Latest / Our Community, Our Mission / Ep #185 - A Beautiful Mess

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Ep #185 - A Beautiful Mess · Our Community, Our Mission

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father.
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: We thank you, Lord, for this day and your blessings and provisions, God.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Thank you for this time, Lord, and we just always just thank you for our listeners, God, who are wanting to learn more about the mission and what we do here in our community.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Lord, I pray that you would bless those listeners and God just their involvement.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Lord, I pray that every ear that would hear this would just be encouraged to action, to get involved in one way or another.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: God, we love you and we just praise your name, Amen.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Hello everybody, this is Barry Fieker, your host of Our Community, our mission of podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission here on August, the 9th of 2023, podcast number 185.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: So we've been clicking along here, haven't we, amanda?
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: We sure have, isn't that amazing?
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you weren't around, were you?
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: born.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Yet when was your start of these?
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: Well, I wasn't going to mention anything.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: Okay, all right all right, maybe you were, but anyway, we've been doing them every week, so 185 has been great.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Santa Brava's executive director of the rescue mission.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: We got a couple of great guests here today.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Our frontline leaders.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Yes, we want to talk to them in a minute, but before we do that, people really want to know what's special about Wednesday, august the 9th, and so this is one thing that you like a lot.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: What is today national?
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: What Book Lovers Day?
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: Book Lovers Day, that's right, yeah.
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: Do you remember when the first book kind of became available?
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: for the general population.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: You weren't here yet, no, so I wouldn't either.
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: But yeah, that's right.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: No, no, it was a guy who wrote this book and he brought it out.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: It was something called Gutenberg Press 15th century.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: And so before that time, only royalty would be able to get ahold of books.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: And so today we not only have books, we have electronic books and we have audio books.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: I love those the most, so, yeah, so what's also special about this day?
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: I can't see the way I have my mic positioned.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: You woke up this morning, I'm sure, and knew that today was going to be hold.
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, hold hands, day Hold hands day.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: So those of you who are listening to this podcast, you can just have visualized what we're doing here today, since it's hold hands.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: So just visualize it and know that, no, that's not happening, that's not happening so anyway.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: One other fun fact today, on this day in 1173, a famous construction project began, and it's one that we would never, fortunately, have done at Topeka Rescue Mission, all the buildings we've built, but it was the beginning of the construction of the.
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: If my youngest daughter was here, she would say the Leaning Tower of.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: Pisa, that's right.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: You know pizza.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Is it pizza or pizza?
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: I always thought it was pizza.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: That's where I got pizza from, but anyway, leaning Tower of Pisa still standing today, although it's still leaning, and so somebody didn't do that thing.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: Quite right, but at the same time they must have, because it didn't fall over, right.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: So this is Wednesday, august the 9th, amanda.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: A couple updates.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: We had back to school successful event again this year.
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: Yes, we did Just want to thank everybody who had some type of involvement in that, from just the incredible volunteers.
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: We had the Lions Club come out and do free vision screenings.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: That was incredible to see.
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: They have a camera.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: They're so awesome.
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: Yes, they take a picture of the kids' eyes and then it gives out a report.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: So we just had incredible partners, people who donated, and so this year they got to get some school clothes in addition to the backpacks and shoes, and it was just incredible to see.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: So, from the bottom of our hearts, we just thank our community for being so generous and because of that generosity, over 500 kids alone are starting the school with just an incredible start and excitement and just their needs being met.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: So if you want to hear kind of the discussion about the faith walk that that required, listen to the last week's podcast, because the guys who were on the front line of doing this and trusting the Lord didn't have all the supplies we needed.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: And we're trusting and still 500 kids were taken care of.
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: And you know, barry, I have to tell you two things real quick.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: One, and this just shows the God that we serve, right.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: But it also goes back to when to have faith, but then when to also take action.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: So last week there was a family who came in who hadn't signed up, and the family had 11 children.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: And so Holton kind of starts scrambling, looks at the numbers and realizes that someone earlier that day, with 11 children, accidentally signed up twice and that mother called and said hey, I need to take this off because it's a duplicate.
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: That opened up 11 more spots.
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: Wow, what a coincidence.
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: How cool is that?
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: Yes, I don't think we say that's a coincidence, right?
