Can you have too much of a good thing? California’s Mediterranean climate has most rainfall occurring in winter while the summer and fall months are dry. Since late December, one atmospheric river after another has battered our drought-stricken state. The huge storms have provided much-needed relief in terms of our water supplies, but are coming at a cost: widespread flooding and property damage, loss of life, and enormous inconvenience as roads close. Maybe you have already been affected. Perhaps your power has gone out, or a fallen tree has blocked your normal driving route. But you get to weather this storm inside a warm, dry home.
In many cities around the state, the residents of vast homeless encampments are somehow surviving in the brutal storm conditions, their tents and shacks surrounded by pooling water, their clothing and other possessions saturated. Even without pounding rainstorms, thousands of unsheltered Californians die every year from the human toll of living on the streets.
Danny and Ricky have been out visiting the affected camps in our area. They have been checking in on our friends and connecting them with the resources they need. Our generous donors have ensured our Clothing Closet is full and ready to help. Here is what Danny in the field is seeing:
Everyday for the last couple weeks it has been a challenge to get services to our folks on the street. In normal circumstances we assist with shelter assessments, enrollment into substance and alcohol treatment centers, connection to health care for addressing mental health and regular checkups, general assistance (EBT), photo ID (DMV), social security cards, therapy, etc. All of this important stuff is only obtainable when the basics, like sleeping bags, tents, clothes, hygiene kits etc are intact. Most, if not all the folks I made contact with in the last couple weeks lost all of these basic things making it nearly impossible to make it to appointments that are necessary to get housed or into treatment that is necessary to a more healthy lifestyle. It has become survival at the most basic form. Most of our clients were cold, wearing wet clothes with wet socks and shoes, some with no shoes at all. I ran into one lady that wasn’t wearing shoes at all and her skin was purple due to being so cold. The county activated an “inclement weather emergency status” which allowed most to get into emergency shelters, but not all. Some of our folks have such severe mental health issues that they stay outside. They haven’t had the opportunity to get the proper help that we as Outreach workers strive to get them.
— Danny Hays, Outreach Coordinator
Please hold a prayer for those outside in this weather.
We at Street Life Ministries wish you health and happiness in the New Year.
Kev’s Korner
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Well, first off, I finally got to see and hold my grandson!! Logan Avery Caulfield was born in the first days of December. Weighing in at 7 lbs and 15 oz, Logan’s the little treasure I never knew I needed. My daughter and her husband, being first-time parents, took the doctor’s words to heart and had all parts of the family wait 30 days before they could see, touch, or make goo-goo eyes at him. I was given my opportunity last week, and that’s all it took. He owns me. He has the tiniest toes!! Looking forward to watching him grow… When my daughter called me to have me over, she asked me not to smoke for a half hour before I met the baby. It got me thinking – why am I still smoking? After thinking about it for a bit, I decided enough was enough, and I was gonna quit. As it stands, I have not bought any cigarettes in the last week. I am using a vaporizer for another few weeks before I start cutting the nicotine down. I’ve been smoking for 40 years, so none of this is easy for me. Turns out that sitting at the gate of the Lot is my biggest trigger. I’m so used to sitting down and firing up a smoke that NOT firing one up causes me some serious stress. It’s also important that I tell you all that the vaporizer isn’t just for me, it’s for the safety and well-being of everyone I come in contact with for the time being. Smoking was something I could count on when everything else was turning to crap. The fact that it’s so unhealthy never really even entered my mind. It’s kinda scary knowing I’m pulling that crutch out from under myself, but I know it’s gonna be for the best. If I had a dollar for each time I’ve tried quitting before, well, I probably wouldn’t be the Gate Guy at Street Life – I’d be rich. Here’s the thing, though – I’ve been thinking about, and setting up this quit time for quite a while in my mind, so I feel more prepared and ready for it this time. I got myself right in the head first. Now, with a plan I just have to execute, things should work out well. Hopefully, anyways. Guess we’ll see how I’m doing in next month’s column, right? Can anyone believe how much freakin’ rain there’s been? It’s been pretty ridiculous. The thing that I think got me the most was that now-viral video of Trader Joe’s in San Carlos. The guy in the kayak was simply something I never expected to see in a video of the Bay Area. I never thought this area would be so susceptible to floods. It’s been pretty hardcore this past few weeks, but I gotta tell you – so are the people who live here. Doesn’t seem to matter what happens, we always seem to adapt and overcome. Us humans are remarkably resilient in the face of adversity. I’m sure we’ll all look back on this in a month or so, and, although it sucked, we’ll all say it could’ve been a lot worse… |
