From broken relationships, to getting his car and belongings stolen (including his mother’s ashes), to ending up in a wheelchair, Randy has been on a grueling journey of homelessness.
There he was, outside Lawrence Street Shelter, ready to be done with life, when an interaction with a Denver Rescue Mission staff member sparked a new hope in him. One that saved his life.
“This angel came walking out to this one guy who they got a ticket for because his dad died. She brought him out stuff for the trip, so he had something to eat. I was listening to her,” Randy remembered, “and I said, ‘I wish I could find something like that.’ She goes, ‘What do you mean?’ I explained to her, and she wheeled me inside, and for four hours we talked
I stayed the night there, and the next day was at 48th. I had her crying because I told her, ‘You were made to do this job. You just saved my life, and you don’t even know. God sent you to me.’”
Randy was at his lowest moment at that point. Neuropathy had limited his mobility significantly to where he could no longer get around without a wheelchair. He could no longer work because of his disability. He was alone, and yet he wasn’t. God was there guiding him, leading him directly to the Mission.
“It’s been a whirlwind. There were several times where I didn’t think this was going to happen—me being back on my feet again, me being me again,” Randy said.
“He approached me looking discouraged and tired. What struck me most was his unwavering optimism and resilience in the face of so many hardships.”
Mara Wood, Intake Specialist
The hardships Randy endured made him question God. “I had given up on God. Every time I got up, I got put down. I realized though, that maybe I was making the wrong choices. So I started thinking, ‘How can I change it?’ I didn’t know, but this Mission has been amazing.”
Having a reserved bed at the Mission’s 48th Avenue Center allowed Randy to not only get the physical resources he needed, but the spiritual and emotional support he needed as well.
Because of his peer navigator, case manager and chaplain, he was able to get his birth certificate, an ID, his own Bible, and now an apartment. “They’ve all collectively inspired me to get where I am now. It’s just amazing that three people could change one person’s life.”
The biggest gift he received? Randy says that Chaplain Josh gave him the gift of believing in God again.
“It was bigger than even this apartment. There is nothing bigger than getting your belief back again, and he brought that to me. I didn’t care about anybody or anything when I got here, not even myself. Just the way he talks, with such a kind heart, he wasn’t judging me, wasn’t telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. Just gave advice. He never not listened. I could not be here if it wasn’t for him.”
And thanks to his work and help from his case manager, Randy moved into a place of his own for the first time in three years.
“I haven’t been me in three years. I’m ready to be me again. I’m ready to venture out into the world again,” he said. “I thought that I was going to be placed in an apartment, I didn’t think I was going to get to pick mine. In a million years I wouldn’t have thought this was going to happen. And thanks to the Housing Choice Voucher, I can walk through that door and know it’s my home.”
Now Randy is looking forward to the simple things of life, like watching T.V. in his own living room. But most importantly, he wants to give back to those who helped him and to those going through what he went through.
“I want to give back to the place that gave to me. I want to help other people who think this can’t happen to them, but it can. They just got to put the work in. No one should ever have to go through this,” he said.
Did you know…
that evictions are at an all-time high in the summer months?
Give a Housewarming Box to help those like Randy not have to choose between paying for rent or for household necessities.
“All the essentials, that’s huge. I have nothing, no spoon, fork, nothing. This has been the scariest part, not knowing what I’m going to be able to get and not be able to get.” -Randy
You Make Home Possible
“Without donations, I wouldn’t be here. Without donations, I’d be in the grave. Thanks to Denver Rescue Mission and all the donors who made this possible, I got my own place.” -Randy
Your support changes lives. Give now to help individuals find a place to call home.
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