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: It wasn't 10 kids, it wasn't nine, it wasn't 12.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: It was 11 to 11.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Same day.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: And then the other thing was on the last day we had 153 children that we were still waiting to come through, and guess how many backpacks we had on the table 152.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: 154.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: We had one extra, so just I can go back to school and finish now Awesome.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: And it might even be like a little Ninja Turtle backpack for you or something, barry you know mine's getting older.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's worn out.
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: But yeah, it's just, god's story is all over it, and so the important thing there is, when people say yes to something you know they might only be feeling like, well, I'm only giving a little bit, I don't know if this is going to help, but what we see time and time again is that God uses everyone's yes, regardless of what that capacity is, and those yeses then meet the needs we have.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: Still some more needs for food supplies to come in.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: What do we need?
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: So you know we talked to the last two podcasts just of when we have an increase in people needing to access food services, and many of them who never have before and many of them who haven't in at least over a year and then we have a decrease in being able to get access to food just because the surpluses isn't what it used to be, and then it's also an increase in costs.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: So what used to cost us a certain amount has dramatically increased, and so when you look at increase in needs and decreases in these other areas, it's concerning.
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: But we're trusting the community, we're trusting the Lord, and so we have a current needs list on our website that you can look at, but some of those is really just non-perishable food items.
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: So any of the canned foods that you can think of macaroni and cheese, boxes of pasta, hamburger helper, canned tuna and chicken, peanut butter, jelly, canned fruits and all of those things and, like I said, all of that can be found.
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: We've done a couple of posts on our Facebook page, but it's also on our website.
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: So prices of groceries are all we all know.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: They're just really hitting our budgets hard, and so you may have something in your pantry, on your shelves at home, that maybe it's time to replace, but it's still good to pick a rescue mission.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: Couldn't use that to pass along to people, as long as it's not past date, right and so, and then maybe you can go replenish and spend twice as much as you used to.
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: Yes, and you know I just did a little pickup.
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: You know, I know there's not always a lot of extra, but I was just at Walmart two nights ago and they had baked beans, the big cans.
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: I can't even think of the brand, they're usually $3.
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: They have them for a dollar, and so I bought two cases.
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: They were 12 in a case, so it was $24.
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: But when I looked at it, well, what else would I be spending that $24 on, right?
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: And so, anyways, just kind of being mindful, if you, you know, even $5 here or $6 here with different items it helps.
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: But the food drives too.
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: I have a lot now that we're kind of putting awareness out.
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: I've got schools that are interested in doing back to school food drives for us.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: I have some small businesses who just wanna put boxes up that when customers come in they can put food items there.
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: We had some vacation Bible schools that designated doing food drives.
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: So if you are at a business or a church or a Sunday school class, there's nothing too small.
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: I mean, even if we get 10 cans, it's 10 cans and that is 10 families that are blessed.
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: That wouldn't have been without that.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: Yes, Absolutely, and if you are interested in that, you can go to our website at trmonlineorg that's trm, your rescue mission onlineorg.
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: See that needs list.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: And also you can drop those donations off Monday through Friday at the Topeka Rescue Mission Distribution Center at 401 Northwest Norse and so it will get distributed.
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: They're doing that yesterday and again tomorrow, and so just record numbers of people coming through.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: It's a tough time for many people.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: Speaking of tough times, information is always tough to know what's real and what's not real, what's accurate, what's inaccurate, what is how people jump on different things, and so this week there was a CJ online article that came out that you had and I both had an opportunity to participate in to answer some hard questions that have been brought up and clarify some things.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: So if you are a subscriber to Topeka Capital Journal, cj Online, encourage you to go Google Topeka Rescue Mission on that and read that.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: It was a part of a follow up to a meeting that Topeka Rescue Mission held on July 27th, the first in a series of three of informational meetings to talk about the concerns of homelessness in the community, exactly what is happening and what's not happening, and talk about a number of things that have been alleged in regards to relationship with the city, which I think we're getting it straightened out now because truth is truth and that is what's prevailing.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: And so there's another one tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: That would be on the 10th of August, thursday, from nine to 11, at the former North Topeka Baptist Church, which it, it, it, it's located.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: This ought to be simple One, two, three, one, two, three, northwest Gordon, right there.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: And so if you are interested in actually being there, come and be a part of that.
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: There'll be a presentation and there'll also be a time for questions and answers.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: So we just really you know what I love about Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: It's its front lines, it's in the trenches, it's got great people who work at the rescue mission and volunteer at the rescue mission making a huge difference.
