Helping the Homeless?

I could have figured that this was going to happen. God always seems to work this way in my life.


I cannot say that I have been sympathetic to the homeless among us, knowing that the most visible are homeless because of addictions. One of my many shortcomings is intolerance for drug & alcohol abusers. It comes well founded with a younger sister who has been in and out of prison for Methamphetamine sale & use. She bore 3 children with 3 different fathers. This left 3 children parentless, and caused amazing misery to my own parents.

I am also in one of those jobs (Firefighter/Paramedic) that see the tragedy of the intoxicated driver, overdoses and meth lab explosions. I just went on a call where a 15-year-old youth who was under the influence of a controlled substance, took on 5 cops in a wrestle mania. Then we responded to a chronic alcoholic, who lives in a broken down motor home parked on the street. At 42 years old, he looks 60 with increasing medical problems.

I do not give money to people on the street, and to be honest, I avoid those in need of help because of drug addiction. I do not find myself tolerant to their condition. What God is showing me now is not that I am intolerant but frustrated, because I do not know what to do to help. I know that handing out money is not the answer; no one in America starves to death from a lack of food and I am just funding their ability to feed their addiction. I am hesitant to become directly involved because I at some point I am going to be in the place of being the “Bad Guy” and having to exhibit some “Tough Love”. I am probably like most, who find it easier to move away from the problem rather than seek out God and His guidance. Then God threw me a curve ball and I swung hard.

I found myself involved in the Monarch Project and loving the camaraderie, the work and the finished product. About the time Monarch House was slowing to a close, Chuck contacted me wanting to know if I would be willing to lead another project, doing needed repairs to the Corona Homeless Shelter, Gods Kitchen/Circle of Hope. Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) had recently acquired the facility from the city and was in need of manpower to get the job done. I told him I would keep it in prayer, but needed more information. The short part of the long story is that we are in the planning stages of doing a makeover for the Corona/Norco Homeless Shelter.

Purpose of Corona Rescue Mission: The purpose is to continue to provide emergency/ transitional shelter & food to the homeless in the Corona/Norco area. The facility provides shelter for 20-30 people per night, including children, with a capacity of 50. Breakfast and dinner is provided for 50 -80 people each meal. The purpose will remain the same for the next 3-5 years as more in-depth programs are introduced into the homeless community. The overall goal is to develop more resources for the community with training, education, rehabilitation and medical services on either this campus or securing other sites.

Purpose of the project: The purpose of the project is to improve the living/working conditions of those using the facility. Everything done will accommodate that and not change its current function. There will be nothing done that would hamper the progress of future conversion into training and education facilities.

So now, we have a way to work on the problem of homelessness. Will we fix everyone? No. It is a reality of life that you cannot save everyone; you can only do your best with the skills you have. As a church, teaming with OCRM, we expand our ability to make a definitive difference to those in need. Will we save everyone? No. Will God have an amazing impact into the Corona/Norco area using the shelter? Absolutely. Will God affect our lives using the shelter? He already has.