Please help Tim get off the streets and in an apt.

My name is Dan and I want to introduce you to my friend Tim. Tim called my church’s help line for those in need. Over a cup of coffee and a bagel he told a friend and me about the ways in which life has become a great trial for him since the lockdown. Tim, sadly, finds himself homeless right now, and this unfortunately hasn’t been the first time Tim has had to deal with housing insecurity. During the lockdown, however, he had a home with affordable rent. But following the massive increase in rent prices which happened post-lockdown, his landlord chose to evict Tim and his other housemates in order to rent out the whole house for much more money than he was making by just renting out rooms. Tim found himself without a home, and has not yet been able to find a replacement home. He’s a 62 year old man who’s been sleeping on a vinyl sheet in a sleeping bag at one of the cemeteries in town, because, according to him, no one is going to be bothering him at night in a cemetery, unlike many of the other places in town where homeless people gather. He feels safer there than anywhere else.

Tim is a hardworking man. He’s holding down two jobs, one at a hardware store and one at Goodwill. We’ve looked at his finances and he can afford $800 rent, but he can’t seem to pull together enough funds in any given month to have a security deposit and one month’s rent. As Tim says, living on the street isn’t cheap, contrary to what one might expect. He has to have a gym membership in order to shower and shave before work, and he has to pay for a storage unit where all of his belongings are stored. In talking with him I have learned that there are all sorts of extra expenses just to survive that those of us with homes would never consider or imagine. Since he no longer has a kitchen, he’s always eating out, which takes a toll on both his pocketbook and his health.

Tim is not someone who’s taken his situation lying down. He’s spoken before the city commission and to the mayor personally about the plight of the housing insecure and the high costs of rent that have made it difficult for people like him to get a decent place to call home. He’s attempted to find help through many of the social agencies in town, but has run up against seemingly insurmountable bureaucratic red tape, or discovered that for one reason or another he’s not eligible for their help. The many dead ends he’s encountered have brought him to a horrible place of despair and he’s just exhausted and worn out. On top of this, he suffers from PTSD as well, due to a traumatic and abusive childhood resulting from having a bully for a dad, and this has only been exacerbated by being homeless. He has the presence of mind to know he needs help dealing with the difficulties in his life, and through his persistence, he’s finally found a counselor who’s helping him heal the wounds from his abusive father that have caused him to feel demeaned his whole life. Right now, Tim just needs a helping hand, and since my church isn’t set up to provide housing for people who call our help line, I decided to see if we can crowd source to help this man get off the streets before the bitter winds of winter come through Grand Rapids.

As I mentioned, his budget would allow him to rent a place for around $800, so we’re going to be working hard to find a place that might be in that price range, though I know that might take a miracle, so if you’re the praying type, please pray for our efforts. Our goal is to raise $3200 for him. This would cover a security deposit and a first month’s rent, and give him some breathing room for the second month, as well as helping him set up his home. Anything above and beyond the $3200 would help him have an emergency fund for any future financial hardships that might come his way. We have a team in place including Mel Trotter’s Protection and Diversion department to help Tim navigate this change and succeed. Tim has asked for this money to be held on his behalf to be used only when he finds himself an apartment. Tim is committed to getting budgetary help and is going to be supported by a team of folks to help him find this housing, and to keep it, so he never again needs to worry about where he’s going to be sleeping, and to have a place he can call his own.

Tim is a good man, who’s found himself on hard times through many circumstances out of his control. We can’t fix all the problems of homelessness in our community, but I’d like to see what our community can do for Tim. Would you consider joining me in helping Tim find a place to call his own? No amount is too small! Please share this with as many people as you can think might be willing to help Tim get into a place of his own.

His birthday, by the way, is October 30. I can’t imagine a better birthday present for this great guy than to tell him he’s going to soon be off the streets!

Thanks for your consideration!