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: And there is an understanding that there's a lot of frustration in the whole country right now about the homeless issue and people who really are struggling, but yet they and people don't know what to do about it, and they haven't for decades, and so now it's at a crucial point where people just want something fixed, and so it's not a quick fix or it's been done already, but it is a worthwhile effort to try to help people, which and that's what Topeka Rescue Mission's have now been doing for 70 years On the front lines and speaking of front lines, amanda, as executive director of the Topeka Rescue, Mission your front lines, where they're out on the streets today, or whether they're participating in a mobile access partnership, whether they're feeding these record numbers of people or in the shelters and other things are very important to you.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: And you've got your two top generals here in your shelters, so introduce them.
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: Sure, you know, when I think about just the operations that really happen every day, day and night, because it's 24, seven, seven days a week, 365 days a year inside our shelters, it's just incredible and at times mind-blowing at the redemption that happens in those shelters, the conflicts that can happen in the shelters, the battlefield that people are in every day to overcome addiction, mental illness, to go from being victims to overcomers.
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: It's just incredible that we have such places of refuge and safety.
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: But that does not come easy.
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: It is a beautiful mess and a beautiful mess.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: A beautiful mess, because we are in the middle of everyone's brokenness, while, as humans and staff, walking through our own struggles.
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: But we're doing it so that no one is alone and that everyone has an opportunity to be understood and to know that there is life past what they're experiencing in that moment, and so I call it a beautiful mess.
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: It's our safety place, and that is no easy tasks, and so I am excited to introduce both of our directors our director of our men's side, john Roberts.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: Our director of our Hope Center, rachel Flinneken, both which you will hear in just a moment.
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: We've heard from them previously on podcast, but when I think of the two of them, I just think of the two of them incredible hearts, incredible wisdom and incredible servants, and you're gonna hear that now.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so that's well said, John Rachel.
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: Welcome to our community, our mission.
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: Good morning, good to be here.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I'm glad you're here.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: We've talked about frontline a beautiful mess I like that.
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: You know it's gonna ask you a few questions here about what you're doing and why.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: But for people that don't understand, a ministry like the Topeka Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter that invites people in right, where they are the common denominators they don't have a place to be, they don't have a home.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: They are representing all kinds of other things other than just homelessness.
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: They're not just homeless.
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: They are fleeing domestic violence.
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: They are people who at one time probably would have been in a mental health facility, people who are struggling with addiction.
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: Probably common denominator is trauma that they've experienced.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: Some people have been off on the streets for a decade, maybe two decades.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: This is the first time that they've trusted people to come in off the streets, and yet they may be right next to somebody who this is the first time that they've ever lost their home and yesterday was the first day and so they don't live in their car.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: And so you put all that together.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: You got a little bit of a challenge under one, or actually two, riffs in this case.
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: So, john, let's start with you.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: You started out doing some educational work here Topeka Rescue Mission and talk about that, and then what led you into being director of the Men's Services?
• 14:33
  Speaker 5: Yeah, absolutely so.
• 14:34
  Speaker 5: I started as a intern when I was finishing up my studies at Washburn University and so just that was a really good chance just to kind of see several different aspects of the ministry in the shelters.
• 14:49
  Speaker 5: So got to follow along our case managing team, see how some of the operations with food services and the kitchen work, just be up at the front desk helping our shelter staff do things and got to see a wide array of the different services that TRM provides and just kind of be able to both assist.
• 15:11
  Speaker 5: But then also use that as an educational opportunity and started doing it because it was a requirement for my class and then ended up just really falling in love with it and just really being energized by the work that's being done at the rescue mission and started to have a desire to join on and to stay on once that internship finished.
• 15:38
  Speaker 5: And so thankfully, position opened up and that was able to work and it's been wonderful.
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: Do you ever dream, when you came here to do your studies, that eventually you would end up being the director of the services to men?
• 15:51
  Speaker 5: That was not on my radar at all.
• 15:53
  Speaker 3: It was on my radar, barry, while he was here, it was on my radar.
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I heard stories about this guy.
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: He'd go.
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: Let him go, he's good.
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: So I want to get back to you in a second in regards to what it's like and you kind of said the why.
