Bulletin Board
The place where you can stay up to date with the latest events, stories, news, and opportunities for our City Relief community.
Week 6: An Invisible Crisis that Requires a Visible Response
Mental health is something I don't fully understand. Serious mental illness runs in my family, and chances are, it touches yours too. Maybe you've lived through a difficult season—depression, anxiety, or something harder—or walked with someone else through it. Mental illness is more common than we admit, and more complex than it appears.
Week 5: What We See, What We Judge: Substance Use Disorder, Homelessness, and Compassion
I've seen more track marks than I'd care to admit. I've poured bottles of liquor down storm drains handed to me by guests on their way to rehab. I've also lost dear friends to overdose, and it's heartbreaking when someone is finally ready for help, but can't access it due to insurance issues or restrictive Medicaid coverage.
Week 4: Mental Healthcare on the Streets
I met Maria in Harlem on a brisk April day in 2020. The city had come to a standstill. The world was telling everyone to "stay home," but Maria didn't have one. We were standing under the Metro-North tracks on Park Avenue, handing out meals in a city that had shuttered itself. As an organization, we didn't know what the consequences would be if we kept showing up. But we knew what would happen if we didn't.
The Vicious Cycle — How Homelessness Causes and Is Caused by Mental Illness
We like clean categories—stories that move neatly from cause to effect. But homelessness and mental illness defy that logic. This isn't a one-way street. It's a loop. A feedback cycle. A system that wears people down until even the strongest begin to break.
Unhoused, Not Unwell: Rethinking Mental Illness and Homelessness
"Steve" is smart, articulate, and kind. But years of surviving on the street had aged him well beyond his years. His beard, tattered clothes, and slouched shoulders reflected what his quiet voice confirmed—he was struggling.
The Beautiful Minds That Refuse to Look Away
As Autism Acceptance Month comes to a close, I want to do more than acknowledge the challenges autistic people face, I want to celebrate those who are leading the charge for justice.
The Power of Human Connection.
In a major city like NYC, it’s surprisingly easy to feel lonely. These days, it seems like connecting with others is difficult everywhere. In fact, studies show that 60% of Americans experience loneliness and isolation, and the problem is only getting worse. A 2018 study found that loneliness levels have been increasing over the past few decades.
Why Listening Matters…
As an advocate for homelessness, I wanted to share a powerful story that I recently came across in the New York Times. The article, written by Tracy Kidder, is about a doctor named Jim O'Connell, who has dedicated his life to caring for the homeless population in Boston. What makes his approach unique is his commitment to listening to the stories of the people he serves.
Letter from a Volunteer
Each week our eight outreaches are a space for our volunteers to draw close to God’s heart. To discover what the Gospel might mean outside of our usual comfortable lives. Tom D’Antonio volunteered with us towards the end of 2021 and took the time to write us this letter about his experience.
A Walk in the Dust
“Walk in the Dust” is a day during which someone on our staff walks in the footsteps of many of our outreach guests. Most recently, our Follow-Up Care Coordinator, Nelson Maldonado, had the opportunity to Walk in the Dust and he shared his experience with us.
Longing for Something More.
This month’s Street Story comes from on of our Follow Up Care Coordinators, Zach Winterowd. July was actually Zach’s last month with us as he and his wife Shayna move onto the next phase of their lives back in Texas. His time with us was spent talking with guests to make individualized next steps, or a plan that they can realistically achieve, and then walk alongside them for as long as they need. It might look like helping someone get an ID card to helping a couple get married. (true story!) Zach talks about one need he has seen in almost every person he’s spoken with: the need for human connection.
As the World Should Be.
I was nervous about serving with City Relief. Ten years ago, I spent my first week with this organization and fell in love with the neighborhoods of New York City and New Jersey, the ministry, and with the friends we had made on the streets. Every year I would countdown the weeks before I could return... but this year was different.
The Upside Down Kingdom at 7-Eleven
God’s Kingdom is backwards from the way our world works. “The first will be last” or “That you must die to live” are ideas so contrary to the way we live that we often easily forget. This week Chief Executive Officer, Josiah Haken, got a reminder, at 7-Eleven.
The Rolling Prophet
I called him the “Rolling Prophet.”
Carlito was in a wheelchair when I met him. He was an older man, frail and sick, but all smiles. He had a gray beard and sparkly eyes. He looked a little like Santa Claus if Father Christmas was paralyzed and had to go five rounds with chemotherapy. Carlito usually rolled up to us on his electric chair while we were setting up our weekly outreach in Harlem. He couldn’t help us physically, but he would always greet us with an encouraging word or a blessing from scripture.
It’s a Miracle!
I don’t know about you, but my definition of a “miracle” is quite lofty and nearly unattainable. There are only a few times I have truly experienced anything that I would slap a “miracle” sticker on with such a distinguished definition.
Helping Each Other Feel Less Alone
“Stop complaining. It can always be worse.”
"You’re not as bad off as the next guy.”
“Suck it up, you’re being too sensitive.”
These phrases take up space in our ear and lead us down a rugged, desolate road. Searching for respite from our solitude, we grasp onto them as truths, when they are simply a temporary band-aid.
What We Think About Homelessness Matters
I recently saw a news story about a technological innovation that someone developed in order to try to help folks living in the street of a big city on the West Coast. In it the news anchor said something to the effect of, “This device will help you give money to the homeless without the fear of them using it to buy drugs.” I’m sure the creator of this particular technology is well-intentioned and it’s completely possible that it will end up helping some people along the way, but I guarantee that it will not shift the narrative around homelessness in general.