“Here to help”

Steph and I have been touring several homeless shelters here in Southern California while staying at a mens sober living ranch called Rising Tide Ranch - Buck and Tara who run the ranch have become life-long friends. They are absolutely wonderful and what they offer here is fantastic. There’s nothing like meeting people who are exactly where they’re made to be doing exactly what they’re meant to do. If you know anyone who would benefit from a fresh start, we highly recommend reaching out to Buck and Tara.

Today we toured the Orange County Rescue Mission - we will blog more in depth about the Rescue Mission system and the huge range of resources they offer to help folks reclaim their lives… but I wanted to take a minute to say this:

When we finished our tour today with OCRMs’ Program Director Derrick Burton I asked him, what would you like people to know about this place? He responded “we’re here to help”. I understood him immediately.

I’ve talked with quite a few folks over the years that have the notion that shelters are dirty, dangerous, out of control and enabling the demise of folks who are taking advantage of free goods and services. Having worked in a shelter in Virginia for many years and having volunteered in many more I can tell you this has not been my experience. Shelters offer an ordered safe environment as well as a humanizing experience for everyone that enters their doors. They have resources to help people path out of homelessness and remove the barriers to their success.

As always we highly recommend calling your local shelter to schedule a tour, it’s a blast and will equip you to offer accurate information to people that you may have the privilege of engaging. You may find yourself taking the next step and signing up for a volunteer orientation. Here to help, indeed.