Stories of Resilience as Homeless Numbers Increase

As Joppa Client Care Supervisor, Megan Taylor meets most people who come through the Homeless Resource Center. She admits it is disheartening to see more people in need of the supplies and support provided to people experiencing homelessness, but she also gets to see first-hand how the support, outreach and follow-up care Joppa staff and volunteers offer makes a difference.

“Something I consistently see is that people we help want to be seen, heard, and to feel that they matter,” Taylor explains.

Over the last two years since it opened, Taylor says the Joppa Homeless Resource Center has become known as a safe place for support. “If any new visitors try to start trouble, I’ve seen long-time clients step up and say, ‘Hey, we don’t do that here. This is a safe space.’”

Just last month, a client named Nikki, who regularly visits the Homeless Resource Center for mail services, stopped in with a friend. As Nikki introduced her friend to Taylor, she said, “Joppa is great. I was at my lowest, and they didn’t judge me but helped me.” Hearing comments like that encourage Taylor that Joppa continues to make a difference.

Joppa staff and volunteers head out every week to visit homeless camps and areas where clients are known to live. While our ultimate goal is to help families and individuals find stable housing, daily survival is the most basic human need for people without homes.

For more than 11 years, Curt Kuhl has lived on the streets. The last nine years, Joppa Client Care Specialist Pat McPherren has been checking in on him, delivering him food, clothing and support. Curt has severe heart and circulatory issues that limit his mobility, so McPherren also picks up and delivers his medications when needed.

“I admire him,” McPherren says. “I’ve never known him to drink or do drugs. Through all his pain and swollen legs, he still collects heavy scrap metal on his bike—at times I’ve seen up to two hundred pounds—and recycles it at Alter Processing three miles away.” McPherren says Curt uses the money he receives for metal to pay for his cell phone service, medications and bike maintenance.

While Curt had applied for housing a few years ago, he lost hope and has avoided re-applying. But thanks to McPherren’s persistence, Curt recently agreed to re-apply.

In the same spirit of helping people where they are, maintaining relationships and visiting Aftercare clients who have recently found housing is critical for continued recovery from homelessness. Joppa volunteer Todd Halbach was recently instrumental in efforts to save Aftercare client Wanda from returning to the streets.

There are often issues that arise as people transition out of homelessness. When Wanda’s apartment failed a city inspection and was declared uninhabitable due to unhealthy conditions, she had nowhere to go. Halbach reached out to Joppa partners for assistance, and together the group was able to help Wanda apply for rental assistance and find a clean, safe apartment to move into. Wanda’s story, and Halbach’s advocacy, are examples of how important it is to develop trusting relationships to ensure clients continue recovering and become fully self-sufficient.

Despite the overwhelming and heartbreaking fact that homelessness is rapidly growing in Iowa, we recognize that our community is truly blessed with caring volunteers and generous donors. Thank you for showing our brothers and sisters in need that we see them, we hear them, and that they matter.