to reach this point in life to finally decide I was finished, but I know there is a reason I have suffered. If my suffering was nothing more than an example to show other addicts what would happen from continued drug use, or help others to see it more clearly, it is worth it to me. My God does not make mistakes. I have lived the life He intended for me from the day I was created, by Him. I will remain loyal to Him and walk the paths He places in front of me. I have not worked this program to perfection; I am making progress. I cannot expect to undo what I have done in almost 40 years of destruction in just a few short months. I have made some mistakes, but I am still sober and still learning.
 
   This morning I prayed to my God to give me the strength to carry on with the assignment He has given and the clarity to see it, without hesitating. I feel I can accomplish this by surrendering to His will for me daily and allowing Him to direct my life as He desires. No man has ever walked this earth and lived a perfect life. Even Jesus Christ questioned God why He would forsake Him, but submitted to His authority knowing it was God’s plan. I was created for His pleasure and I want to make Him happy. Because of the free will He has given me, I may be unsteady at times, but those individuals He placed in my life today I consider His angels. I know they have been sent here to guide me, as long as I let them.
 
   I pray somebody that reads this finds their God and takes the time to consider the path He has prepared for them. Decisions are not an easy task and they are a part of the free will we possess. But I hope, just for today, they reach deep in their heart and make the right decision. I thank the employees and volunteers of Mobile Loaves and Fishes for giving a human touch reflecting God’s love especially David, Kay, and Alan, and Austin Recovery for showing me, “I am not alone.”  The Solution? ; “Let go and let God.” I pray my God will continue to bless each and everyone with love, happiness, and understanding. He has me, “one day at a time”.
 
“ God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference…”

~ gary

Video Chronicles of a Street Retreat with the #Homeless

White Women Do Not Usually Stop To Pick Up Black Men #homeless

My friend Pat posted the following on her Facebook Page yesterday.  She is a Barista at my neighborhood Starbucks and has become a good friend. Enjoy!

-Alan

I met a man named Chris.  I was coming home from doing some work at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church (WHPC) for an Alzheimer's Ministry with which I am involved.  It was about 5:15pm in Austin, and HOT (100 or more).  As I was driving down Bee Caves Road I saw a man walking on the side of the road.  As I said it was hot.

This bothered me, so I drove up the road a bit more until I found a place where I could turn around safely.  I started driving down Bee Caves Road in the opposite direction and, to my dismay, this man was still walking.  I found another place where I could safely turn around and then drove in his direction.  I pulled past him and drove on to the side of the road/in to gravel.

I got out of my car and said "Hi, can I give you a lift? My AC is broken, but this may still be a bit better than walking."  He replied "Are you for real?" and I said "I sure am."  I told him he should sit in the back seat as, in addition to my broken AC, the passenger- side window in the front does not go down.  Oh well...the car runs!!  He jumped in and off we went.

I asked him where he needed to go and he said to 6th & Brazos to catch the #3 bus.  I learned it takes Chris ~2-hours to walk from 360 & Bee Caves Road where he stands with his sign, with other people, to 6th & Brazos.  It took me only 30-minutes in Friday traffic to get him there.  I wanted to drive him all the way home, but could not as my cell phone battery had died so I could not contact my husband.

He said "Thanks so much Miss Pat.  I do not mean to be rude or to offend you, but white women do not usually stop to pick up black men - much less men that look like me, so you surprised me today." I said, "Chris, I am an interesting sort...and kind of different, but in a good way I like to think."  He said "We all have the same organs inside don't we, no matter what color we are," to which I replied "We sure do."

We discussed many things during our short ride together including Alan Graham, who we both know and Chris is aware is one heck of a guy, the distribution of water to the homeless, the trailers for the homeless, etc.  As I dropped Chris off at the bus stop at 6th & Brazos I asked him if it was okay if I shared my Starbucks tips with him.

Chris said "Miss Pat you don't have to do that," to which I replied "I would be honored to do so."  He was "signing" all day to feed his wife and three kids.  We left each other with the statement, "Until We Meet Again."  God Bless you Chris, your wife, and your 3 children.

