Hope for Men in Transition
As President of Living Perspectives (LP), I am privileged to offer services to Congregations for the Homeless (CFH) serving homeless men in the subculture world of the wealthy Bellevue, WA community. CFH operates an all year shelter for men (40 per night), housing (65 men), and a day center (40-50 men daily) and Eastside Winter Shelter (EWS) serving 70 men nightly during the winter months.
Living Perspectives brings personal counsel, mentoring, employment readiness and job finding to these men regardless of cultural, ethnic or religious backgrounds. Why do our workers do this? Because there is a need and over the last 8 years in support of CFH, we have seen despair turn to hope, and hope into productive living. This past winter we prepared and served meals to the EWS, engaging men about their addiction, employment, marriages and planning for the future. We met in small groups and one on one so men can tell their stories and plan their way to productive living. LP works in conjunction with the case managers and staff at CFH.
Hope is generated when someone is willing to listen to the men tell their story and to build a relationship. It can be frustrating working with these men, as many choose not to take on the responsibilities of life at the current time. But we have learned that planting the seeds now of care and concern, can take root and grow into a positive crop later. Caring about someone without judging is critical to men transitioning into a positive life style. In the last six months LP has touched about 100 men…not a big number but then value is often measured in quality, not quantity.
LP mentors choose to build relationships with the men, listening, solving problems and providing wisdom when requested. We have found over the years that many of the men are intelligent, compassionate, and “street smart” and are looking for a way to start over. LP hopes to continue the search for others, men or couples, who desire to come along side these men and offer hope as more than a 4 letter word.
We trust there are more men or couples out there who will be willing to come along side of a man to bring encouragement, caring and hope.