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Lord, I know You’re watching over us all, and I hope we made You proud of how we’ve been handling things, but I was kinda wondering if maybe You could ease up a little bit on this rain thing. I know we need it, but maybe just not all at once. All joking aside, though, I want to thank you for all the good things You’ve put in my life. Please keep us all close to You in times of stress and fear. Also, please hold my grandson in Your Awesome Gaze as he begins his journey of life in the here and now. Lord, You are awesome in everything You do, but please keep Your Hand on my shoulder as I try to navigate this no more smoking thing, as I am nowhere near as awesome as you are everyday. I do all that I do in Your Most Awesome Name, Lord, and I refuse to fail You. Please give me the strength to overcome this filthy habit and start out 2023 in healthier fashion. I ask You all this through Christ, Your Mighty Son, and Savior of the World. Amen. See you on the streets (PS – if you see me in a store, don’t let me buy cigarettes, LoL) |
Well, first off, I finally got to see and hold my grandson!! Logan Avery Caulfield was born in the first days of December. Weighing in at 7 lbs and 15 oz, Logan’s the little treasure I never knew I needed. My daughter and her husband, being first-time parents, took the doctor’s words to heart and had all parts of the family wait 30 days before they could see, touch, or make goo-goo eyes at him. I was given my opportunity last week, and that’s all it took. He owns me. He has the tiniest toes!! Looking forward to watching him grow…
When my daughter called me to have me over, she asked me not to smoke for a half hour before I met the baby. It got me thinking – why am I still smoking? After thinking about it for a bit, I decided enough was enough, and I was gonna quit. As it stands, I have not bought any cigarettes in the last week. I am using a vaporizer for another few weeks before I start cutting the nicotine down. I’ve been smoking for 40 years, so none of this is easy for me. Turns out that sitting at the gate of the Lot is my biggest trigger. I’m so used to sitting down and firing up a smoke that NOT firing one up causes me some serious stress. It’s also important that I tell you all that the vaporizer isn’t just for me, it’s for the safety and well-being of everyone I come in contact with for the time being. Smoking was something I could count on when everything else was turning to crap. The fact that it’s so unhealthy never really even entered my mind. It’s kinda scary knowing I’m pulling that crutch out from under myself, but I know it’s gonna be for the best. If I had a dollar for each time I’ve tried quitting before, well, I probably wouldn’t be the Gate Guy at Street Life – I’d be rich. Here’s the thing, though – I’ve been thinking about, and setting up this quit time for quite a while in my mind, so I feel more prepared and ready for it this time. I got myself right in the head first. Now, with a plan I just have to execute, things should work out well.
Hopefully, anyways. Guess we’ll see how I’m doing in next month’s column, right?
Can anyone believe how much freakin’ rain there’s been? It’s been pretty ridiculous. The thing that I think got me the most was that now-viral video of Trader Joe’s in San Carlos. The guy in the kayak was simply something I never expected to see in a video of the Bay Area. I never thought this area would be so susceptible to floods. It’s been pretty hardcore this past few weeks, but I gotta tell you – so are the people who live here. Doesn’t seem to matter what happens, we always seem to adapt and overcome. Us humans are remarkably resilient in the face of adversity. I’m sure we’ll all look back on this in a month or so, and, although it sucked, we’ll all say it could’ve been a lot worse…
Lord, I know You’re watching over us all, and I hope we made You proud of how we’ve been handling things, but I was kinda wondering if maybe You could ease up a little bit on this rain thing. I know we need it, but maybe just not all at once. All joking aside, though, I want to thank you for all the good things You’ve put in my life. Please keep us all close to You in times of stress and fear. Also, please hold my grandson in Your Awesome Gaze as he begins his journey of life in the here and now. Lord, You are awesome in everything You do, but please keep Your Hand on my shoulder as I try to navigate this no more smoking thing, as I am nowhere near as awesome as you are everyday. I do all that I do in Your Most Awesome Name, Lord, and I refuse to fail You. Please give me the strength to overcome this filthy habit and start out 2023 in healthier fashion. I ask You all this through Christ, Your Mighty Son, and Savior of the World. Amen.
See you on the streets
(PS – if you see me in a store, don’t let me buy cigarettes, LoL)