 

Darn, this one doesn't have a handle on the spigot either. #homeless

Gary, is a friend of mine who is now 8 months sober from an addiction to heroin.  This post is written as a perspective on ensuring that our brothers and sisters stay hydrated and how important it is.  Mobile Loaves & Fishes is not only raising funds to hydrate our brothers and sisters (www.mlfnow.org/water) we are also assembling a small army of folks that are interested in delivering water (read previous posts) to these brothers and sisters on the streets.

-Alan

"Go on, get out of here. This is private property."; "Darn, this one doesn't have a handle on the spigot either."; "Come on, hurry up! It may be dark but what if they come outside?"

   - Fear, desperation, necessity. My name is Gary M. and for the past three summers I spent everyday of my life standing on the hot pavement for hours on end, trying to panhandle enough money to make it through the day. I went to any length to make the money I needed, even if it meant standing there all day 7 days/week. For those of you that may be unaware, the last three summers (plus this year) have had a record number of days per month with 100 degree plus temperatures. My face and arms have peeled at least three times per summer. People that knew me before I 'hit' the streets have commented that I appear to have aged 10 years. I have peeled scabs from my ears and nose because I failed to hydrate properly on a daily basis and still have possible carcinomas from exposure. My brothers and sisters, I don't have to tell you it's hot out there. Step out of the a/c in your cars, offices, and homes for 30 minutes. It's obvious.

    Out of desperation, we would go to any length to retrieve water. Out of necessity we took a chance that we might be arrested for getting a drink from somebody else's hydrant. We lived in fear of going to jail, or dying of thirst. I don't know if you have ever been that desperate, but I pray you will never have to experience it.

    If you understand anything about the reasons why some people are homeless you should know that they may be out there by no fault of their own. If you do not understand, then read on further in this Blog, or spend fifteen minutes with Alan Graham and you will never hear it more clearly. The point is, for whatever reason an individual may be 'living' on the street, you probably agree all humans have the right to a drink of water when they are thirsty.

    My personal reason for being 'homeless' is not important. What is important is the opportunity you have when you give that 'gentile' a drink. When Jesus visited Jacob's well, as shared in the new testament of the Christian Bible, He used the opportunity of sharing with another thirsty individual the Word of God. He shared with a Samaritan (considered unclean humans) woman in John 4:13,14 - 'Jesus answered her, "Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Take the opportunity, you may have the chance to save their life twice. First, they may not die of thirst. Second, what you share may help them make a decision to change their life. They may not end up, as many of my brothers and sisters have, dying on the streets of Austin, TX or Anytown, USA from the elements and illnesses aquired while living in 'deplorable' conditions.

     I lived the life and am still alive today by the Grace of a loving God and the 'angels' that shared water that quenched my thirst for awhile, and eternal water that quenched my thirst for life. Because those angels shared their eternal water with me, today I am a recovered Heroin addict and living in a 4 br/2 bath brick home (a Sobriety House). Today I have been clean and sober for 8 months. Today I work, pay rent, and get a drink of water from the kitchen faucet like most of you. I receive eternal water from the Christian Bible. If you share with others like me, they may drink from that eternal well. If they don't, you still may quench their physical thirst and allow them the gift of living one more day. For God's sake, if not theirs, help them live to see God's beauty one more time.

-Gary

Gary Continues to Share His Recovery from an Addiction to Heroin #homeless

My friend Gary, who I met while on a Mobile Loaves & Fishes truck run, has over 270 days of sobriety from a 25 year addiction to Heroin.  I am so very thankful for his friendship and his willingness to share his life with all of us.  I am particualrly thankful to the Austin Recovery Center (www.austinrecovery.org) for their heroic efforts to save all who battle addictions.  This is a continuation of his story of recovery.  And particularly to David & Kay, his angels sent from heaven to love Gary.  Although he honors me in his writings there are many others and I only want to point how very important it is for each of us to connect human to human, heart to heart to transform the world.  This is what Mobile Loaves & Fishes so powerfully accomplishes.

-Alan

My God has not promised smooth sailing...
    Just a safe landing.

