Category: Blog

Sitting behind me in that photo is Sitting Bull.
He is one of the icons in history that helps guide my actions.
He prophesied the annihilation of Custer’s battalion at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
The secret to his prophecy was that he was able to unite tribes that never were able to see eye to eye before.

Over the course of the first half of 1876, Sitting Bull’s camp continually expanded, as natives joined him for safety in numbers. His leadership had attracted warriors and families, creating an extensive village estimated at more than 10,000 people.

That’s how they defeated Custer. Uniting is incredibly powerful.
Whether we know it or not, the poor stay poor because we divide them and demoralize them and generally look down on them.
If I’ve heard it one time I’ve heard it a hundred times: Panhandlers are scamming us. They drive luxury cars, wear designer clothes and live the easy life “pretending” to be needy.
You might as well say:

• Scantily clothed women are asking to be raped.
• There isn’t racism. Black people are just looking for a handout.
• Guns don’t kill. People kill.

All of these clever statements simplify and largely misdirect the issue at hand.
Every time one of these statements is uttered it is an artillery shell that explodes the core issue.

• Women are being raped.
• There is racism against blacks.
• Guns are used in murders.
• Poor people are poor.

But the simplistic statements do a great job of redirecting the conversation to some sort of politically charged fight.
It’s really brilliant when you think about it. People start arguing about whether or not the words are true and immediately forget the issue at hand.
If the conversation ever happens to get back to the main issue both sides will quickly agree they don’t know what the answer is. Or that the answer rests in someone else’s hands. We liberals often put all the weight on the government thereby conveniently avoiding actually helping the issue at hand.
I mean really: If you hate gun violence so much why don’t you raise money for gun locks instead of just whining on Facebook. And on the other side, if you love your guns so much why don’t you advocate with your fellow gun lovers to keep those things locked up.
DO SOMETHING!
All these fights do is make the subject of the fight want to shrink away and disappear.
Today the hashtag #MeToo is trending on Twitter.
It’s highlighting the sexual harassment of women.
It’s a big deal because women have felt like all this sexual harassment is just the way it is. Maybe they are being prude and wrong for not liking being groped and catcalled.
Finally they can come together on this topic.
Until now they lived with this reality alone and isolated. And it’s quite possible after all this dies down things will go back to the way they were and women will continue to be sexually harassed. It might even get worse because they chose to stand up for themselves. I guarantee some asshole guy is out there right now telling women they are just cry babies.
All of these bigoted kinds of thinking are powerful forces of disenfranchisement. The words and thoughts are easy to say. But the results are powerful and hugely destructive.
We constantly ask ourselves: when has charity gone from being useful to being enabling?
If we give the poor too much aren’t they going to just take the handout and do nothing?
That sentiment comes from people that have never had to take handouts before.
In the depression my grandfather refused to take free food or any other services offered. He was too proud to take a handout.
It’s an American pride that feels that way. You might even think highly of him for making that “noble” choice.
But in reality it made the life of his 3 daughters and wife incredibly stressful and hard. Food was rare. Life was brutal.
Another way of looking at his choice was that it was selfish. He couldn’t stand in a breadline for his family. He would rather they not have food.
It is incredibly difficult to always being on the receiving end of a handout. You feel terrible.
You feel worthless. You feel like you are just a parasite.
Mind you, almost every single person we deal with that is currently homeless had a career. They were hard workers. They were pulling their own.
I see people every single day come to us embarrassed and ashamed they have gotten to the point where they have to ask for a free tent.
We have to ask ourselves who we are. What is our moral compass? I ask this particularly of Christians. What does it mean to you to be a Christian? Is it just that you said the magic words to get into heaven? Or do the teachings of Jesus guide you?
I don’t care which answer you choose. I would just ask that you consciously decide what being a Christian means in your life.
For me being a Christian focuses on 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
I choose to focus on Love. (Please don’t tell me I’m wrong in how I choose to view Christianity. I seriously considered leaving this entire thought out just because of the controversy it’s sure to dig up. It’s what I believe. And that’s that. I just felt it important to say this so you can get a sense of my core motivations.)
I am not concerned about “indulging” the poor. Am I enabling them? I guess actually I am. I’m enabling them to get some stability and safety in their lives. Our food pantry gives them food to eat every day. Our tarps keep them dry in the rain. Our shower keeps them clean. Our laundry washes their clothes.
And those items together create an even more indulgent enabler. Because it is a self-run facility they ALL have to contribute to the community. This makes them useful and valuable which then leads to a purpose-driven life which creates dignity.
Could it be possible that we make it so comfortable in our tent city that someone chooses to live out the rest of their days with us? If they continue to contribute to the community and continue to move forward in their personal lives, which are both requirements to stay with us, then I guess the answer is yes.
Ask me in 5 years if people love their year round tent living in Northeast Ohio so much they just never leave.
My focus on love leaves no space in my mind and heart about whether or not our tent village is “enabling” people. That’s not my concern.
All I know is that there are people living like animals in the woods. They don’t live there because they want to live that way. They live there because they have nowhere else to go. That’s my only concern. I want to fix that.
We are so far away from helping the poorest of the poor in America we really don’t need to spend any mental and emotional hand-wringing energy wondering if we’re giving them too much. We are nowhere near the point of having that conversation.
Would you consider donating $1 to help support our tent community? $1 makes a HUGE difference for us. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.
 

