I am not spooky, but sometimes I have to admit there is something that takes the madness of our lives and creates miracles. Both times meeting Paul is one of those miracle moments.
This week driving into Albuquerque in the early morning hours it really hit me. You see, if a normal, logical mind looks at how Paul and I first met that mind would say it was an accident. But was it?
I was honored to be asked by 100,000 Homes Campaign [[ Ссылка ]] to join them on their Albuquerque Boot Camp and registry week. I love what 100,000 Homes is doing so I felt it very important that the @home documentary [[ Ссылка ]] join us so the Kindling Group's camera crew followed along. The morning we were going out on the streets the team me and the camera crew were on got off to a slow start. It was one of those mornings where anything that could go wrong did. It wasn't that anyone did anything bad. In fact, I have always been blown away at how the 100,000 Homes team pretty much thinks of everything and is very organized and prepared. Once we got a van and headed out we were sent to another part of the city far away from downtown. Things still started to go wrong and at one point we all were separated from each other. Because the camera crew could only afford the costs of going out that one morning it was important that they capture volunteers taking surveys. Otherwise all the other 100,000 Homes footage shot over the past year would not make sense.
When all seemed lost Becky Kanis [[ Ссылка ]] suggested we come back to downtown and walk around by the missions, which we did. That is where we met Paul, and I did his survey .
See, I was never to be in the downtown area that morning, and neither was the camera crew following me. The way the morning was planned, if everything worked out as planned, I would have never met Paul. But I did meet Paul and I helped him fill out his survey. You can watch Paul's InvisiblePeople.tv video here [ Ссылка ].
I really didn't plan on visiting Albuquerque this trip either, but Doug Chaplin who works for the city and helped champion Albuquerque Heading Home [[ Ссылка ]] tweet me that Paul was in housing so I had to make ABQ a stop on my way back to Los Angeles.
Why this is a miracle is first, Paul has a serious brain injury that makes him vulnerable on the streets. In simple terms, if Paul did not get into housing his chances of surviving homeless are not so good . That is why 100,000 Homes is so unique and awesome. They survey the community to find the people who need housing the most. This saves lives, and because those most vulnerable tax the social services and medical system, housing them frees up resources that can be used to help others, AND IT SAVES MONEY!
Second, not only did Paul record a story for InvisiblePeople.tv, but the @home camera crew caught the whole thing on tape making the 100,000 Homes section of the documentary that much more powerful.
Although I would love to take credit for Paul getting into housing my part was very small. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to take Paul's survey. The real thanks goes to the City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Heading Home, 100,000 Homes Campaign and all the people that joined in to make it all happen.
Please support your local homeless services that are taking real actions to get people off the streets
________________________________________________
Subscribe here: [ Ссылка ]
Invisible People’s website:
[ Ссылка ]
Support Invisible People:
[ Ссылка ]
On Patreon: [ Ссылка ]
Invisible People’s Social Media:
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
Mark Horvath’s Twitter:
[ Ссылка ]
About Invisible People:
Invisible People goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages can understand, and can’t ignore. The vlog puts into context one of our nation’s most troubling and prevalent issues through personal stories captured by the lens of Mark Horvath – its founder – and brings into focus the pain, hardship and hopelessness that millions face each day. One story at a time, videos posted on InvisiblePeople.tv shatter the stereotypes of America’s homeless, force shifts in perception and deliver a call to action that is being answered by national brands, nonprofit organizations and everyday citizens now committed to opening their eyes and their hearts to those too often forgotten.
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way we think about people experiencing homelessness.
