The firsthand accounts show that one’s road to recovery can be sparked by simply having one’s talents recognized. Waiting for showers, waiting to eat, wondering if my name will be called to get into the shelters at all.” “No more standing in line for everything. “My (new apartment) is a five-star suite to me,” Jefferson writes. Jefferson said he had jobs “but nowhere to call home” until he found genuine care and fellowship at the Rebuild Center, where “slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself” and “stay open to every possibility.” “Bobby taught me the meaning of being a True Giver on Giving Tuesday, despite one’s riches or housing status.”īook contributor Hal Jefferson looked back on his anxiety-riddled years spent sleeping under bridges and in parks – and suffering multiple assaults in the process. The newly-housed Bobby, unaware that it was Giving Tuesday, “strode into the center, glowing with a peaceful, positive energy, delivering a bike that he had purchased for one of the other guests who needed one,” Judice adds. When Bobby received the keys to his new place, he got on his knees to thank God “for allowing me to endure,” Judice recalls. Judice pays tribute to a Rebuild Center guest named Bobby, who was finally able to move into housing after a sudden job loss exhausted his savings and forced him to live in his van for nearly two years. Judice said her positive outlook was built on her encounters with the many generous, tenacious and amazingly good-humored guests who were able to overcome serious challenges, take charge of their health, recognize their gifts, find employment and move into stable housing – just by being given time to regroup. In one of her own essays in the compilation, Judice admits she is frequently asked by friends how she was able to maintain a sense of hope “in the face of so much sadness and suffering” and knowing that the average age of death of someone living on the streets was just 50. “Homelessness can be ended!” writes Judice, who compiled the book as a Rebuild Center fundraiser after spending seven years as executive director of the Harry Tompson Center, part of the four-agency collaborative that provides services at the Rebuild Center. The stories reveal that if provided with a safe and loving environment with wrap-around services, it is possible for even the chronically homeless to regain their sense of purpose and get off the streets for good. The results of that endeavor have been compiled into a self-published book called “I Need Your Hello: Stories of Hope and Compassion from the Rebuild Center in New Orleans.” Forty-five inspirational testimonies – including some written by former Rebuild Center guests – challenge the “doom-and-gloom” assessment that many people make of men and women who lack stable housing. Rebuild Center staff er Vicki Judice found herself witnessing so many acts of radical generosity performed by those living on the margins, she began documenting them on her smartphone and decided to invite her fellow staff and volunteers to pen their own accounts of working one-on-one with the center’s homeless guests. Joseph Church in New Orleans that has been quietly providing life-affirming services to the unsheltered since 2007. Holy moments such as these play out each weekday at the Catholic collaborative known as the Rebuild Center, a daytime haven nestled behind St.
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Seeing the man’s disappointment and without a moment of hesitation, another homeless man gave the hat he had just received to the empty-handed stranger, knowing full well that temperatures would soon be dipping into the 30s. We pride ourselves in our ability to attend to the needs of our guests, to invite them in, to make them feel safe, and to foster a sense that no matter what their situation, they can find a sense of belonging among people who truly care about their wellbeing.” – excerpted from “I Need Your Hello: Stories of Hope and Compassion from the Rebuild Center in New Orleans” BETH DONZEĪt the conclusion of a winter-hat distribution for the homeless a few years ago, a man requested a hat but was told there were no more. “The Rebuild Center is more than a day shelter it is a place to find community. (All photos courtesy of the Rebuild Center all images used with the permission of those who are pictured) Joseph Church in New Orleans that offers a variety of daytime services to the homeless. Above: Jessica Lovell, director of Depaul USA-New Orleans, enjoys fellowship with a guest of the Rebuild Center, a Catholic collaborative behind St.
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