There is a guy that comes by dressed in slacks and a tucked in button down. He drives a tan sedan.
If ever there was a more stereotypical looking city “authority” I haven’t seen it.
He never talks to us. He just stands outside taking pictures.
He likes to come on trash day. We have a lot of trash out on the side of the street to be picked up that day. As the cold approaches our camp continues to be inundated with people desperate to get out of the woods. The trash that people normally throw on public lands where they hide their camps is now at our facility. We need more trash service.
Our porta potties are used so often they are filled to the maximum capacity. It’s difficult to even walk by them the stench is so strong. We need more porta potty service.
He also takes pictures of the playground across the street. A make-shift playground was created by a local civic group. It’s meant for kids. But the homeless use it more. There is an A-frame structure built on a wooden platform. People have now taken to using it as a structure for spending the night. I imagine he blames that use on us.
No one in city hall will come by to take a tour. I once begged the head of zoning to come by. His response was, “If your variance goes forward we my have to come out.” I suspect they prefer to dole out their judgement behind a desk dressed in a suit.
Only fire, EMS and police come by. They support us. They know what it’s truly like on the streets.
I feel like a case is being made against us by city hall.
They are going to put a case together to tell the public and city council why what we are doing is such a bad idea.
They are intellectuals. I’m sure their case will be thorough and compelling.
There is just one hole in their argument: Homeless people exist.
Homeless people live in our woods.
Homeless people live in doorways.
Homeless people live in dumpsters.
Homeless people live in garages and sheds.
Homeless people live all over our city.
They scavenge and hide like raccoons. Afraid of people. Afraid they are going to be seen and kicked off the spot they currently live on.
Every time they are kicked off of where they exist everything other than bare minimum survival comes to a crashing halt.
Forget about working on mental health issues.
Forget about working on addiction issues.
Forget about trying not to beat up your “old lady.”
Forget about leaving your “old man” even though he beats you daily.
It all stops. You now have to go find a new place to hide from the authorities while also trying to not run into another group of homeless people that want to hurt you and steal your stuff.
You don’t want homeless people to live in my backyard? Fine! Give me a building that the fire inspectors will consider safe and the building department will consider deemed OK for living.
I have a building right now I could move people into. But I can’t. I can’t move them inside, no matter how much they beg and how cold it gets. It’s not approved for people to live in.
Please make no mistake. I don’t want people to live in tents. I just can’t move them into the building I already own because I’m being watched so carefully. They would shut us down instantly.
The fire inspector saw one mattress in our building once. They said, and I have the written document if you don’t believe me: “All people must immediately discontinue the use of our building for sleeping over night.
So I play by the rules the rule makers have given me. People live in tents in our secluded back yard. The Fire Chief himself came and saw it and said he saw absolutely no fire issues whatsoever.
A tent community is what can be done.
A man came to us yesterday from spending a night in another shelter. He said to the director of that shelter that he would prefer to not to go to chapel before each meal and before bed. It didn’t adhere to his personal spiritual beliefs. The director said to him: “Then this program is not for you.”
Perhaps it’s fair to ask people to give up their relationship with God in order to get a meal and a place to sleep. But some people are stubborn and find their religious values important to their existence.
So those people come to us.
The shelters for women are often full this time of year. So they come to us.
People have been kicked out of other shelters. So they come to us.
People that work nights can’t get into those shelters because the doors close during their shift. So they come to us.
People that have serious mental health issues and can’t manage in a strict environment live alone in the woods. So they come to us.
We are not making up this need that we fill.
There is no other solution for these people.
We refuse to turn the other way as people rot in the woods with no support.
We will not stand by looking the other way as American citizens are forgotten and ignored.
We will take a stand for them.
We will be their voice.
We will take sides.
We side with the poor and weak and the wretched.
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
We stand to save you.
 

