Setting Prisoners Free

This evening, I am simply writing to reflect on my eclectic afternoon....  Like most of my days, I was smacked with many ups and downs, emotion and joy, despair and hope! It's part of the wonder of working with people experiencing homelessness; nothing plateaus, things are always changing!  Today, I was able to assist 5 people financially in different ways. One poor lady, with tears streaming down her face, had been given a "5 day notice". I helped her to catch up on her rent, so with $300, she now won't get evicted. One ecstatic mother just got employed, but she couldn't get to her new job, so I was able to give her 2 weeks worth of transportation. I was also able to assist 3 guys get their birth certificates; 2 of them stay at our shelter, while the other one sleeps outside and had come to see me after I had met him under a local viaduct in last week.   Just after lunch, I wandered over to Target to get a gift card for Ange (pictured below). He had unexpectedly

This is a visual diary of our week of outreach, going out into frigid Chicago weather; right here in Uptown..... Temperatures dropped drastically, some snow fell and a few of us ventured outside to try and help those who are experiencing homelessness. We see this as a crucial and vital part of our ministry, because there are so many people "sleeping rough" and living in shelters in Uptown, and such extreme weather changes can result in frostbite, hypothermia and even death.  Here's my visual diary of our adventures.... It started on Sunday night, Sandy and I hopped in the van and drove around to various locations in Uptown and Edgewater; we went out to find people, offer asistance and bring them in, out of the cold.... This is one of the parks I searched in Edgewater. Down this long path, there are often people camped out. I know of one guy who recently lost one of his feet and all 5 toes of his other foot, due to frostbite. It happened in this location an

2014: a lot happened, and much more will continue to happen as we move into 2015..... People experiencing homelessness often just need a little boost that will help them move onto and into their next phase. That boost may seem small and insignificant to most people, but to a person or family caught up in the blues of being homeless, these little boosts are enormous and remarkably significant. All the numbers and statistics I'm going to mention, is about putting another small piece into a large puzzle. Each piece may not seem important at the time, but in reality, they are all vitally important and serves a purpose.  Over the past 9 years, I've had the honor of being Cornerstone's Fund Manager. This position entails getting a financial allotment every month from The Emergency Fund to give to those who have an immediate need. This money has been, and continues to be, a wonderful and much needed gift to those who are moving out of homelessness and toward self suffi