It’s a Miracle!
“This is an absolute miracle!”
“Thank you for this miracle!”
“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.
This isn’t because I don’t believe in miracles - I fully do - but more so for the fact that outside of a few “wants” - like I want a brand new car, instead of my 21 year old one, and I want to buy a house vs continuing to rent, I really have everything I need. Thus, the simple and daily miracles are often missed simply due to the fact that there are very few (or probably nothing) that I need and cannot obtain within myself, my resources, or the resources of the amazing network of support I have around me at any given time. I know that between the family support or friend network that I have been afforded in my life, if I were in a bind, there are countless people that I could go to and have my basic needs provided for. So, knowing these facts about my own life has caused me to take a moment of pause as I have heard these phrases exclaimed around us at New York City Relief outreaches during the past few months - AND it had nothing to do with the subjects or resources that I would expect to be the most “miraculous” to an unhoused or homeless population of people. So then, what has caused these sudden interjections from our guests as of recently? Phones. Simple, non-smart, unassuming, flip phones. However, a better name, and one that truly absorbs the significance for our friends who have no other options, would be ‘lifeline’. A lifeline defined is: a thing on which someone depends or which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation. THIS! This begins to describe the significance that a phone provides someone on the streets of NYC, Newark, and Paterson in the reality of these Covid times. Everything became more difficult when Covid hit, for all of us, but especially for those we serve, life became crippling.
The majority of services either closed completely or drastically limited service times. Lines stretched from block to block. “Call for service times” or “No in-person service” became the norm to be pasted on locked resource doors. Despite being understandable, what do you do when your only option to stay in touch with your doctor, check in with your family, or contact employment leads is through a phone call and you don’t have a phone? The miracles begin. Through a beautiful partnership with T-Mobile, we have had the opportunity to extend this lifeline to our guests for the past 3 months! During this time period we have provided over 250 lines with unlimited calls and text messages and the results have indeed been truly ‘miraculous’! Assistant Outreach Director, Lauren Lee, shared a video via social media recently of a man named Anthony that was able to use his phone to get in contact with his family after 18 years(!!!) - and now he’s taking classes to gain employment! “Ya’ll saved me.”
Last Friday while at Newark Penn Station, another gentleman approached me with the most genuine expression of gratitude for his phone. I asked him what the main resource he has been using it for and he simply said, “Everything”. From nothing to everything. Last week we received 1372 pages of records from last month's calls! Over 1300 pages filled with the resources, family, and emergency services that have been utilized because we were able to empower our guests to move forward and live - vs. simply existing. Some of the numbers that stood out to me were numerous calls to 311 (NYC’s helpline for resources and services), NYC Well (a free mental health hotline for NYC residents), and even calls to 911. Because of these miraculous lifelines, we have had the opportunity to reconnect guests to their caseworkers, provide prayer hotlines, and keep in touch with new guests each week via our Follow-Up Care Team. It has been absolutely beautiful to experience… and some would even go as far as to call it a miracle.