I’ve always been a terrible sales person in business. I’m pretty much a “take or leave it” kind-of-guy. I don’t know if you should buy what I’m selling or not. The variables are honestly too great.
But I have no problem, like ZERO, selling you on giving the homeless at The Homeless Charity and Second Chance Village $1.
Here are 101 reasons why you should donate a single solitary dollar to our homeless mission RIGHT NOW.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 

1. We are giving them so little. A tent on some pallets. But they are SO grateful.
2. We are taking single women out of the woods where they often are abused and giving them a safe environment.
3. We have porta potties so you don’t have humans shitting and pissing all over your city. (sorry for the graphic language there. I just don’t want to paint a picture that is anything other than it really is.)
4. We have trash service. A person living in the woods has no choice but to throw their trash all around public land. That looks gross and is costly to pick up.
5. We have computers so they can fill out job applications.
6. We keep these folks in one place so their mental health professionals can come and work with them.
7. Community Support Services REGULARLY comes here to work with our people to get them into housing. They are much harder to find in the woods.
8. We have a food pantry provided by individual donors and the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank. So they can get good, healthy food every day.
9. We have sinks and hand sanitizer to help keep various illnesses like the flu and Hepatitis A away. (Hep A is making it’s way all across America killing homeless people because of poor hygiene.)
10. We have Internet access so people can contact their families and loved ones.
11. We have charging stations so they can charge their phones. (This is a ridiculously hard thing to do as a homeless person, btw.)
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
12. We have showers so you can take a shower whenever you want, whether you live with us or not.
13. We have laundry facilities so any homeless person can wash their clothes whenever they want.
14. We have the support of schools like Hoban and Walsh that bring food weekly and volunteer regularly.
15. The Fire Chief of Akron, Clarence Tucker, came by our facility and publicly said that he supports what we are doing. Here’s a picture of him and me.
    
16. We had a communicable disease nurse from the County Health Inspectors Office come by to talk to us about the importance of using hand sanitizer especially as Hepatitis A is sweeping the homeless communities of America.
17. The health inspectors of Summit County come by regularly to make sure we are keeping our facility clean and in order.
18. While we still have issues we’re fixing with our Fire Inspections, the actual tent city is free and clear of any fire risks.
19.  As winter is getting near we are hitting a maximum of 50 people that want to live in tents in Northeast Ohio. That should tell you the desperate situation of our homeless population, when tents are sought after in winter.
20. All other shelters are now booked, as of the beginning of October. The best you can hope for is a mat when they open their facilities below a certain temperature. (for some it’s freezing. For others its zero.) It will likely be like this until April.
21. When you live alone in the woods you are at the VERY bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. There is no why in that hell that you can even begin to think about working on your addiction issues or mental health issues.
    
