Marc Jablon
We often thank God when something fortunate happens for us. However, being thankful for the blessings we receive, is just a small part in how God uses us to help the homeless men, women, and children in our community.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret that I tell all my clients in business: “Good Business is Good Business”. What that means is that it is perfectly acceptable for businesses to market themselves as supporters of Matthew’s Hope.
This is how God uses you. He knows your talents and hopes you will use them to support those who are less fortunate. When creating Matthew’s Hope, Scott Billue’s goal was to help the homeless build a life of independence and self-sustainability. That is why Matthew’s Hope focuses so much on “Help Us, Help Them, Help Themselves”.
When you take a deep look at what causes someone to become homeless, you realize that just handing them a few dollars will not solve the problem. The truth is that many homeless guests at Matthew’s Hope require medical attention, housing, transportation, education, career support, and money management skills.
This was the case with Miguel. Thanks to the financial support from people in the community, Miguel was able to regain his independence through eye surgery which gave him his sight, dental work that gave him back his confidence to smile, and education which helped him reinstate his driver’s license.
Another homeless guest, Shannon, last OD’d from heroin in December 2019. Thanks to your generosity, Shannon is now clean and sober. She has reclaimed her smile through dental surgeries and is in the process of healing her relationship with her children. Shannon is a valued member of the Matthew’s Hope team and is currently working towards an education goal to become an addiction counselor. Shannon was moved into transitional housing and graduated from the Moving Forward Program.
The Moving Forward Program starts with helping the homeless guests meet their basic needs and ends with them matching $1000 that their guest has put into savings so they can achieve independent living. The program includes rewards for homeless guests as they achieve certain goals. Matthew’s Hope also provides work opportunities at both the wood shop and Matthew’s Hope Chest Store.
“Anyone who wants to work at Matthew’s Hope, can,” Billue says.
Less than 12 years ago Matthew’s Hope was just socks and underwear. Today Matthew’s Hope includes medical, dental, optical, mental health care, transitional housing, custom wood shop, a boutique store, legal and financial assistance, and much more. The growth of Matthew’s Hope is due to the tremendous support that they have received from the community. They do not accept any government funding.
“Do what you can, not what you can’t,” Billue says. “If you don’t see God’s hand on this place, then you’re missing something incredible. He used YOU, to help us, help them, help themselves.”
So, I ask, what talents has God given you which will allow you to contribute? For me personally, I believe God is telling me to write. This is my opportunity to share my talents and tell Matthew’s Hope story from a different perspective. I believe there are thousands of us out there who want to help, but just don’t know how. As Scott says, “Do what you can, not what you can’t”. We all have something to offer. What’s your gift?
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