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Seeing A New Path
When Harry’s parents died almost a decade ago, he was left with nothing to his name. He eyesight began to decline as he fell victim to a degenerative eye disease passed down through his mother and was soon legally blind. Without resources, family, or the ability to find work, Harry became homeless. Thankfully, he came through our doors this past winter seeking help. We started the process with him to get help through CareSource. We were able to help him file for disability and get health coverage for eye care. After several months of eye appointments (one of our faithful volunteers, Bob Kidd, transported Harry to all his visits), Harry was told that there was a surgery that could correct his eye problems! He has been able to get the surgery in one eye so far and now has 20/20 vision in that eye. He will soon receive his second eye surgery!! The joy of being able to SEE for the first time in over 7 years has given him hope for the future. Once both eyes are corrected, he will begin the search for a job and has started the process to find transitional housing. He is looking forward to living a normal life once again!
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| Watching a guest unlock the door to his new apartment for the first time is a joy for us to be a part of. Lots of hard work, time investment and relationships go into this victory! |
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Homelessness has many faces. We often think of the homeless as addicts or the mentally ill. But a big percentage of American homeless are just people who have had bad things happen to them and are unable to pay their rent, lost their jobs, or were abused and ran away.
In our shelter we have had a dad who had to choose between paying rent or his child support – he chose his children and came to stay with us. We’ve had an abused young man who just turned 18 and could finally leave home. There have been women who just can’t make ends meet with their low paying jobs. Veterans who are struggling with PTSD and can’t settle back into life at home. Disabled men and women like Harry with no one to turn to. Without a home they have to sleep outside in their car, in a tent somewhere hidden, maybe on a friend’s couch, or even a makeshift lean-to.
Instead, Bridges of Hope allows these men and women to come into our shelter and have time to regroup, start over, have a CHANCE. We seek to end the cycle of homelessness in Greene County by providing time, engagement, and relationships, which in turn strengthens our community as a whole. |
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| Every year Bridges of Hope holds the One Night Without A Home event to raise funds for the shelter and raise awareness for homelessness in our county. During this event we encourage individuals and groups to sleep away from their comfortable bed for ONE NIGHT. It could be in a tent outside, in a box, in your living room, or even in your car. It provides just a small snapshot of what being without a home looks like. Will you participate this year? Find out more and/or sign up today! |
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