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
22. You are part of a community here. You instantly matter.
23. You are required to be moving forward in your life when you are with us. We are not a warehouse. You come here when you are ready to move forward.
24. We kick people out regularly because we aren’t just a warehouse. We have a waiting list of people that want to be part of what we’re doing. If you are stagnant or slipping backwards you aren’t ready for us.
25. We don’t judge people that get pushed out. It’s a tough love situation. We totally get that you might not be ready to work on your addiction or mental health. You just can’t stay here.
26. Our community is one of the key secret ingredients to why we are different. Our community is critical to our success. We protect the community very carefully. People that come to us need to know that people have their back.
27. Another key to our success is that we are homeless run. This isn’t some sort of construct forced on the homeless. They are creating it.
28. Every job and position is run by a resident. This is to remind them that they are definitely of value.
29. They elect their own Tri-Council in a democratic election. The tri-council then advocates for their needs with our security (also homeless) and our director (Paul Hays, a person who lived 7 years alone in the woods).
30. Our vision is to actually become a role model for the rest of society. We want to show you how a community can function, how we can grow our own food, run off of solar power and recycle everything. We aren’t there yet. But that is definitely where we are headed.
31. Everyone must either pay $35/week to stay with us or volunteer an hour a day. (most people have no money. So they volunteer.)
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
32. Our work coordinator, Herman, has everyone come and sign in every morning to get their daily chore. He’s, of course, homeless.
33. We focus on a meritocracy model. There are clear paths where you can move up in our community. We have staff positions and security positions.
34. I forgot to mention that we are strongly supported by the Peter Maurin Center. They pay for our porta-potties, trash service and occasional dumpster. I don’t know where we’d be without them.
35. I find that MANY people want to help the homeless. But they often don’t know how best to help. We have a facility where they can cook for these people, volunteer and bring donations. This is an important outlet for people that want to be part of doing good in their community.
36. This center gives us a platform to talk with the community about homelessness. When people are buried in the woods they are very easy to forget about. They still exist, however.
37. We have a small library where people can take books whenever they want them.
38. We distribute sleeping bags and tents to people that aren’t ready to come out of the woods, again, thanks to the Peter Maurin Center.
39. We are starting to have church services on  Sunday for people that want to work on their spirituality.
40. We are starting to have AA meetings on site for people that want to work on their addiction.
41. If you are ready to quit drinking or doing drugs there is a place you can go to live where there are like-minded individuals.
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
42. The cost of running a tent community is incredibly affordable.
43. We are entirely privately funded. No government funding is used for our facility.
44. We are not coddling people. We are only for people that want to help themselves.
45. We give humans a platform where they matter again. The homeless often feel useless and just a drain on society.
46. We often give shoes to people that actually come to us barefoot.
47. We are near other homeless services so they can get to a meal every day of the week.
48. Mental health facilities are within 2 miles. That’s a very walkable distance for these folks.
49. We are seeing more and more businesses come to us to get day workers. Most of these people are desperate to work.
50. You can bring your pets with you.
51. You can come and stay as a couple with us.
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
52. You are treated like an adult.
53. There is no curfew, so you can work any shift you want.
54. Your religion is your private choice. We don’t force ANY religious activities on anyone.
55. You can wear any clothes you want. You aren’t told what to wear.
56. Homelessness is treated as a crime in America. These people truly have nowhere else to go. They are constantly being kicked around like animals.
57. We help people get their IDs.
58. We help people get food cards.
59. We help people get into detox.
60. We help people get into rehab.
61. We have a minivan that was donated. So we often take people to their appointments.
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
62. Our minivan is used as a lure to entice people to get their license so they can drive the minivan.
63. We have an ever increasing support from churches to help with our cause.
64. We help keep the homeless from downtown which is something the city would like to see more of.
65. We are located on a very private plot of land that is quite hidden. So people don’t have to see the homeless living in boxes on the street.
66. A tent on a secure, stable, private piece of land is WAY better than living in a doorway on a main thoroughfare.
67. We have saved a person’s life who was overdosing at our facility. The community is what saved his life.
68. We offer a place of work for a mom to come and bring her son. She mostly is a volunteer. But we pay her rent.
69. We are starting to work with the residents of the apartment building next to us. They are seniors. So we are starting to work on a grocery pickup and general outreach program to help them.
70. We regularly see people moving from our facility into housing.
71. We have residents who credit our facility with helping them quit drugs and alcohol.
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
72. Thanks to a $120,000 advertising grant Google has given us we have become a national resource center for homeless and homeless advocates all over America.
73. What we are doing is largely met by the community as a good, common sense approach to helping the homeless.
74. Someone needs to do something. Letting people fester on the streets and in the woods is not acceptable no matter how Libertarian you may be. It hurts the entire community to have sick (mentally and physically) people wandering around with no place to sleep.
75. People come to us scared, alone and having lost faith in humanity and their very existence. We are a beacon of hope and stability. They will tell you over and over again that they thank God that we are here.
76. We’re offering a variety of classes to teach people new skills.
77. We have people that don’t want to come in from out of the woods that use us for food and clothes and tarps and blankets.
78. We aren’t afraid to push people out if they aren’t ready for our program. This is critically important to the stability of our community.
79. We require people to attend 3 group meetings a week, unless they have work or another meeting. This keeps them connected to the community and helps develop personal responsibility.
80. People are required to clean up after themselves and their pets. This is also intentional. We are slowly moving people back from being completely isolated to remembering the habits required to be part of a community and team.
81. We try not to push too hard or too fast. But we do push. You aren’t at our facility to just lay around all day.
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
82. We always welcome people back into our community if they’ve been kicked out (other than selling drugs and violent behavior). Getting kicked out isn’t a judgement. It’s just a cause and effect.
83. All people are involved in making our facility better. Cleaning, painting, organizing, running electric (with the oversight of a certified electrician), running plumbing, snaking out drains.
84. We are VERY thankful and supportive of other homeless agencies. We are not trying to take over any other agency’s work. We are just filling the holes that currently exist in the homeless community.
85. I just heard a resident respond to the question: “What are doing here?” Her response, “I’m doing volunteer shit. I’m doing good people shit.” Sorry for the profanity. But the point is: people feel like they are doing good work by being part of our community.
86. Being part of Second Chance Village reminds people that there is value being part of society. Society isn’t a completely negative entity, which is often what they feel like when they first come here.
87. Our security monitors drug houses all around our facility. We know who the drug dealers are. We work with police to shut them down.
88. People come to us having not showered in 2 or 3 weeks. They haven’t changed their clothes in months. They haven’t eaten in days. We fix those issues immediately.
89. Mental health issues are a major roadblock for these people. We spend a lot of time and energy getting people to see their mental health professionals.
90. We work with families who have people staying with us. We help them communicate and work together to find help for their loved one.
91. We give people stability so they can work on their issues so they can see their kids again. We think about 60% of the people that stay with us have kids they aren’t allowed to see.
    1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 
92. We have an open door policy with the police. They are welcome here any time of the day or night. That’s true with any city service.
93. We give people ideas on how they can come up with entrepreneurial initiatives. The homeless are often ideal candidates for entrepreneurship.
94. We have a partner that sends us harmonicas. We are working on helping some people learn how to place them. This is a possible income opportunity and a self-esteem opportunity.
95. Eric, pictured here is turning his life around. He now has a job at McDonald’s, is starting manager training and LOVES working with people here to help them move forward in their lives. He’s working with local ministers to start a Sunday service. People regularly tell him how thankful they are for his love and dedication to them. He’s amazing!
    
