Joppa Saw Me When No One Else Did

Invisible.  That’s how someone feels to the rest of the world when they have no place to call “home.” And for Christopher Evans, known as “Buck,” it was the scariest feeling imaginable.

“The loneliness – there was something about it. … [It caused] aches, pains.  How could I be invisible when I hurt so bad? But then the person walking across the street didn’t see [me]. … I don’t want to feel it again…it’s a dark place.”

Buck distinctly remembers when he became invisible.  But for years before, he was as visible as anyone else with a college education, a home and a good job.  He served in the Army during Operation Desert Shield.  Then, he earned an associate’s degree in mechanical engineering.  While working, he was struck by lightning so severely that he wasn’t expected to live.

After an unexpected recovery, he started his own trucking company and lived a productive life for many years.  However, a heartbreaking end to a relationship while he was living in Council Bluffs broke Buck’s spirit.  He left everything behind and started walking east along I-80 without a plan.  A county sheriff stopped to help.  He saw the veteran designation on Buck’s ID and drove him to Des Moines, knowing Buck could receive veteran assistance there.

A veteran’s representative in Des Moines helped Buck obtain a two-bedroom apartment. Buck did well until 2020, when he got into an altercation with an unsheltered couple who refused to leave his apartment after a short stay.

He was arrested and given a 10-day sentence for poor conduct, Buck’s first time in jail.  While he was serving his time, the couple stole his belongings. He was held an additional 18 days due to Covid quarantining, and when he got out, he found his apartment locked. He was now homeless with no ID…invisible to society.

Buck had no way to prove he was a vet or to get assistance from government agencies.  They all required proof of identity for housing, food and military benefits. To them, he didn’t exist.

Buck lived outside without heat or help for three years.  When he realized getting help wasn’t the same as giving up, he found his way to Joppa.  They didn’t require paperwork or an ID.  They just asked his name and offered resources to get him back on his feet. “The address that Joppa provides [for clients] is one of the greatest things of all time…that made me feel alive!” says Buck.  This allowed him to get a new ID, EBT card and a phone.

He also accepted a tent, heater, food and clothing from Joppa.  What Buck describes as “The Joppa Way” is how the staff and volunteers saw and cared for him.  “We need Joppas in the world… Because if you’re dirty and smelly, it don’t matter.  You’re going to get something to eat,” he said. Joppa also helped Buck into housing again through a state agency and paid his first two months’ rent.

Buck feels like someone else saw him while he was invisible to the rest of the world. “I felt a presence with me that kept me alive through this… that made me share my story [with Joppa], and that is Jesus Christ,” he says.  “Since the very first day I breathed, he’s been there, and I didn’t realize it – like Joppa was there, and I didn’t realize it.”

Watch more of Buck’s story on YouTube.