Help my Homeless Friend Create Housing

I met Ken standing outside a Dollar General with his cart full of what he needed to survive the harsh Kansas winter. I brought him a bag full of things I thought he would need, including a blanket, jacket, socks, toilet paper, dry foods, and two jars of warm soup. He surprised me by only taking what he needed from the large bag of goodies, and said he didn’t need anything else. We spoke for a while and I asked him, what do you need? Ken thought carefully about my question in silence before he spoke. He then shared how hard it was to get out of his position or even receive food assistance without a license (his wallet had been stolen some time ago). In order to get his license, he needed a birth certificate and SSN card. In order to get those things, he needed a home address that had two legal documents showing that address. That’s when he shared his frustration, “How am I supposed to have an address to get the documents I need if I’m homeless?”

Ken is a man in his 50s, does not drink alcohol or use drugs, and confesses his only crutch is cigarettes to comfort his stress. He’s lost both parents, has no siblings, and the only family he’s aware of is an elderly aunt who is in home-care out of state.

This is where my journey of helping Ken began. My husband and I supported Ken to get his birth certificate, SSN card, license, and even his voter’s registration card. As a result, he was able to get food stamps! He doesn’t meet the requirements for most of the housing help here in Topeka, Kansas, and I watched him struggle in below-freezing temperatures pushing his cart from one location to the next to find shelter from the snow. Now that spring is here, Ken’s ready to spring forward and create a home for himself again.

We are currently supporting Ken by letting him store his cart in our shed on days he needs to navigate around town. We wash his laundry and keep ice packs frozen for his cooler anytime he needs them. We got him a bus pass for the month, and he has spent every day job hunting. He’s been hired at two places and started his first job at Salvation Army this week, which he is enjoying.

He has a plan to work and save up a few paychecks to get into an affordable apartment he found, and I would love to give him a boost by supporting him to create housing now…out of the downpour of spring rains and before the summer heat (it gets hotter than Florida up here sometimes!) He has been sleeping vertically in a foldable lawn chair for two years, and finding places that allow him to shower has been scarce. How amazing would it be that after a long day's work, he didn’t have to push his cart to find somewhere legal to sleep (which changes day by day), and instead he could come home and take a hot shower and rest horizontally in a bed?

The simple things he needs are things I sometimes take for granted. Helping Ken has caused me to thank God for the little things, while seeing the “little things” as huge blessings.

Will you help me help Ken?

All proceeds will support his first goal of getting a membership at Great Life (which is kind of like a YMCA), so he has access to showers 24/7. He wants to be clean and ready for work each day…understandable! The membership is roughly $25/month with a $50 start-up fee (and this is the special he was offered, usually it’s much more). Next, he needs a yearly bus pass to get to work, etc., which is $300. Finally, he needs all the financials to get into an apartment: first and last month’s rent, security deposit, electric and water turned on, etc. It would be amazing to help him for the first month or so as his paychecks roll in and he can shift into his deeply desired independence.

If you feel called to give any amount, thank you so much! If you feel called to share Ken’s fundraiser with others, thank you so much! If you feel called to pray for Ken and his upward spiral of having shelter, community, purpose, and a lifestyle that supports his well-being and peace of mind, thank you so much!

Ken has been building his faith in God and humanity again. Being homeless has worn him out, and he wants to feel at home and engaged as a contributing part of society again. He found nice dress clothes at an outreach center and took himself to church on Easter Sunday, something he hasn’t done in a long time. One step at a time, and with the help of people who care, he is believing he can lift himself up to higher ground. I experience Ken as a strong, determined man of integrity who is worthy of support and a helping hand. He is helping himself, and I believe in him. Thank you for helping me help Ken.