96. We give people important roles in the community like intake of new residents, running the pantry, running the Second Chance Store. This not only is critical for our operation to run but it gives them value in their existence in their lives.
97. Selfishly speaking, I was feeling a deep hole in my heart with the traditional business work I was doing. I’m immensely grateful for the purpose this project has given to me.
98. This kind of program is ideal for a rust belt city with a lot of empty land in low rent areas of their town. We can test innovative solutions easily and quickly in these spaces that could then go on to be implemented in more expensive communities across America.
99. If the City of Akron allows us to continue this work they will be known as one of the very few innovative cities that care about the homeless and don’t just ignore the poorest of the poor rotting on their streets.
100. For #100 you should know that we can get 100 pounds of food for $1 at the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank.
101. We ask for nothing from the city other than to let us continue our work on the private property we own. Nothing is happening on public land or anyone else’s land.
     1. CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 

 
“IF NOT YOU THEN WHO” is the mantra of my life. I have resources. I have male white privilege. I have tired of making money. I have energy. I have enthusiasm. — I’m not telling you this to tell you how great I am. Trust me my self loathing knows no bounds.
If YOU don’t donate a dollar then who will? Please don’t look around waiting for someone else to donate the $1 we need from YOU.
There is very little downside to donating a $1 to us. It goes to clothes, food, tents, tarps, blankets and resources to help the homeless get back on their feet and become a valuable part of society. Your dollar gives them that opportunity.
And no matter what the news and politicians tell you, the homeless DO want to get back on their feet. They HATE being a drain on society. It’s humiliating and embarrassing. It just makes their addictions and mental health issues worse.
Give us a dollar so they can have the platform to once again become a valuable part of society.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE YOUR $1. 

You should know that I see the homeless issue as a civil rights issue.
Cities across America just want the homeless to disappear.
A nonprofit builds a shelter. Some churches serve some food. And they consider the problem solved.
Yet I can tell you first hand that just here in Akron all the women’s shelters are filled. We now have 25 tents and 36 people in our Second Chance Village just for a chance for a little stability and security. Case workers bring people here literally crying in hopes of getting a tent.
People have to beg us for a spot for a tent IN AMERICA! We are now so over filled that we have no choice other than to stop letting people in.
We have seen such a need that we are also out of tents and sleeping bags to give to people to send them back into the woods. People live in the woods in Akron right now with zero shelter. No coats. No tarps. Nothing. This exists right now in your city.
This is not justice. This is not acceptable. Something must be done other than talking and pontificating.
The homeless situation is an epidemic. We have home-grown refugees everywhere in America. And local government officials look the other way.
Local governments are quick to tell you the problem is difficult. But any solution you may come up with is totally unworkable.
I will not allow American government to turn away from looking the homeless in the face. We have no choice but to deal with the homeless.
Nor are we anywhere near the high water mark of homelessness in America. The middle class will continue to shrink which will cause more people to fall out the bottom as homeless.
I repeatedly hear city officials say almost the exact same sentence. It’s like they memorized a political talking point.
“Let’s be honest, no one wants to live next to homeless people.”
This sentence represents a tone deaf understanding of every single civil rights fight we’ve ever gone through in this country.
“Let’s be honest, no one wants to live next to:

• Native Americans
• Blacks
• Chinese
• Irish
• Mexicans
• Gays

We have all learned the glaring, obvious bigotry of those statements.
Every person deserves respect. Every person deserves dignity. We all have the same makeup that makes us human. We crave acceptance. It crushes the human soul to be told by the masses, and particularly those in power, that some of us are less than the rest of us.
It cannot be acceptable to say to ANY human: “Let’s be honest, no one wants to live next to you.”
Yet I hear those words from city officials. History repeats itself. Governments fail to learn.
This is because institutions of all kinds require the status quo. Everything must remain the same at all costs.
As soon as change creeps into the institution it jeopardizes the institution. The machine feels threatened.
Let me be clear. I am no anarchist. I am not coming to destroy the machine.
I am merely here to give the machine a tune up.
I am here to remind the machine that it does not run the people. It runs FOR the people. And like it or not. Whether or not they pay taxes. Whether or not they dress the way the machine feels comfortable. The homeless are part of the people for which the machine exists.
I will not allow the machine to ignore the homeless any longer.
I will tell you that my instinct is that the machine, the officials of the government, find our Second Chance Village uncomfortable and troublesome. 
They don’t know what the answer is. But they are pretty sure the one answer we have offered is not the correct answer. So the can gets kicked down the road forever until a change is forced upon it.
That change is happening now. We are the change. We will not allow the cities of America to kick the homeless down the road, over the ravine into the woods as if they are some sort of unwanted animal.
Here is what is going to happen now with our Second Chance Village.
The city will make a recommendation as to whether or not we should be allowed to exist. The recommendation then goes to the building department who then also makes a recommendation as to whether or not we should be allowed to exist.
The final decision will then rest in the hands of City Council.
Just as government did in the sentencing of Jesus they will wash their hands of this troublesome issue and let the fate rest in the hands of others.
The good news is that City Council is made up of many wonderful people. 
As I tell you this story further I will tell you of some of the amazing people in city council that have already passionately expressed great support for our Second Chance Village.
While you didn’t vote for anyone in the city infrastructure other than the mayor, you did vote for City Council. And I’m quite happy to let you know that you chose well. By and large they are thoughtful, kind dedicated people. They understand the needs of the city.
I firmly believe that our fate resting in the hands of City Council is a great opportunity for us. I believe it is actually the best position we can be in.
But we absolutely must let city council know that keeping Second Chance Village alive is critical. Something must be done to help the poorest of the poor in America. We cannot allow ourselves to look the other way any more.
Classism is the civil right issue of our time. The amount of money you have cannot be a factor in determining your worth as a human.
And let me be clear. We are asking NOTHING of the city other than to be allowed to exist. I will continue to pay my $4,196.39 in taxes on the building every 6 months. I don’t want a tax break from the city to help them solve their homeless issue. They can give those tax breaks to the super large corporations that exist in their city.
We just want to be allowed to exist in a very poor part of Akron on private property. That’s all we ask. We just want to be left alone.
But the only way we are going to be allowed to exist is through the approval of Akron City Council.
This is what I ask of my fellow citizens of Akron:
If you believe:

• the homeless that are living on $0/day in the woods deserve a small piece of security and stability so they can work on their mental health and addiction issues PLEASE LET YOUR COUNCIL PERSON KNOW.
• the homeless outbreak of Hepatitis A that started in San Diego and is now just next door in Detroit that can be mitigated by hand washing and sanitizer that we provide and is impossible to work on in the woods PLEASE LET YOUR COUNCIL PERSON KNOW.
• women that can’t get into a shelter because they are filled deserve more security than living alone in the woods PLEASE LET YOUR COUNCIL PERSON KNOW.
• people need a place to take a shower and wash their clothes which we provide PLEASE LET YOUR COUNCIL PERSON KNOW.
• people with mental health and addiction issues need support people that can find them easily in one place to help them get treatment PLEASE LET YOUR COUNCIL PERSON KNOW.
• America can do better for it’s most weak and in need than ignoring them and letting them fester in the woods PLEASE LET YOUR COUNCIL PERSON KNOW.

Please help your council person understand that ignoring the homeless is hurting the entire structure of society and going against everything it means to be an American. I truly believe they will fully understand and support this cause if they know about it. I believe in Akron City Council.
We are a homeless run facility that doesn’t give handouts. We give the homeless a second chance to help themselves.
Please tell your council person to go to:

SaveSecondChanceVillage.com

If you don’t know who your Akron City Council person is you can find it here: Find My Ward
Below is a list of all the Akron City Council’s contact information: (you can also click on that image. A larger version will appear and you can print it.)
Please. I truly am begging you. City Council will listen to you. Let them know you support Second Chance Village. Thank you.
You can learn more about Second Chance Village by clicking here.
If you have any questions or would like to get a personal tour by me, Sage Lewis, call me at: 330-416-7519. Seeing what the homeless are doing for themselves will blow your mind. They are amazing people that just need a place to regroup so they can move on to the next part of their lives.

I was asked to speak on a panel last night for the group: Big Love Network. They are hosting a series called: “Love on Akron.”
The topic of discussion was: “Design of Displacement.”
We talked about the effect of people being displaced in Akron, America and the world.
My line of thinking is always with American homeless. I suspect that’s maybe why they asked me to participate in this.
I work with the poorest of the poor. Most people I work with live on $0/day. These are the most extreme poverty situations in the world. There are countless people experiencing that level of poverty in Akron.
This kind of person can’t afford to take the bus. They can’t afford to by a hot dog.
They steal lunch meat because they are starving.
This last point is strange to me. Even if you can’t find a place at a shelter and you have to sleep in the woods you should still be able to get food every day of the week. Especially in Akron.
Akron has a really good network of dinners and food distribution. (We are new members of the Akron Canton Food bank. We’re starting to distribute food now as well.)
So, the question arises: Why are people still starving in Akron?
The answer is displacement.
If you ever see a tent on any public land all you have to do is make one call to the city and they will be right over to kick the people off that land.
And of course private property owners can do the same any time they want.
We are creating our own refugees. We are constantly displacing people in America.
Camps are ALWAYS being raided and shut down. People lose everything in these raids.
I have never heard anyone discuss the consequences of these raids and camp shutdowns. So let me tell you my observations.
When a group of people get pushed out of a camp it makes them poorer. You would think that a person that makes $0/day couldn’t get any poorer. But I assure you they can.
They lose connections to people they trust. Now they have to start building relationships all over again. This is incredibly risky. You can’t tell a dangerous person just by looking at them. You have to live with them for a while to understand what kind of person they are.
They lose connections to services and organizations that would help them. A restaurant might give them free drinks and food. A church might give them clothes and blankets. A grocery store might give them hygiene items.
All those built up connections are now gone. They have to find a new place to build up those connections all over again.
And then there’s the family. I get panicked calls and emails all the time from people desperately looked for homeless loved ones. They have just disappeared. No one has seem them.
No matter what you think of the homeless, it doesn’t matter. This displacement hurts all of us.
I guarantee if you are hungry enough you will steal. It’s life or death at that point. So theft goes up.
Prostitution goes up to raise money. Drug sales go up to raise money.
You need money now because you have to pay for food until you figure out your new support network in your new camp.  That’s why you have no choice but to turn to crime.
The lack of stability increases mental health issues. The lack of stability increases alcohol and drug use.
Everything gets worse.
The point of this article is to simply point out that there are actual consequences of shutting down these camps.
Thinking there is no cause and effect is naive and dangerous. We all get hurt by this displacement.
I just ask the cities of America to think about these consequences every time they shut down a camp. Ask yourself which is worse: a secluded camp on public land or all the residual effects that come with displacing these people.