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." Jeremiah 17:7
  

My name is Gary and I am a grateful, recovered heroin addict. It is by the Grace of my God and the network of friends, like Alan Graham, that today I have not found it necessary to stick a needle in my arm or use narcotics or alcohol by any method since November 1st, 2008 (7 Mths. and 14 days). And for that I am truly grateful.

   My life is very good today. After living on the streets of Austin TX, this time,  since May 2006 and a daily routine to support my drug habit I had to make choices or continue on to the bitter end. I could see that end arriving quickly. The truth is, the disease of addiction was not necessarily the only factor involved in being homeless, but it was the deciding factor. My disease delegated my choices when I surrendered to it and it told me I was not responsible enough to handle "life on life's terms". If you are an addict like me you should understand and if you are not an addict like me you need to understand. Addicts like me did not have much choice, we were born this way. Don't believe me? Ask any physician that has had the opportunity to work with the disease of alcoholism and addiction. In fact, they may be one of us.

   But my purpose for this contribution was to share with others a little understanding of why people, not just addicts, do whatever it takes to get by one day at a time (think homeless, panhandling). You see my God gave me, in fact he gave all of us, the instinct to survive. Sometimes through all of the stress and confusion we forget who gave us that instinct or exactly how we are to use it. We abuse it.

   My first Thanksgiving living on the streets I sat lonely, feeling sorry for myself. As I sat and cried, holding a sign, I felt as if my God spoke to me. What I understood Him to say was, "You always call on Me when you need help and I have not denied you when it was justified. You need to help Me and I will see all your needs are met." My routine I spoke of earlier consisted of waking up under the bridge and injecting enough heroin to make it for 4-6 hrs. Enough narcotics in order for me to stand by the side of the road facing oncoming traffic holding some silly limerick that would attract enough compassionate individuals that they would contribute monetary and nutritional donations to make it until my next 'fix'. I have also met others that used those contributions to feed and/or house a wife and children. Some were just bored with their life or hungry. I did not have that luxury because my disease dictated my life. A relationship or the responsibility of spending money on food would not have been afforded.

Like I said, I was lonely and my God spoke. The only conceivable way I knew to help my God was to help carry His message and help others. I had the food others had given me on the corner and a bridge to sleep under, so I willingly shared these meager items with others in my situation. When I saw Alan and his trucks working to help feed the homeless I would often ask for an extra 'sack' of food for others that may be temporarily away from our camp. I also shared my reading in the Bible with others on the street, when they wanted to listen. Of course my disease was really my Higher Power, at that time, and it told me to carry those messages to the corner on my signs. No more silly limericks. I thought I was doing the public a favor bringing them the word of God or my interpretation of His Word. They bought it and gave to me abundantly to the point I eventually supported  a habit of $100-$150/day. I must have bought it as well. My daily routine revolved around "living to use, and using to live", until I surrendered to the God of my understanding and I could not go on living like this. That would have been on or just before October 30, 2008. That day I turned my will and my life over to my God because, regardless of how tired I was, I knew no human or myself could return my life to a more normal, sane way of living. I couldn't and He could!! He did by placing Alan G. and other angels there to do for me what I could not do for myself. I had to make the choice to let go and let God take charge.

   Homelessness and panhandling is not a choice for everybody living on or off the streets. Some it may be no choice due to unfortunate economic hardship, others have a difficult time asking or understanding how to get help. There are those that do not have the mental capacity to do anything about the situations they find themselves in and it is by no fault of their own - society does not know how to 'deal' with them and chooses not to. Still others, like me, do not have alot of choice due to the disease they allow to delegate their lives.

    Until you can understand these reasons I have stated (hard times, mental incapability, psychological issues, or the disease of addiction) please do not judge these individuals. When asked today about the idea of 'giving' to the homeless on the corner, my answer is the same as it was when I was out there "Listen to your heart, and trust in your God. Do His will, not yours or the will of another." If you can admit that you do not understand why somebody is like they are, find and understand through education and prayer. 

