July 2025 Newsletter

Download a PDF to read the full newsletter. Or read our featured article below.

Leaving Camp

Stephen camped out for just a couple of weeks while reevaluating his situation in life. A series of events left him unexpectedly broke and homeless for the first time.

He had been working as a cook in an assisted living facility, when it was purchased by a new investor and the food service department was downsized. He lost his job, then left his apartment. While eating in a restaurant, all his bags were stolen. He lost his birth certificate, social security card, photo albums, keepsakes, and money.

That is when he took a bedroll to camp along the river alone. Stephen said, “The Point is not my type of people, they are drug addicts. I stayed away from them:’ He said that while camping, “I was anxious, scared, mad, on edge, bewildered, not knowing what to do next, lonely.”

He hesitated to go to the Mission, until he got down to his last few dollars. Then he ventured in. When he arrived, all he had was what he was wearing, and he was hungry. He received a meal, a clothing voucher to our store, a shower, and a warm, safe bed. He had a dayroom and social services to get re-established.

Stephen is pictured above in our Men’s Shelter kitchen. He worked on our program, doing what he likes, cooking. Now, he has a cooking job at a restaurant in the community and is on the waiting list to rent a room in our Transitional Housing Program. He has a true sense of belonging.

Stephen said, “I don’t feel lonely anymore. I feel like God loves me. You guys have been a big help to me. I feel like I have become a part of something. I never married, have no kids. It’s pretty neat, the services are great.”