All I can say is: I was BLOWN away by the extensive coverage Akron Beacon Journal gave to us this past week.
They spent hours and hours and days and days with us to understand who we are and what we are trying to accomplish.
I often hear people say the news only talks about negative things. This is an example where the opposite is true.
Writer, Doug Livingston, and photographer, Phil Masturzo, are the creators of this extensive series. It included 4 front page stories, several videos and countless photos.
And then the editorial board followed up with a piece as well.
I wanted to put all the articles in one place so they are easily accessed.
I also wanted to show some images of the newspaper coverage.
We are so truly grateful for your effort here. The homeless situation is only going to get worse in America as the middle class continues to disappear. We all must think creatively and innovatively on how to manage our increasing homelessness.
Here are the links:
Vagrants are gathering in Middlebury to solve homelessness
Where do Akron’s homeless live? Learn all about Second Chance Village, Akron’s new tent city
Former Kentucky resident finds herself homeless, pregnant in AkronAkron’s homeless build new lives at Second Chance Village
Photos: The Homeless Charity
Photos: Tent city here to stay
How to help Second Chance Village
How to help Second Chance Village
For now, Akron’s largest and unlawful tent city is here to stay
Skribblez the clown panhandles his way to home ownership
Words of panhandling wisdom by Skribblez the Clown
Beacon Journal editorial board: Homeless address homelessness

This is an interview I did with Akron Office Space, LLC.
Thank you for meeting with me!
 

 

If you’ve found us because of the coverage from the Akron Beacon Journal, thank you SO much for taking the time to learn about us further.
We are a quickly evolving and growing organization. So there are many things I want you to know about us.
But if I only had a few sentences to explain to you what I feel makes us so special and unique in America, this is what I would say to you…
First, the reason I am so unabashedly proud and impressed with our organization is because I have so little to do with it. We are 100% run by the homeless. Our director, Paul Hays, comes to us after spending years in the woods. Our security, operations, maintenance and Democratically elected tri-council are all homeless.
I’m the executive director. But when it comes to the operations of the facility my voice has no special weight. I just share my opinion like everyone else.
Second, we are secular. Many of us have a spiritual relationship. But it is for each of us to pursue on our own. Many people have talked to me about the time they spent alone in their tent talking to God. I truly feel like our center is one of the most sacred and spiritual places I’ve ever been. While we love and greatly appreciate our religious partners we are not founded in religion. We are founded in loving fellow humans. I personally believe it’s as close to Jesus as I’ve ever been.
Finally, our mission is two fold. The obvious mission is to help the homeless take the next step in their lives. But the less obvious mission, yet equally as important, is to begin to build a connection to the homeless and the homed. We love having visitors. You are always welcome to come visit us.
If you’d like a tour message me at sage@thehomelesscharity.org or call me at 330-416-7519. Otherwise, you are welcome to come visit us between 9-5 Monday through Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday.
We have the Second Chance Store that is totally run and operated by the homeless.
We are just now getting connected to the Food Bank. So our homeless residents will begin distributing food to the needy in our community.
We are growing some beautiful tomatoes and peppers in our raised bed gardens.
And we’re furiously working on our emergency shelter for the winter.
We’d also love to show you around Second Chance Village. The people that live there are incredibly proud of what they have created and the community they are developing.
If you’ve never spent much time with the homeless you might find it exciting, interesting and even fun. I can assure you that you’ll be safe and you’ll definitely be welcome. Your whole family is welcome. We love to have kids visit us.
If you aren’t quite ready to come visit us then we’d like to invite you to our private members-only portal. You get the inside scoop of what it happening with us. The good and the bad. It only costs $1. CLICK HERE TO CHECK THAT OUT.
Thank you once again. You believing in the idea that the homeless deserve attention and help makes a much bigger difference than you might think. Public support of our cause is going to be a major part of whether or not we will continue to exist for the long term.
That’s why we ask for just $1. It doesn’t hurt to give us $1. But as the numbers grow we can show the city of Akron that people care about the homeless and want something to be done about the homeless cause. CLICK HERE TO CHECK THAT OUT.
Doing nothing for the homeless is dragging our entire community down. You just believing in our cause will help us allow the homeless to help themselves to figure out the next step in their lives.