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: But I want to talk to Rachel.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: Rachel, you came to the Pica Rescue Mission working in Restore Hope with the Human Trafficking Arena for the Pica Rescue Mission, working along with our director at that time, really helping us to identify some things and see some things that we hadn't seen before, and then you had an opportunity to go over and assist in the Hope Center and fell in love.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: And fell in love with the Hope Center.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: So you know, guys, most people know my story.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: I've gotten involved with the developing these two arenas many, many years ago and I would say and not taking anything away from you, john women are harder when they're coming in.
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: Amen.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: Off the streets or wherever they come from.
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: Rachel, as you got involved with this, you were given an opportunity then to become the director of Hope Center.
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: Why, why would you take that assignment?
• 16:59
  Speaker 4: Well, I think it was more a calling than it was a me taking it.
• 17:02
  Speaker 4: I was the assistant director, maybe I don't know a month or two, and was having weekly touchbases with Amanda and Christian, which, soon to find out, were a little bit of interview type things.
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: Checking in on that, yes.
• 17:19
  Speaker 4: So I was interim director when the previous director had retired and I never really Thought, well, I could be, or I didn't want to be.
• 17:28
  Speaker 4: It was just kind of like, where's the Lord going to lead me?
• 17:30
  Speaker 4: So I just continued to um just what I was Assigned to do from the Lord.
• 17:37
  Speaker 4: So the end of October, um, I came into one of those Touch-based meetings and they presented a piece of paper that was an offer to be the director.
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: So it was a blessing.
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: It was a oh my gosh, how am I supposed to do this?
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: And it's just been Beautiful.
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: Um, all days are good days.
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: Some are way harder than others, but it's uh, relying on the Lord for guidance.
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: Um has definitely been a blessing, so we talked about the complexities of people coming in it's, it's kind of this beautiful mess of people and then in crisis, everybody's in crisis.
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: When they come to homeless, there's not, there's not like, oh, we get to go to the rescue mission, you know, we just spend time there.
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: Um, there is obviously that need to help people to feel safe and and to be safe and and to be.
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: A rescue mission, unfortunately, has always kept that forefront Um, um.
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: But then there is that need to help people, not just to relax and stay here forever.
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: So how do people, when you, when you begin to say, okay, you're safe, you know, we've got a place to live, you got showers, you got air conditioning, you got, you know, 24, seven people making sure you're gonna be okay, um, when you say, okay, now we have to come up with a plan and, uh, to move you on what, what, john, what?
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: How do people respond to that?
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: Or because I imagine some people would I don't imagine, I know it they would say I don't want to leave.
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: So what?
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: How does that go?
• 18:59
  Speaker 5: Yeah, and I I think a big part of it is just Communicating with those individuals and and trying to see where they're at, because everyone's at a different spot and so, um, and just kind of adopting um or adapting the, the message and um what the person needs, based on how their um, how their attitude is towards the or their posture is towards the process.
• 19:23
  Speaker 5: So there are some people who they come in and they want to get out as fast as possible, and so they're just really looking for connection to those resources.
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: What are some of the resources that the to be to be a rescue mission has internally that you, as shelter management, then plug into guest services to be able to help people move on?
• 19:41
  Speaker 5: Yeah, um, and so a huge thing is is that guest services?
• 19:45
  Speaker 5: team or case managers, um, who will help them Just develop a plan looking at their specific what are the barriers and obstacles that are unique to their individual situation.
• 19:57
  Speaker 5: What are some of the challenges that we're going to have to to navigate as we help them work towards Having sustainable housing, moving forward, um, and so getting them connected with that part.
• 20:09
  Speaker 5: Also, just collaborating with other community agencies that they might be working with, whether that's Vallejo for mental health or for substance abuse recovery programs through other agencies, medical needs that they might have, just making sure that they're getting their medication, that they're making it to to doctors appointments that they need to, and so a lot of it is just being able to use the resources that we know of and helping them connect to those.
• 20:38
  Speaker 5: And if there are barriers there with, you know, being able to communicate, whether that's with technology, like having phones, or if it's with transportation, can we help them, you know, with a bus pass, can we?
• 20:49
  Speaker 5: Can we just help navigate some of those barriers To get them plugged in with a different, different service providers around our city and make sure that Every aspect of their specific situation that they're going to need to accomplish, to work on, to make progress in that they're aware of those resources and that they're going.
• 21:09
  Speaker 5: They have the ability to connect with them.
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: So there is a, there's a goal to welcome them in, get them safe, help them to stabilize and then move on to something, the next step in life.
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: And, uh, rachel john mentioned that it's.
