There are days that remind us all why we are investing in this line of work everyday. 

9 years ago, when I started at HELP, my wife and I were handing out water on a hot July day to homeless folks we saw on the street corners. The first one we interacted with was an older guy who was friendly and open and we surprisingly became quick acquaintances, keeping in touch when we saw each other, him popping in to our office on Lasalle to use the food pantry or pick up mail or get help with benefits or speak to our staff for questions about his or his wife’s illnesses. He had worked the net and scallop boats for years–the sheer strength and size of his hands combined with the stiffness from arthritis were his résumé. 

For the past few years, they had been between hotel rooms and the woods, depending on how much money they could drum up from the corners or from friends that could support them a little each month. Sometimes, we’d be able to help them out when they were short, especially in the heat or the cold, to make sure they had somewhere to stay.
They decided that using the hotels just got to be too expensive and that other priorities needed to take precedence over spending so much time on the corners begging money so they moved into a patch of woods we’ve probably all seen and driven by. The most pressing priority was not a cancer diagnosis. Can you imagine suffering through all that comes with a cancer diagnosis while living in a tent through multiple seasons? Me neither. 

That diagnosis made our work all the more urgent and our staff went to work leaving no stone unturned–every program, every list, every waiting list, every benefit we could find was employed to try and find a housing solution. 

And yesterday–almost 9 years since our first interaction–they received a housing voucher specifically designed for people in their situation (non-elderly, disabled).
She has the opportunity to live out her remaining days in a place with a roof, walls, a shower, a bathroom, a real bed. He has the opportunity to care for his wife in an environment that allows her to be comfortable and for him not to have to worry about having enough money to put gas in the generator to ensure she’s comfortable. 

9 years. 

Nine years. 

That’s the kind of investments being made here at HELP. 

Victories are hard fought, slow fought, and we have to keep the long game front of mind because the issues we’re tackling are big, complicated, multifaceted, and surprisingly unique to each individual we encounter. 

And victories aren’t guaranteed.

But, when those victories come, they can be epic in scale and impact.