We are working on going through our fire inspection.
One of the items we need is a Certificate of Occupancy.
We have the previous owner’s certificates.
You can see them here:
15 Broad St Suite 103 042605.doc
15 Broad St 042505.doc
I was referred by the city of Akron to Summit County Building Standards.
They told me to talk with:
Gina Oakes
Examiner
E-mail: goakes@summitoh.net
Telephone: (330) 630-7077
Fax: (330) 630-7296
She then referred me to
Mark Shenot
Chief Building Official
E-mail: mshenot@summitoh.net
Telephone: (330) 630-7287
Fax: (330) 630-7296
Mobile Phone Number: (330) 631-3411
He said that I would need to get an architect to do a building evaluation.
This is where things get a little tricky.
The words: “architect, building, evaluation” sound expensive.
I’m not certain how much that might be. But perhaps we could make some sort of arrangement.
Some things we could offer you include:

• Our adoring love and appreciation. (Seriously, helping the homeless is SUPER sexy right now. Your cool points would go WAY up in the community.)
• The knowledge that you are saving the homeless from an impending winter without any place to go.
• A trade for digital marketing and Web development work (I happen to be pretty handy in those areas.)
• Online advertising on the world’s most popular search engine. (I’m not allowed to mention their name. But they give us advertising money to spend as a 501(c)3 that helps the homeless. Like A LOT of money.)
• Or something else of your choosing.

We do have some money. But money isn’t our strong suit right at the moment.
Mark Shenot said that the top floor shouldn’t be too difficult. It is just standard offices.
But the lower level, where we have our homeless drop in center (no one lives in there), laundry, pantry, etc has never had a certificate of occupancy before.
So that’s where you come in. We need a building evaluation by an architect to tell the county if what we are doing is acceptable.
There you have it.
If you are an architect or happen to know an architect and helping the homeless get out of the woods, get off drugs and alcohol and being part of one the most innovative homeless programs in the country interest you PLEASE contact me.
You can call me on my cell: 330-416-7519
Or you can email me: sage@thehomelesscharity.org
Thank you SO SO much!!!

People don’t admit that statement to me anymore. It’s probably because they don’t want to be insensitive. Or maybe they’re afraid they’ll get an earful of what I believe.
People rarely express their feelings about panhandling to me anymore where it was once a common area of frustration I heard about.
But I see it repeated all the time in comments on articles about homelessness or on Reddit.
“The homeless are homeless because they want to be homeless.”
I think I understand where that is coming from.

• “They got themselves in this situation.”
• “They don’t want help.”
• “It’s their fault they are homeless.”

In some circumstances I can sort of agree with that.
They became addicted to drugs. They became alcoholics. They became criminals and are now felons.
But if we choose to play that game we can start to look at ourselves.
We ate too much bad food and developed heart disease. We didn’t exercise enough and suffered a heart attack. We smoked too much and developed lung disease.
I mean aren’t YOU eating too much gluten? That’s probably why you don’t feel well.
How many of us are totally innocent of creating our own circumstances?
But the truth of homelessness is actually not what we all want to admit.
Most people become homeless because they are poor and there isn’t enough affordable housing.
“Insufficient income and lack of affordable housing are the leading causes of homelessness,” reports The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
But then the plot thickens.
For women, the number 1 reason they are homeless is because of domestic violence.
Woman are getting beat up at home and feel like they need to leave to protect themselves and their kids.
I guess you could say that was their fault for picking the wrong man.
People don’t typically become homeless because of just one reason. It’s usually a variety of circumstances.

• SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) estimates that 38% of people who are homeless are alcohol dependent,
• 26% abuse other substances
• Youth who have had to spend time in the foster care system are more likely to experience homelessness as adults (endhomelessness.org).
• We know that 35 percent to 45 percent of all homeless people suffer from some kind of mental illness.

According to the most recent annual survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, major cities across the country report that top causes of homelessness among families were:

1. lack of affordable housing
2. unemployment
3. poverty
4. low wages (In this order)

We, as humans, have a desire to simplify complicated issues. Whether it’s the environment, drugs, wars, poverty or homelessness most of us have quick fix solutions to incredibly complicated issues.
I find it interesting that the quick fix solutions very often never involve changing the behaviors of the person advocating the quick fix.
But with homelessness I’m not actually suggesting you make any changes… except for one.
All I’m asking is that you open your mind to the possibility that a person is homeless for many reasons. 
Please try to stop pushing out messaging that the homeless are just a bunch of drunk, addicted, lazy criminals that don’t want to work and get a home.
Whether you know it or not you are influencing people around you with that message. People trust you and believe your words.
You are helping push a message out that is easy for people to grab onto and believe. In doing so the problem of homelessness becomes all that much more difficult.
When talking about homelessness, if you don’t want to advocate for any of the facts and stats above please just simply say something like: “It’s complicated. People are homeless for a lot of reasons.”
That’s the truth.