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: They're not all the same, it's one size doesn't fit all.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: It's really complicated, um, when is it Individual, like a single woman or a single man?
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: But it's even more complicated to figure out what to do when there's children present.
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: Yes, I believe I learned here the other day that we're at the Hope Center experiencing around 50 kids right now.
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: Yes, and so that's grown and grown and grown.
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: It really slowed down during the pandemic and now it's growing back again.
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: Rachel, what's, um, what's some of the complications that you could describe that?
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: A mom coming in, maybe a single mom or maybe single dad that have children and they've lost everything.
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: What do you do to help them?
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: Because any parent would be overwhelmed, um, with a thought of I can't provide, I don't have a home for my children.
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: What do you do to help them to know that there's, they're not alone, and in some way help them to understand somehow, some way it's going to be okay?
• 22:19
  Speaker 4: so and Navigating that has been a challenge.
• 22:22
  Speaker 4: We have had a lot of calls where the the lady will ask Do you guys provide childcare, how am I going to move forward or how, like I just don't have any help.
• 22:31
  Speaker 4: So we do have a lot of families that are in there right now that have um come up with a lot of different options, whether it be a family member or a friend or Um.
• 22:41
  Speaker 4: Thankfully, school is coming up soon, so they will have an opportunity to get back to work.
• 22:46
  Speaker 4: But just letting them know that, um, they're not in this alone, um, and that there is a plan and a purpose for why they are in the mission, um, to take advantage of the resources that we do offer Um, but it seems to be going well with the classes and things that they're offering.
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: We have volunteers that come and watch the children during that time, um, and then just being able to network and connect with the classes to be able to move forward and Jobs or whatever it is that they need.
• 23:13
  Speaker 4: But we do have single Moms that have four and five young children.
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: So, um, I just I can't imagine what that would be like yeah, so, so most everybody will come in pretty Much in crisis and there's a lot of hopelessness there.
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: Um, what's it like when somebody comes in and say nobody cares, nobody is there for me, I'm in a homeless shelter, I don't want to be here?
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: I know oftentimes there's a lot of resentment to everybody, including those are trying to help them.
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: What's it like when there's a kind of a turning in that where people go, wow, they really are here to help me, what, what's, what do you see?
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: And what's that look like for our listeners To where I'm hopeless and today Maybe I've got some hope?
• 23:58
  Speaker 4: I need to describe that Well.
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: I will say I have a just today actually, when I was on my way over to do this um, we have a guest that's been with us for quite some time and we, you know, kind of roller coaster.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: Um started out very broken, a lot of trauma, and has kind of Uh like blossomed into her character and she's been I need to get out of here.
• 24:21
  Speaker 4: I got to get out of here and she finally gets housing and Today she said I'm not ready to leave Mm-hmm.
• 24:28
  Speaker 4: So it's just beautiful that there's a, there's a connection when they come in.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: What do you think she said that she's not readily when she's come this far, and now Housing is available for her?
• 24:43
  Speaker 4: because of the connections and the Relationships that we've built.
• 24:47
  Speaker 4: She realizes that Now that she's moving out on her own, it's gonna be a lot different than having the people right there to help her.
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, sometimes, oftentimes, people will come here and they may not have any family, or the family that they have is not healthy family, and so they find family here.
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: John, you work with some fellows, that kind of an aging population now of homeless.
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: I know there's some folks that have been in the mission, some guys been in the mission that have been their 70s and 80s.
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: Physically they're not doing great, um, mentally, emotionally not doing great.
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: What kind of hope is there for a guy like that?
• 25:27
  Speaker 5: You know, I think there is a lot of hope and sometimes it's just helping them see that hope.
• 25:32
  Speaker 5: Especially, I think with our older population, there can be that fear to leave, you know, and kind of like we're talking about people can come in and there's a lot of instability in their lives and then at the shelter, you know, they can find that stability and so it can be Um scary to to be facing having to leave.
• 25:52
  Speaker 5: That Also, and again particular with our older population, they have a community you know friends that they Eat meals with, that they that they are living life with every day.
• 26:04
  Speaker 5: And so the thought of maybe going to an apartment by yourself and you know what am I gonna do.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: I mean you found a place that you mean some of these guys been out outdoors on the streets or in and out of Places for decades, and so then they finally say, wow, there's a place of sanctuary, and now they want me to leave.
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: You know that's that's hard, amanda.
