Look around downtown Denver and you’ll find a shockingly diverse homeless population: men, women, children. Some smile at strangers; others avoid the gazes of passersby. Some push shopping carts filled with blankets; others walk the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs. All ages, all races. Some are disabled. Some are mentally ill. Some seem young, too young for a life on the streets. Some suffer from addictions. Many have just fallen on hard times. Each and every person has her own absolutely unique story.
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From left to right: FSHI mentors, Pastor Shane Fay and his wife Teresa, in front of the Set Free Church of Denver. |
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Because the families and seniors helped through the Family and Senior Homeless Initiative are as diverse a group as the causes of their homelessness, many questions burn in the minds of mentor teams before they begin the mentorship process. New mentors wonder: Who will I be mentoring? What will he or she look like? Will my family include children? How long have they been homeless? Where have they been living? What are their needs? And how will I be able to help?
For mentors Pastor Shane Fay and his wife Teresa, the process unfurled a little differently than usual. Their mentee mother attended their own church, Set Free Church of Denver, and they knew her face before they realized her situation. She was just a normal member of the congregation before the Fays discovered that she and her middle school-aged son were homeless, desperately in need of assistance, counsel and direction. “They were … bouncing from family to family, staying in unsafe hotel rooms,” Pastor Shane says. When he and his wife heard this woman’s story, they knew they had to help.
In order to give their mentorship process structure, Pastor and Mrs. Fay decided to mentor through Mayor Hickenlooper’s Family and Senior Homeless Initiative. Wayde Henderson, Congregation Relations Coordinator for FSHI, met with the Fays and provided mentorship training. Today, the Fays have been mentoring for about three months. Over time, they have seen marked and distinct change in the life of their mentee family. “Now, they have a place they can call theirs … [which] gives them some sense of belonging, settlement,” Pastor Fay says.
The Fays have been able to help the family into safe permanent housing. Additionally, they have assisted the thirteen-year-old son in reckoning with some of the pressures he faces at school, and responding to the unkind teasing he encounters from his classmates there. The Fays have also discussed budgeting with their mentee mom, and helped guide her son with finances, teaching him about developing good savings habits and planning for the future. “I walked him through understanding what has to get paid first, and how to save a little bit apart every month,” Pastor Fay says. Often, the boy struggles with his lack of a father figure. The Fays have been able to help their mentee mom and son to understand one another better and to deal with tension. Pastor Fay says, “I see a future for both mother and son. I’ve seen understanding coming through. And I’ve seen a sense of belonging they didn’t have before.”
Since the Fays share a common faith with the family they mentor, they are able to address their mentor family’s troubles and sorrows in a holistic way. “[We have worked] through ongoing issues with health, spiritual, mental, and physical dimensions,” Pastor Fay says.
When asked what he would like to say to congregations and faith communities who are considering reaching out to the homeless through the Family and Senior Homeless Initiative, Pastor Fay says, “What a wonderful way to give back to our brothers and sisters … and to the world! To help them out, to teach them and to help them grow! It’s a hand up, not a hand out.”
Thank you, Pastor and Mrs. Fay, for identifying a need in your community, and for responding to that need with such willingness, devotion and dedication. |
