Help Derek out of homelessness

        Hello, my name is Jennifer Rikkers, and I am fundraising for Derek. Do you believe in God, kismet, even coincidence? Well for me this was definitely a "God thing". Let me tell you why.

Please read on to meet Derek and hear his story. *Derek's face protected for privacy but I am sharing his story WITH PERMISSION*

 

        Our paths crossed 2 ½ years ago when I worked as a case manager at Benjamin’s House Emergency Shelter in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. My role was to help residents experiencing homelessness and living in the shelter transition to independent living and self-sufficiency. I was excited to work with Derek because he was a true example of resilience after many years of experiencing homelessness, his spirit of goodness continued to shine through. Fast forward to May 19, 2022 when I no longer worked at Benjamin's House and my family had moved 5 hours away to Iowa. On a path I frequently drive, I was crossing the Mississippi River into Dubuque, Iowa, when nature called very unexpectedly. I mean, it CALLED....it was an emergency! I had to get to the bathroom. Desperately, I remembered there was a Kwik Trip a few miles ahead. As I desperately tried to get to the bathroom, I saw a man at a picnic table that looked like Derek. We were far from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, so I thought it was simply impossible. Later, I approached the man at the table who looked up from his donut as I said, “Derek?” and knew it was him. He immediately lit up, remembered me and said, “I was just thinking about you a couple of days ago.” We sat and talked about everything that led to him living in Dubuque. So much had changed and yet had not. Derek continues to be resilient, to see the good all around him and has hope for more in life.

 

         Derek was born in an area of Los Angeles that was ridden with gang violence, drugs, and generational poverty. He lived in foster care and was later adopted at the age of 7. By young adulthood, both of his adoptive parents had died, the family home was foreclosed, and he was surrounded by uncertainty of any future and gang life. At this time of his life, he was having dreams about himself being homeless in the future. He knew homelessness was inevitable if he did not join the gang life. While he still had a roof over his head, Derek began preparing and practicing being homeless. That is, until the day in 2005 when the family home was boarded up, and they were forced to leave. The gang members living in the house asked him if he was coming with them or not. Derek chose to go the other direction in both body and spirit. He walked away from gang life and toward the unknown with his faith in God alone.

 

          Since the day he walked away from that life in Los Angeles, he moved across states on foot and by train around California, Nevada, Utah, Chicago, and Wisconsin, to name a few. In 2020, we met in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, at "Benjamin’s House,” where he began the work of establishing a life beyond homelessness. It was there that he held a cell phone with his own number and learned to text message. It was there that he found his first job, manufacturing cabinet doors. It was there that he rented his first apartment. It was there that he had his own bed and living space for the very first time. Everything was new. He was happy to make a safe and stable home for himself. We worked together until I left Benjamin’s House in the fall of 2020 and later moved to Waterloo, Iowa.

 

         So, how did Derek end up experiencing homelessness again? A few things...While Derek felt everyone in the small Wisconsin town was friendly to him, an incident at work made him feel threatened as a Black Man in a predominantly white community. He was unsure what to think when he arrived at his workstation and sitting there was a bullet shell. He was confused and felt threatened. This added to a year and a half of demanding work; Derek thought it was time to move on to other work because of the overtime hours, stress, and lack of appreciation in the workplace. Around this same time, his low-income apartment building had new ownership, which increased the rent making it unaffordable for Derek to continue renting. As for many people who experience homelessness and no history of addiction, Derek was one paycheck away from homelessness. For someone who had always survived by moving on it felt like it was time to leave Rice Lake. Derek filled up his van with all his belongings and headed south toward warmer weather. With his van filled to the brim, Derek arrived in Dubuque, Iowa, where his van broke down and needed $3000 in repairs. Without being able to afford the repairs, he continued sleeping in his van until it was towed. Once it was towed, the cost to get it out of the impound was $300...that he did not have. He was now without all his belongings and shelter, experiencing homelessness again. During the frigid winter months in Dubuque, he stayed in a local shelter. When that shelter closed for the season, he did what he has always done, which is to survive on his own.

 

         Why am I here on Go Fund Me asking for help? Because the cycle of homelessness persists despite all good intentions and interventions. I believe our paths crossing again is not just a coincidence; it was divine...a “God thing”. That is why I am writing this. That is why I am asking you for support of any kind to help Derek. When I saw Derek at Kwik Trip, he had $10 in his pocket and was subsisting on the kindness of others whenever possible. I am stepping in as his former case manager and now friend to help him get back on his feet and re-establish a home. He will need money for a security deposit on an apartment. While I am working to connect him with local assistance programs in Dubuque, unfortunately, this takes time. Any amount donated will go directly to help Derek to rebuild his life.

        Thank you for your consideration in helping Derek. Any amount is a helpful amount and greatly appreciated.