Every Tuesday I hope to have a guest blogger feature certain initiatives or efforts going on in Central Florida. Know of someone? Send me their information here! - Kelly
How can you give hope to homeless families in Osceola County?
By: Mary Downey
By: Mary Downey
Executive Director, Community Hope Center
Director of Missions, Community Presbyterian Church
Seven years ago I moved to Central Florida. I was a small town girl from Arkansas and my view of the world was very limited. I knew that things like homelessness existed but back home in Arkansas, if someone was losing their home or couldn't afford rent, they usually had family or friends to lean on. Maybe someone would stop off the interstate and say they needed gas money to make it to Little Rock, but overall the scope of need in small town Arkansas seemed to center more around hunger issues, and less around housing.
So, when I moved to Florida it was a bit of a culture shock to realize that folks not only lived on the streets, but that whole families lived in hotels and motels located on the same road I take to Walt Disney World. Even in some of the hotels I had stayed, homeless families were living paycheck to paycheck and stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty. When I found this out, I wanted to help.
God moved us to Florida. I don’t often talk about it, but I got my first job in the church because God clearly directed me there. In that church, I met my calling. I was in charge of the Sunday Night Live service. Every Sunday night, at 5:30 homeless folks from the area would pile in to be fed a hot meal. Each Sunday I showed up, did a quick prayer and devotion and then snuck out the back door. I did this until God clearly spoke to me and asked me, “What do you think you are doing?” From that moment on, I began to stop looking at homeless people not as homeless people … but you know, as people. People like you and like me. People made in the image of God. Men and Women with struggles, doubts, and fears. They were children of God looking for connection and love and yearning for someone to offer them that without any expectations. I remember one night, I didn’t know what to do for a devotional, and so I decided to sing Amazing Grace instead of a prayer. I used to sing a lot, but at that time (and still today) I was not doing a lot of singing. But, when I was done singing, a woman came up to me. She had tears in her eyes, and she hugged me tighter than I’d ever been hugged. Then she pulled back, and kissed me right on the cheek. She told me that it was the first time she felt like someone really cared, cared enough to sing for her. In that moment, I heard God clearly say, these are my people, I love them … you do likewise.
Fast forward a few years and here I am today. I have worked in homeless shelters and churches. I have preached and I have served. I have cried and I have rejoiced. So, it was no surprise when God called me even deeper and told me that the county I lived in needed more. God positioned me in a wonderful church that wanted to make a difference in the lives of the homeless families living in our community through Community Presbyterian Church of Celebration. They heard the vision, latched on to God’s prompting and in a year and half we opened The Community Hope Center.
The Community Hope Center is an outreach center located in the heart of Osceola County for those who are facing homelessness in the community. It is hub where social service agencies are able to co-locate to better provide services to those in need.
The Community Hope Center is a multi-faceted program, which meets several needs of the community. As part of our case management strategy we have relied on best practices from other agencies to help individuals forge a path towards self-sufficiency. We have found, through our research, that holistic care is the strongest way to help an individual get a fresh start on life. By having a location that will house several agencies we have the ability to provide services from domestic violence to substance abuse. However, as a faith-based organization we also have the opportunity to offer spiritual guidance and care to those who have been marginalized in our society.
To be honest, it’s hard to talk about. When I’m interviewed about the project, I get so humbled that I can hardly talk about it’s inception. Yes, I’m the executive director of this program, and yes, I worked really hard … but it wasn’t me. It was never me. It was God. It is God.
And I still don’t know how to talk about it. It’s a huge part of my life. Working with homeless families, raising funds in the community to bring about kingdom transformation in the lives of these folks. But, I’m so humbled by it. I’m so honored by it. I just can’t even explain it.
But you see – I think something happened. I think God showed up. I think God planned this all along. I could tell you story after story about how doors just opened up that I thought would be closed to us. About donations from folks who gave money strictly on faith that this was God’s will. I could tell you about how the staff of the Hope Center just fell into place in such a way that only God could have orchestrated it. Yes. Something BIG happened. Not just in opening the Center. But also in giving me my hopes and dreams. Allowing me to fulfill my calling to serve the least of these in a way that connects the church to the world.
But, Mary Downey is not The Community Hope Center. I can’t take ownership of something that isn’t mine. I can’t brag about what I've done at an organization that may be placed in my hands, but is completely and totally managed by God. Everyday is a challenge but so rewarding. Right now we're working on a plan that requires us to raise $400,000 toward the purchase of our building on Highway 192 and we have to find even more volunteers to serve the families due to an expected but unfortunate high turnout of families in need. How do you begin to tackle that? Prayer. Prayer changes things.
Perhaps you are feeling some of the same tugs I did concerning the betterment of homeless families in our community. If you would like to get involved in The Community Hope Center, please contact moreinfo@hope192.com.
Mary Lee Downey
Executive Director, Community Hope Center
Director of Missions, Community Presbyterian Church
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