   My God said "Judge not lest you be judged.." and I am not judging you. I am only asking you to read what I have shared with you, think about it, and pray to your God for an understanding so you may do the right thing. It does not have to be complicated. As the Son of my God stated, "The only commandments you have to live by are- put no other God before your Father in Heaven and love your brother as you would love yourself." Keep it simple. He does bless us all. Thank you my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Panhandlers – America’s Great Yet Most Ineffective Entrepreneurs #homeless

Panhandlers - America’s great entrepreneurs?  Alan, you have really gone off the rocker now.  I know that is what you are thinking even if the thought is a little fleeting so hear me out.  Can you imagine what it is like to get up most days and journey by public transportation to a street corner somewhere to stand out in the elements hot, cold, rain, shine, wind etc? Or to wake up in your urban camp (they are everywhere in Austin) without a shower, sleep deprived only to be faced with hours begging for spare change.   Stand there on your feet for hours baking or freezing while marketing yourself to each passerby hoping someone will spare some change.  All of this for about $25 to $50 bucks on an average day?   Well, I have tried panhandling, sleeping in urban camps, sleeping under and on bridges as well as alleyways, shelters and the like.  Very hard work to say the least coming from someone who works very hard and long hours.

 

 Even if you can maintain the $50 average (check out www.mlfnow.org/panhandlingfor REAL facts on panhandling) five days a week 52 weeks a year that adds up to a whopping $13,000 per year.  That is less than 30% of the median family income required for one adult to live in Austin.  Who do you know other than a homeless person or someone on SSI that lives on this amount of money?  Crazy, to say the least!  Lots of work, lots of energy expenditure, and lots of puritan work ethic going on here but the rewards are very small.  Is there a way to refocus that energy to something more rewarding and productive?  Stay tuned as we begin to put another tool into the toolbox of solving social issues.

 

I know what it means to be an entrepreneur.  My entire adult life I have been an entrepreneur.  In fact when I learned what an entrepreneur truly was it changed my life.  In 1978 I dropped out of the University of Texas frustrated with the academic way of life and went into the real estate business in Austin, Texas.  This changed my life forever and I learned then that I could be my own man in charge of my life (to the extent one can truly be in charge) and the fruits of my labors would be freedom, flexibility, purpose and perhaps even a little financial reward.  I felt truly empowered.

 

You see I later came to realize that the typical academic structure did not fit my personality too well.  Perhaps as a youngster I would have even been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder or something like that.  I can tell you that while in high school and college I did not spend a lot of time in the classroom focusing on academics.  My mind was always wondering.  But somehow I was blessed with enough DNA to get by in this model without a lot of effort.  It is precisely this type of behavior that I witness day in and day out with my brothers and sisters who live on the streets; folks that struggled in conventional education and had a hard time focusing on the details.  However, I also found that there was a strong puritan work ethic in each of these people.  I gotta tell you that it takes a strong, resilient and resourceful individual to survive in a state of homelessness.

 

In fact people like me and my brothers and sisters on the streets have a model that we can look to to lift us up into this life of freedom, flexibility, purpose and yes financial reward.  Walk across any border bridge from the United States into Mexico and you will enter into a gauntlet of entrepreneurs.  Whether it is the girl selling chicklets, or the vegetable stand or someone making fresh tortillas or someone selling handmade jewelry or whatever, people are purposefully working under their own power.  Somehow here in the good ole USA we have regulated ourselves away from this entrepreneurial spirit; some good reasons and some bad.  You have heard the old saying, “you can give a man a fish and he will eat for the day or you can teach the man to fish so he can eat for a lifetime”.  I have a new saying, “most people already know how to fish but now it is up to us to help them get the license to fish”.

 

So back to statement I made earlier that the homeless are some of the most resilient and resourceful people I have ever met.  I have never met so many talented people; mechanics, carpenters, craftsmen, musicians, salesmen, teachers or you name it, they are out on the streets.  There are many impediments to conventional employment so we have to get creative; to help them get that license to fish.  Check out www.mlfnow.org/jobsto see what we are doing to help these budding entrepreneurs.  I say we get creative to convert all that energy that is going into panhandling into something fulfilling and rewarding; something that is a benefit to our communities.  Let’s take this entrepreneurial spirit and this puritan work ethic and really make it work.  Let’s help turn these brothers and sisters into effective entrepreneurs.

 

-Alan