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: You, I know that you look at the bigger picture here, you know the 30,000 foot view is also was down on the ground.
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: One of the things that we've talked about before is the aging or they call it the graying homeless.
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: That is really a concern because of what's coming in the by 2030, it's expected that the average age of the homeless will be 60 plus years old.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: That's a big switch.
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of Individuals that were already seeing that were post pandemic related economically, that because of cost of housing, cost of everything they're, even though they worked all their lives.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: They're at of an age that they didn't have enough retirement.
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: A lot of blue collar workers here who now are losing their housing and going and leaving in their cars and they're very depressed, very discouraged.
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: Some are talking about not wanting to go on and some may end up in homelessness and, as many are right now, the man what?
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: What are you thinking?
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: What's gonna be the future here?
• 27:29
  Speaker 3: Mm-hmm, you know, I think of responsibility that I have as the executive director is to always try to be as proactive as possible, so that we have to be less reactive to when things happen, and so Another responsibility I think that I have is to not always look at the challenge that we're facing, but to always Be looking at possible solutions too, and so I don't really know when and I don't know what it's gonna look like, but we know this is coming right.
• 28:01
  Speaker 3: And the other Elephant in the room is there really aren't a lot of options for the elderly In our community, and that's not that's not an ugly thing about Topeka, that really is everywhere many communities many communities and so my concern is going when they come to us.
• 28:24
  Speaker 3: The homeless shelter is not always the right placement for them, but then when I look and I go, okay, they're not eligible for a nursing home or they have a financial issue and so they're not able to go there.
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: It's not necessarily a hospital issue and we want to be respectful to our medical partners and not be sending people to the ERs and sending people to the hospital stays.
• 28:48
  Speaker 3: Basically, right now I'm examining what partnerships could we be establishing that maybe we haven't yet, but then also recognizing that I've already kind of gone down that path with several, and even their resources are tapped out.
• 29:02
  Speaker 3: And so one of the things that we are doing is, when it's necessary, when it's appropriate in the now, we file adult protective services reports, and sometimes that's heartbreaking, but especially if we see someone that's on the streets who can't take care of themselves there's no one else I look at that person just as vulnerable as I do a child who is in need of care, and so that's one of the things we're doing now and really trying to help coordinate services that can come through that Bigger picture in future.
• 29:34
  Speaker 3: I could be wrong, barry, but I think we're going to get to a point where possibly one of our shelters is restructured to have an area that is really set up to kind of help in a way.
• 29:47
  Speaker 3: We're not going to be able to help everyone and my staff is not medical staff, they're not medical providers and things like that Yet at the same time, but yet at the same time, every day they find emergency rooms, all the time, yes, and incontinence issues and physical needs and wounds that have never been treated and antibiotics that are needed.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: Severe mental health breakdown.
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir.
• 30:12
  Speaker 3: And so I am just constantly evaluating, and I'm doing so in this particular area.
• 30:18
  Speaker 3: I always want to try to say yes, but I also want to do it when it's appropriate.
• 30:25
  Speaker 3: And here at the rescue mission, we are so empathetic and we care and we're just problem solvers.
• 30:33
  Speaker 3: We don't wallow in the problem, we want to fix it, we want to help and be a part of that.
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: But on the other hand, I think it's my responsibility especially the more we start facing this is to advocate for others to step up and do what they can do as well, so that we can work together.
• 30:48
  Speaker 3: Many hands make the work light, so it's on my radar Now.
• 30:52
  Speaker 3: We're working with doing the adult protective services reports when needed.
• 30:56
  Speaker 3: We're working on looking at barriers.
• 30:58
  Speaker 3: What can we break down?
• 30:59
  Speaker 3: What can we help people?
• 31:00
  Speaker 3: Some people are staying a little bit longer than what we typically would because it's taking them longer to either rebuild the income or, whatever the case may be, fears that they're working through.
• 31:10
  Speaker 3: But then the other is this futuristic?
• 31:12
  Speaker 3: Hey, do we need to be looking at how we operate and realizing that if we need to pivot at some time to change that, even if we have small spaces in our shelter to better accommodate, then we're evaluating that as well.
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: Most people want people to fix a problem, and so if we're running out of space on the earth, fix it and let's go to Mars, or whatever the case might be.
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: Somebody needs to fix this Same thing with this issue of homelessness and even in our own community.
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: And what generals need to know who are in leadership and when they're in war is what's going on in the front lines, and that's what Speaker.
