People Need People
At the end of 2024, I had the pleasure of meeting a new friend named Curtis. I could immediately tell he was a sweetheart. He was a new resident at the Salvation Army and had been walking down to The LOT Project for meals twice a week. One of the first things I noticed about Curtis was that he quickly had a group of friends with him who he cared about and who cared about him. Curtis first stood out to me when I was walking around outside one afternoon, looking for a small earring that had fallen out of my ear. Curtis started looking, too. After a few moments, I told him there was probably no hope of finding it, and it was no big deal, so I went inside. When I came back outside several minutes later, Curtis was still looking for the earring. His commitment to making the people around him feel cared for was immediately an inspiration to me.
As I got to know Curtis better, I learned that he had a bad experience at the last place he was staying and had ended up homeless for the first time in his life. His vision was bad, and he had not been to an eye doctor. He was looking for a job but struggling to keep one because of the instability that homelessness brings to one’s life. He was not sure what to do to get back on his feet. The first thing we had the chance to work on was getting Curtis some glasses so that he could get his driver’s license back. With the help of two amazing volunteers, James Lisbon and Beth Brown, we were able to take Curtis to the optometrist and purchase two new pairs of glasses. I will never forget dropping off those glasses at the Salvation Army during a week when he had been sick from the cold. When he tried on the glasses, all of the other residents in the common room started to compliment Curtis and how sharp he looked, and, despite the exhaustion and sickness, his face lit up. It was a beautiful picture of the impact of community.
Soon after that, Curtis’s time at the Salvation Army had come to an end. Ian Morel and I picked him up from the shelter one day with no plan other than driving to other shelters in the upstate to find him a place to go temporarily. That early morning, I watched Curtis’ friends from the Salvation Army carry his few belongings out to the truck and give him hugs goodbye.
Ian, Curtis, and I drove for hours looking for a place for Curtis to stay. Finally, by the grace of God, we found him a spot at the Pickens County Shelter of Hope. The staff and residents welcomed him with open arms, and he was so thankful to have found a warm place to stay.
Once Curtis was in Pickens, it was hard for us to keep up with him, but, thankfully, Beth and her family were fully committed to Curtis and his stability. I have watched the Brown family embrace Curtis as one of their own. First, Beth took him to the DMV to obtain his new driver’s license, which gave him the identification he needed for a steady job. Through Beth’s connections with our friends at The Dream Center, Curtis earned a job at their resale stores. He started working hard, saving his money, and is still working there today! Months later, the Dream Center surprised Curtis with his very own car! The Browns fixed it up for him, and he now has an easy and reliable way to get to and from work. With everything else falling into place, Curtis even decided to quit smoking, so he could feel healthier at work and save even more money.
As time went on at the Shelter of Hope, Curtis prepared for where he would live next. With the help of Beth and Hannah Beth Brown, he applied to be a resident at Front Porch Housing in Greenville. One of our long-time volunteers, Jenna Miller, now an employee at Front Porch, saw his application and knew she had to meet him!
Eventually, Curtis was accepted into their program and moved in a couple of weeks ago! He was overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement as he saw his new space, met his mentor, and toured the facility. When I first met Curtis, he was tired, beaten down, and discouraged. When he visited us at The LOT last week, he arrived with a big smile and his head held high. He praised God for getting him this far. Curtis needed a lot of “things” when we first met him, but what he needed the most was relationships. He found a community at The Salvation Army, The LOT Project, the Pickens County Shelter of Hope, The Dream Center, and Front Porch Housing, and, even more importantly, he found a family in the Browns.
Homelessness does not discriminate, so community should not either. Curtis’s story is the perfect example of the love of Christ bringing people together in an unexpected unity. I am so grateful for Curtis and the way God has provided for him. With the people in his life now, Curtis has someone to go to in hard times, someone to make proud, someone to laugh with.
People need people. That is how God intentionally created us, calling us to bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), honor one another (Romans 12:10), and live in harmony (Romans 12:16). What an honor it is to be a part of that.