Just when the media fills our screens with pictures of people collapsed on the side walk surrounded by trash and wasted needles, PATH offers us hope. Can homelessness and hope even exist in the same news story without some kind of bizarre holiday-inspired hypocrisy? 

What about all 364 other days of the year? What can we do then? Serious people know this is a problem that deserves more than a scoop of holiday dressing and gravy.

Transitional Housing: People Attempting to Help

An amazing East Texas group, People Attempting to Help (PATH), is proving some ideas work. If you enlist the help of serious volunteers. 

Podcasts with Andrea Wilson

If you missed the first two blogs and podcasts we did with PATH Executive Director Andrea Wilson, please find them here: 

• Civic-Minded Kids: PATH for the Next Generation with Andrea Wilson and 
• Homelessness: A Compassionate PATH to Help
• Find more FREE Fireside Talk Radio podcasts.

You’re gonna love Andrea’s down-to-earth, compassionate, tell-it-like-it-is approach to life. 

Ideas That Work

Homelessness may seem excruciatingly difficult, but some ideas work.

For PATH, their Transitional Housing Program provides just one very important tool in their arsenal to help families in crisis.

Oh, finally some ideas that might work! If that’s your thought, you can help, too, by giving or volunteering with PATH.

Transitional Housing Program: A Commitment

I loved what Andrea shared about PATH’s Transitional Housing Program. It’s not just a bandaid. All participants (recipients, case-workers, staff, volunteers) commit to a two-year relationship.

PATH owns 52 properties, according to Andrea. Even though case workers mentor families over a 2-year period, the self-sustaining responsibility and friendships fostered last so much longer. 

Respectfully, PATH offers “wrap around” services, like financial education and planning. Together, they have serious conversations. Along the way, families move from where they are now to where they want to be. 

“What does success look like to them? Is it home ownership? Is it market rate rental?” Maybe it’s family reunification. “All of those things. Because success is different for everyone,”  says Andrea.

Oilpatch Benevolence Fund

I can’t even imagine how strenuous the process is for PATH staff, volunteers, and recipients. Mentoring, discipling, essentially being family with families who need help.

Well, you can see why Dave and I get excited about PATH.

Certainly, economic downturns can flip a family upside down in a blink. The Lord knows, we have seen plenty in the energy sector. If you are interested in joining together to help families in the energy business, Oilpatch Benevolence Fund makes PATH a primary beneficiary of grants through East Texas Communities Foundation. Or give to PATH directly.

Respectful, Not Codependent

Attachment forms both ways between case workers and the families they serve. Andrea compares the process to watching a bird fly out of the nest. Sure, a nest is safe, but the goal is to fly.

“Give them the skills they need so they can be successful without you. Get to where you can just sit back and watch their success,” she says.

When families graduate from the Transitional Housing Program, they are often the first person in their entire family to ever own their own home. Success transforms the next several generations throughout their family. 

“Now their children see that as an example of what they can do with the hard work they watched their mom and dad do over the last few years, right?”

Miraculously, generations are changed.

Homelessness, Mental Health, and Drug Abuse

Within walking distance of our downtown square, Tyler has several nonprofits who partner together to help families in crisis. For example, besides PATH, the Salvation Army, Bethesda Health Clinic, and MOSAIC Counseling all build lasting relationships with their clients.

In addition, to name a few more within Smith County, St. Pauls’ Children’s Services, Literacy Counsel of Tyler, TJC’s Tyler Area Business Incubator, Meals on Wheals, The Food Bank, East Texas Crisis Center, CASA, Children’s Advocacy Center,  Andrew’s Center, and Christian Women’s Job Core, all touch on family crisis. Mental health, economic crisis, and trauma are just a few challenges contributing to homelessness.  

Naming those nonprofits may overlook the quiet way people of faith impact our community. Many of the above organizations were birthed by friends of faith who simply wanted to help their neighbors together. 

Communities Working Together

With so many people attempting to help, is there any hope of solving the homelessness crisis in American cities?

“We’re close to getting where some of my wishes are coming true,” says Andrea. “Over the last year I’ve been working with the homeless population here in Tyler through organizations like ETHNN, for example, which brings together nonprofits who all work on similar things.”

Since, homelessness and poverty are complex problems ETHNN brings key partners to the table with cooperative, community-wide solutions. 

Even so, the challenge is real. 

Cost-effective Change

“Funding is always an issue,” adds Andrea, “because the services are expensive to provide for one family. But man, if it changes the life of that family and the generations to come then I think it’s worth it.”

As expensive as it may seem to help one family, I’m convinced the nonprofit sector and faith-based help are more cost-effective, loving, and efficient than federal programs. Besides, government programs often lack the accountability and compassion provided by neighbors helping each other. 

Of course, community-based, volunteer-driven help requires more stewardship of volunteers and donors. More engagement is also required of recipients. But true neighborliness builds lasting relationships and accountability. 

“It’s hard work; it’s very hard work. And it’s discouraging when it doesn’t work out,” says Andrea. “The difference is we pray about it. We trust that God is going to lead the right people to help.”

As you listen to our interviews/podcasts, you can hear the yearning and devotion in Andrea’s voice as she shares. Clearly, she wishes every life could be impacted for good.

A PATH in Your Neighborhood?

Maybe you’d like to bring a PATH to your community. We thought of a few ways Andrea may be able to help:

• Answer your questions about PATH or give you a tour. 
• Bring PATH’s services to outlying areas in East Texas (where transportation may be an issue, for instance) by teaming up with your church or Sunday School class.
• Partnering with other nonprofits in your neighborhood.
• Speak to stir up interest in your community about facing homelessness, poverty, and many other community challenges. 
• Travel to big cities to offer practical advice and wisdom about starting a PATH in your neighborhood.

Since these problems are serious, Andrea offered to help you any way she can. So just let her know how she can serve you or your organization.

You are Dear to My Heart!

Hopefully (get it?), today’s blog about PATH‘s Transitional Housing Program filled you with as much hope as it does me. I am always grateful for brothers and sisters in Christ who are attempting to help their neighbors. That includes YOU! I thank God for YOU every day.

We LOVE to hear from YOU!

How have neighbors stepped up when your family needed help? What holiday plans do you have? When you travel, how do you make it fun for your kiddos?

YOU are dear to my heart!

🙂

cathy

May we pray together?

Dear good Father, First, thank You for all who showed up last week at our events. You often answer prayers with Your people. I am grateful and hopeful about how many messages will be spreading throughout our culture because of Your leading. Thank You, Lord! Now, have mercy on those families in danger of homelessness or living on the streets. Have mercy on us all, we pray. We praise You for all the work that’s gone into creating PATH’s Transitional Housing Program. Thank You for the families impacted by Your compassion, Your people attempting to help. We are so grateful for Your leading. Help us obey You well. We love You. Thank You for blessing us now because that’s Your heart’s desire. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Christmas is a great time for Books

And I just happen to have a couple.

• The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations
• Marriage Conversations: From Co-existing to Cherished

Join the Fireside Tribe to help uplift our culture and receive our weekly podcasts, blogs, and interviews with experts.

If the holidays have got you down, please read past Christmas post about how one man responded when he found out he had cancer. Please know that you are loved.

Cathy Krafve, host of Fireside Talk Radio and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. We welcome your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com.

❤️Truth with a Texas Twang! ❤️