• 31:51
  Speaker 2: Rescue Mission is a frontline in the battle to bring back the intelligence, the information, the realities back to those who are decision makers or policy makers.
• 32:01
  Speaker 2: To pick a rescue mission or any organization like it cannot fix the problem, but it definitely can stand in the gap while we come back with this information.
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: And, john and Rachel, you guys are on the front lines and what you're doing is helping people right here and now in this beautiful mess and Amanda, then you're taking that information and you're reflecting it back to the community and leaders, and they don't always like to hear about it and it's unfortunate, but that's kind of what it's been for a long time.
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: But if we're going to win this war, this war on poverty, this war for fighting homelessness and hunger and trauma and all these things, we have to have the right information, and that's the strategic position.
• 32:44
  Speaker 2: You're doing it, it's not theory.
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: You're actually doing it.
• 32:49
  Speaker 2: John and Rachel, two questions for each of you, which are simple, but yet they might be kind of difficult.
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: So we'll start with you, rachel, because you love me, you and Kurt Ball.
• 32:59
  Speaker 4: She's like great.
• 33:00
  Speaker 4: I can't wait.
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: So, rachel, what's the hardest part of your job as director of Hope Center?
• 33:09
  Speaker 4: Seeing people go back out.
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: Go back out.
• 33:15
  Speaker 4: To the addiction or the trauma.
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, why, why is that so hard?
• 33:27
  Speaker 4: It's just hard to see them like.
• 33:28
  Speaker 4: You want them to flourish, you want them to do good and overcome it, and the world is evil.
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: So you see some people then come back and try it again.
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: Yes, and it's beautiful.
• 33:44
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 33:45
  Speaker 3: That's the beautiful mess part.
• 33:46
  Speaker 4: you know that's right you see them flourish and they got their own house and they got their first job or whatever.
• 33:53
  Speaker 4: Have you?
• 33:54
  Speaker 4: I mean, there are beautiful stories, but those ones that they're just not ready, those are the hard ones.
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: The hard ones.
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: John, what's the hardest part of your job as director of men's services?
• 34:06
  Speaker 5: Yeah, it would probably be along the same lines.
• 34:08
  Speaker 5: It's seeing people especially with issues with substance abuse and with people who have maybe been in recovery.
• 34:19
  Speaker 5: If there's a relapse, that's always hard because there was all that progress that was made and just to see people feel like now I'm back to square one, and so that can be hard to see.
• 34:34
  Speaker 5: But it's also an opportunity to remind them that just because you have a new clean date now doesn't mean that you lost everything that you learned during this last period of sobriety.
• 34:47
  Speaker 5: You still have all those tools.
• 34:48
  Speaker 5: You still have all the habits that you formed during that to build off of.
• 34:53
  Speaker 5: So even though it may feel like square one, it's not, and so you know, the key is just trying to have them get those kind of gap resources to get to a point where then they can start climbing the mountain again.
• 35:11
  Speaker 2: It's still hard to watch that long process sometimes and then that beautiful mess.
• 35:14
  Speaker 2: We'll start with you on the next question, John.
• 35:17
  Speaker 2: So what counterbalances that hard part to make what's the best part of your job?
• 35:25
  Speaker 5: Just really just interacting with the guys at the shelter.
• 35:29
  Speaker 5: So, getting to know them, building rapport, trying to find opportunities to gain trust, like we mentioned, there are some people who come in and they're not trusting of us, you know but, and so and that's okay, you know, if someone comes in and depending on what experience they have, you know they might not be ready.
• 35:49
  Speaker 5: But just treating them with dignity and respect always, and just trying to be consistent there and seeing, hopefully seeing those edges soften as they get to see, oh, these people are who they say they are and they are trying to help.
• 36:05
  Speaker 5: And getting to know, just getting to know the people.
• 36:08
  Speaker 5: And then, as we're going along the journey with them, interacting with them on a daily basis, and the highs and the lows, just being able to do that and celebrate the small victories, and then, you know, awesome, we get to celebrate the big victories as well.
• 36:22
  Speaker 5: And then sometimes seeing people come back you know who have gone out, they've had a completion of program and now, months later, maybe they pop in and just let us know how they're doing.
• 36:32
  Speaker 5: And that's some of them coming to work for you.
• 36:33
  Speaker 5: That's right.
• 36:34
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 36:35
  Speaker 2: Well, thank you, Rachel.
