Share Well With Others » homeless

No Room At The Inn – Part 1 of 3 on Homelessness

Chad Houck — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:28:54 +0000

The following is part one of three Christmas guest blogs written by Chad Houck for GivMusic.com. An excerpt of each post will be posted here, and you can go to GivMusic’s blog for the full series! As we approach our Christmas and New Year’s festivities, may we be mindful and purposeful toward those who find themselves without a home this Christmas season, and beyond. Don’t know where to begin? Check out the 12 Days of Christmas Homeless Challenge and get started!

He Learned Their Names

Now I lay me down to sleep.
My bed will be the cold hard street.
I am not here because of choice.
I’ve lost my face. I’ve lost my voice.
I bow my head, chained down by shame.
Then along came one who learned my name.

He took my hand and helped me up.
He filled my soul when he filled my cup.
He asked me what I’d like to say
To those who’d never looked my way.
He didn’t ask who was to blame,
He just listened, yet I’m not the same.

I’m not invisible any longer.
My struggles, my story, have made me stronger.
I’m a father, a mother, a child, a wife
A husband, a daughter, a son… a life.
A once smoldering ash is now a flame.
All because he learned my name.

Read on at GivMusic.com, and please, learn the names behind the stories.

12 Days of Christmas Homeless Push

Chad Houck — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:48:31 +0000

While I understand that there are no longer 12 full days before Christmas, I also understand that the issue of homelessness and the plight of those without a home will not go away on December 26th. With that, I would like to challenge you to consider taking on the challenge within the 12for12k “12 Days of Christmas Homeless Push”. It provides 12 simple, practical ways that you can both create an impact and increase your awareness of both this issue and those that find themselves in the unfortunate place of being affected by it.

I am currently preparing a three part series on homelessness that we will roll out on this blog in the days leading up to Christmas. The posts were originally written as guest blogger posts for another organization, so once they roll them out, we will link to them from here.

Stay tuned, and Merry Christmas. To steal a line from the 12 Days challenge, may you find yourself being human to another human being this Christmas!

Love as Jesus loved. Live as Jesus lived. Share Well With Others.

40 Houses in 140 Characters or Less

Chad Houck — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:35:58 +0000

Hugh Jackman (Wolverine from the XMen) recently issued a challenge
and a promise via twitter: he will give $100,000 US to the charity of
the person that can make the most convincing argument as to why their
charity should get it. Pretty simple!

The
race is on. You can help us create a huge impact – build 40 homes for
homeless families in Mexico while exposing over 400 US youth to the eye
opening experience of serving, loving, and sacrificing for the less
fortunate. We call it "UthBuild, building youth by building for the
poor."

Please check out our website at
http://share5.org/uthbuild.aspx where you can see a slideshow of the
last home built during spring break. We have literally seen families
living in a 7×7 box with a tarp roof move into these simple homes with
tears in their eyes. It is humble, but it is real, it locks, its
watertight, and it is theirs. Each home costs approximately $2500 to
build including windows, doors, and a toilet and shower upgrade.
(basic house is only $1600 w no plumbing or wiring) The house at
right was build by 16 kids in 4 days. Amazing!

That means that
with $100,000 we can pay for 40 homes and offer the opportunity to over
400 American youth to be a part of building and creating a miracle in
the life of another human being. It can be a powerful, revolutionary
thing.

Here's how to help:

1. Go to http://share5.org/uthbuild.aspx and read about the UthBuild concept.

2. Create a twitter account at http://twitter.com or log in to your account

3.
Send a reply (a tweet) to @realhughjackman (just put the word "@realhughjackman" without the quotes at the beginning of your tweet) before the 24th of April mentioning
why UthBuild is your charity of choice for his challenge. You only get
123 characters after his name, and you'll need to include the domain
name http://uthbuild.com in your tweet

4.Visit us at our website
at http://share5.org and coming soon at http://www.UthBuild.com to find out more ways
that you can get involved with us. Perhaps you would like to raise the
money to sponsor a home, or maybe join us to build!

Prepping for Mexico Build Week!

Chad Houck — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:51:04 +0000

Today is the last day of "school" for the kids here in Tempe, AZ at Bethany Community Church as we prepare for departure for Rocky Point, Mexico on Sunday morning. Emily and Dillon have been graciously enrolled for free all week at Bethany Learning Center during their "Wild West Week". They have had a bicycle rodeo, ridden ponies, and had a great time. Thank you to all the teachers and staff at BLC for making this week so special for them.

