Six years ago, I became homeless. I lost everything to a house fire–my sweet dog, Bo, eventually succumbed to injuries from being trapped inside. This, by far, was the beginning of one of the most challenging seasons of my life. I’d been doing outreach work for a while, yet when I called local agencies in search of resources, instead of being an advocate for someone else, it was I who was in need of care. Present day, it is no coincidence that I help lead a spiritual community for people impacted by homelessness in Atlanta–a church without walls.

It’s personal.

Through my work with Church of the Common Ground, we’ve been able to create pathways to permanent housing for over 75 individuals since January 2022.

As we work our way towards helping 100+ people secure housing, I choose to make meaning of this devastating moment each time I serve a cup of coffee or in instances like today when KC stopped by to show me the key to his new place.

Please take a moment to show KC some love!

This is my offering.

-SJ-

Do you enjoy reading stories like this? I am currently working on developing Agency, a community archive based in Atlanta that aims to digitally house the stories of people affected by homelessness. I would like to invite you to share this post with your social communities and subscribe below to receive updates. Also, I welcome contributions to my Buy Me A Coffee Campaign. Thank you for the support!