She sits on the black metal chairs in front of the Allen County Public Library, swathed in layers of shabby mismatched hooded sweat shirts, warming herself in the autumn sun. Clutched in her hands is a dirty blue duffle bag emblazoned with “Atlanta — 1996.”
In times past, she — and the stereotypical “scruffy old man with a drinking problem” — might be easily recognizable as the face of homelessness in Fort Wayne, said Jackie Young, co-chair of the local Homeless Task Force.
“The reality is, especially in our present economic state, any one of us could find ourselves homeless in just a few months, weeks or days,” said Young.
Young and Debbie Smith assumed the reins of the task force in July, and on Sunday, they will join with Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County to sponsor a Knit In — Help Out! at the downtown Allen County Public Library. The event begins National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week and hopes to produce a stockpile of warm hats, scarves and mittens for area homeless shelters.
Understanding the need
Young, a New York native, and Smith, a transplant from Iowa, met at Covenant United Methodist Church on Coldwater Road, where Young is director of ministries, a “jackie-of-all-trades,” she quipped.
Because she works in a church, Young is exposed to need on a daily basis.
“I wanted to witness firsthand what we are dealing with in Fort Wayne,” she said, explaining her decision to participate in the Point in Time count of the homeless two years ago. “What I saw surprised and informed me, (and) broke down my middle-class assumptions of what a homeless person looks like.”
She interviewed the elderly, the mentally ill, single moms looking for work and young men who were evicted because they had lost jobs and couldn't pay their bills. It was sobering.
“I heard the desperation in their voices,” she said. “Many (had) never faced being homeless and were ill-equipped to cope with finding resources.”
Soul sisters
Smith was touched by a story about teens “aging out” of foster care.
“It really tugged at my heartstrings,” she recalled. “They were basically turned out of the system and all on their own with no support system.”
Smith was moved to explore issues of homelessness when Young, who was already active in Continuum of Care programs through HUD (Housing and Urban Development), began encouraging her involvement.
“Jackie gave me information about Vincent Village, which was looking for mentors for their clients,” Smith said. “I signed up. It proved to be a very educational experience and provided much insight into what a family has to deal with while navigating the system.”
The women soon discovered they were “soul sisters,” Smith said. “Both of us wanted to be making a difference. Over two years ago, we began praying once a week for our church, our families and what God would have us do in the community.”
Faith in action
In 2009, the two formed a grass-roots organization called hope4homeless in an attempt to connect interested people in the community with existing agencies and shelters.
Then Smith and Young learned that the co-chairs of the Homeless Task Force were stepping down, and God gave both women the same vision.
“Why reinvent the wheel?” Smith said. “Jackie and I offered to become co-chairs of the HTF.”
“My main objective for the HTF is to create a grass-roots effort that gives the community a way to respond to an issue,” explained Young. “People are basically loving and generous, (and) you need to give them tangible ways to respond.”
“Homelessness knows no boundaries,” she continued. “It touches all races, ages and genders. The most rapidly growing ‘face of homelessness' is children.”
The challenges
“I believe that all areas of the city need to work together to help prevent homelessness,” Smith said. “It takes folks involved in education, job training, child care, transportation, social services, medical care, food pantries ... working together to help (devise) workable solutions for folks who are living just one step away from homelessness.”
Both believe the church has a role to play.
“Our call (is) to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus,” Smith said.