Sunday we depart with Bethany High School Ministries for build week 1 of 2 in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) MX. We will be assisting with the build/completion of 3 homes over 2 weeks for a couple of homeless families. The home design (originally created by Amor Ministries) is a very simple 20' x10' wood framed structure covered in stucco. Our version has 3 windows and a locking door, offering these families a security they have never known before in their cardboard and pallet constructed home. The homes are constructed solely by hand, using no power tools or air tools. Just hammers, hand saws, hand trowels, and sweat of a team of roughly 15 teens and adults. (see photo courtesy of Amor of a prior group's build) The idea is that if the tools are left behind, you have given the family (who will work with us) the ability to replicate the home for others. Its the classic adage of teaching a man to fish…

We'll take lots of photos and videos this week, so watch for the uploads after we return. In the meantime, please be praying for these families and for our team that this experience will deepen not only our compassion for others that have needs we can scarcely imagine, but that it will strengthen our passion to make a difference with our lives. (see the "Passion" challenge!)

Hairstylist becomes a Hero to Homeless

Chad Houck — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:00:54 +0000

Many know that Amy was/is a professional stylist, so when we saw this article pass by on the web, it caught our attention. Amy has given a cut or two to some homeless, and we've helped some friends and family along the way with cut/color/etc., but this guy is a true example of the compassion that we speak about with Share5.

His name is Ron Kotkins, and he has been giving free haircuts to the homeless of downtown Portland for over 20 years! He was recently featured on Portland's channel 2 as an "Everyday Hero". Check out the video by clicking on the image or on this link.

Congratulations Ron, and thank you for being an example with what you have in your hands, using it for those who you see in front of you!

Tricking Myself with the Weekly Update – December 12

Chad Houck — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:59:40 +0000

I have not had time to write out all of the stories that have happened of late, but for the sake of committing myself ( and hopefully not OVERcommitting myself) I am going to write an update here where I promise to update the updates… Ok this will make sense in a minute…

UPCOMING BLOG STORIES:
Speaking at Generations Church on Dec 7th
Serving at the Bread of Life Rescue Mission – DONE!
Blessed again by our Favorite Mechanic – DONE!
The Long Awaited PHOTO TOUR OF THE RV!
Another new "Caption Please" photo

So there you have it… I am committed. the ink is dry. I've said it/typed it/spoken it, and now I SHALL MAKE IT COME TO PASS!

Its kinda sick how I have to trick myself into this stuff sometimes! Oh well.

Be blessed. We are in Oceanside, headed for Santa Barbara by Monday night. The weekend is an unknow, but that is what makes this fun!

-Chad

Mobile Homelessness in Southern California

Chad Houck — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:13:42 +0000

We first experienced the issue of mobile homelessness in Boise back around March of last year (See Hidden in Plain Site from Share5), and recently received an email about an event to raise awareness of this issue in Orange County in Southern California. The event is being sponsored by the Junky Car Club as part of their annual SoCal Rally.

From the Junky Car Club's press release: It’s estimated Orange County alone has over 5000 people living in cars. The housing crisis and slowing economy are forcing families from homes and into their cars. Faced with few options, many are calling parking lots home.

The Junky Car Club, whose members drive junky cars so they can live with less and give more are concerned about the many local communities who are making matters worse by imposing fines and jail time for those caught living in their vehicles.

“We're a bunch of happy drivers that are politely rebelling against consumerism by driving junky cars,” says founder Mike Foster. “We are dedicated to supporting those who find themselves in dire situation.”

As a family who has chosen to become "mobiley homeles (is that a word?), and having seen and experienced this plight before in Boise, we thought it important to recognize and be part of trying to support this effort. Pulling into Orange County last night, where many municipalities have passed no overnight parking ordinances, we discovered how difficult it can be to find a place that feels safe to park for the night with your family. Thank you to the Junky Car Club for bringing this issue to the public eye.

(Personal note: This is a personal issue for Chad, who during college lived 3 months in the cab of his pickup after roommates failed to pay the rent and skipped with 2 months of his share that he had paid to them. For the next 3 months, he showered at the health club, parked in back corners and dark allies, and experienced the stigma and shame that can often be self inflicted when you find yourself in this situation, especially when you believe that nobody would be willing to help you out. It was a hollow, empty time. Now imagine finding yourself in that situation as a single mother with a young child…)

See more photos from the Junky Car Club Rally on our FLickr page!