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: What's the best part of your job?
• 36:39
  Speaker 4: I would say, being hope that, despite your past, despite what you've been through, the challenges that you face, that you are worth it and that you can overcome addiction.
• 36:50
  Speaker 4: You can move past your background, your charges, your criminal things, the loss of your children.
• 36:57
  Speaker 4: You can get your children back, all the things that you want.
• 37:00
  Speaker 4: You can do it.
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's great great guys.
• 37:02
  Speaker 2: Amanda, kind of proud of them, huh.
• 37:05
  Speaker 3: You know, if you were to ask me that question in regards to these two, I would say the best part and the worst part of my job is the same answer, barry.
• 37:20
  Speaker 3: And I would say the best part of my job is to see the work that they do, and the hardest part of my job is to see the work that they do, just because the I know it's taxing.
• 37:35
  Speaker 3: I know the challenges that they face, just in what I see.
• 37:39
  Speaker 3: You know I try to be a very hands-on but yet stay out of their business because they've got it handled executive director.
• 37:46
  Speaker 3: But I see it and that's why I love them, that's why I respect them, that's why I listen to them, that I consider it a blessing to be able to lead alongside them.
• 37:59
  Speaker 3: I don't lead out in front of them unless they need it out of protection.
• 38:03
  Speaker 3: Then I will and I will continue to do that.
• 38:05
  Speaker 3: But a lot of times I'm just right there with them and can totally take whatever they're needing because they know what they're doing and that is such a blessing and to be able to see that and just them evolve into leaders and how they love time after time they forgive time and time again.
• 38:22
  Speaker 3: The hardest part of my job is to also know the load that they carry, because they're humans, like they have families just like we do, and they get tired just like we do, and they experience personal challenges just like we do.
• 38:37
  Speaker 3: And there's just sometimes that I just wish I could push a pause button so that they got to breathe and that they got to reset.
• 38:44
  Speaker 3: And then sometimes, when I hear this negative narrative that the rescue mission isn't doing enough or people don't come stay at our shelters because of XYZ, I just really want to say come, walk half a shift in one of their shoes, half a shift.
• 39:06
  Speaker 3: They won't, and so, anyways, that's my best and worst part, because I am here to shepherd them, I'm here to steward them, and it's beautiful to be able to watch, but then sometimes I see the hurt because of either stuff that's said or just when that person does walk out of the shelters.
• 39:23
  Speaker 3: I see their heartbreak, both of them.
• 39:25
  Speaker 3: John invests in these men in a way that is unfathomable, and Rachel too.
• 39:33
  Speaker 3: I mean I think Rachel right now has 105 family members in that building, you know.
• 39:38
  Speaker 3: So it's incredible.
• 39:40
  Speaker 3: I love them both, I respect them both, and we'll always be in both of their corners, okay, man.
• 39:47
  Speaker 2: Well, I want to tell you, guys, there's a lot of people in this community who you never know, you'll possibly never hear from, but they so admire what you're doing because they get it and they pray for you, they volunteer sometimes, and sometimes they send financial resources or other resources to help you be able to do what you do, so that you can reassure people, you can have a bed tonight, you can have something to eat, you're gonna be safe and we got some things that we can help you with to be able to move on.
• 40:25
  Speaker 2: And so, guys, it's hard work what you're doing.
• 40:29
  Speaker 2: I don't know of any harder job than being working in the kind of environment you work in, but I can't think of any situation in life where I could be prouder than to know both of you and to know your spirits, your attitudes and your teams that are helping to accomplish this job every single day of the year, without stop, and so thank you, thank you for bringing hope, thank you for bringing some beauty in the mess, and so, and thank you for listening to our community, our mission.
• 41:05
  Speaker 2: You've heard from John Roberts, the director of services to men, rachel Flanagan, director of Hope Center, amanda Brauels, executive director at the rescue mission, about bringing beauty into the mess.
• 41:15
  Speaker 2: Life is messy sometimes, and thank you for helping Topeka Rescue Mission bring that beauty into the mess in whatever way that you are a part of Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 41:26
  Speaker 2: One of those is to help promote this podcast, and you can do that by subscribing, rating or sharing it with others so they can hear about this hope and this beautiful mess.
• 41:35
  Speaker 2: And if you're more, if you're interested in more information about Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to trmonlineorg.
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: That's trmonlineorg.
• 41:44
  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to our community, our mission.