Part 1: Introductions
Because many people have asked to have copies of my Transfiguration Sermon, and to hear the story of the young woman who was once homeless, I have elected to include an abbreviated copy in this newsletter. I believe her story will lead us, not only to change our attitudes about homelessness, but to see that the Home Together Project is successful.
Her mother was stay-at-home mom. When she was nine and her brother was six, their dad walked out, and their parents divorced. Mom couldn't afford the apartment, let alone pay the other bills. So they lived in a car that didn't run. This young woman wants you to know her mom was a good mom. She didn't drink and she didn't do drugs. She tried desperately to keep the family together. The kids went to school and had a somewhat regular routine. They even had to go to bed on time (even if it was in a car). Mom took them to the park each day so they would have some place to play. She didn't tell the school they were living in a car because of her fear that the kids would be taken away from her.
Her mom would give them a slice of bread with peanut butter before school. It had to last throughout the day. Because they didn't have lunch money and had no food, they didn't eat lunch. They missed a lot of school. Nevertheless, her mom tried to make their lives seem normal. Though there is nothing normal about living in a car. This young girl was embarrassed. Her family begged for food in front of the grocery store. People were cruel. Most of the time, no one helped. Instead, they were mocked as people rudely yelled, "Get a job."
But that was the problem. How do you get a job when you need to list an address on an application? It was one big circle. She didn't have a home because she didn't have a job and she couldn't get a job because she didn't have a home. So they sometimes dug food from a garbage can, or looked for nickels, dimes or quarters along the street.
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