The Journey Home

When I think about visiting my family, I don’t have to plan or stress. I can just decide, get in my car, and go to Louisiana. It’s easy, and honestly, I forget how easy it is.

But when you’re living on the streets, nothing is simple. Getting a meal takes miles of walking. Getting to a store is a hike. Getting to the people who love you? That feels impossible.

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, one of our neighbors, John, told me he was ready to leave the streets behind. I was able to see that he had met with Jason several times. After reviewing his profile and praying and talking with him, it was clear that he was ready to go home.

So I did something that seemed small.
I handed him a bus ticket. He gripped it tightly.

Then he started bawling.

He collapsed against me, and I embraced him. Through his sobs, he managed a few words about how much this meant to him. 

You see, that little slip of paper was so much more than a ticket. It was a doorway back to the people who loved him. It was many more hugs waiting miles away. It was the beginning of his journey home, back to safety, back to belonging, back to being surrounded by his community. 

– Malcolm, Men’s Care Minister

Reunions like John’s remind us why this work matters. They remind us that healing often begins not just with a program, but with a person. John is just one of many neighbors longing to be remembered and embraced by the people who love them most. There are so many more waiting for that moment.

Empowered by the Spirit, our team boldly shares the Gospel across the city, leading to lives changed for eternity. We have tough conversations about lasting change, helping our neighbors to courageously choose life, and escape the dangers and traps of the streets.

For years, Shay was trapped on the streets, experiencing trafficking, prostitution, domestic violence, addiction, and mental illness. She frequently came to OurCalling for resources and met with Care Ministers. Last week, Shay reached a defining moment. She chose to accept help and say yes to the life God was calling her into.

With strength and faith, Shay chose healing over hopelessness and freedom over fear.

On Christmas Eve, Shay arrived at the residential discipleship program where she will rest at the Lord’s feet and begin a season of deep healing and restoration.

This is the journey home.

And it’s a journey that we’ve helped 1,366 people walk this year, thanks to your support. That’s 28% more people than last year and more than any other year in our history.

That is a victory worth celebrating, but I remember many of our homeless friends who have died on the streets, waiting for someone to show up or a room to become available. Together, we can help more people like Shay break the cycle of homelessness and choose a life of hope.

Jen had been coming to OurCalling for resources since 2012. She knew about Jesus as a child, but as an adult, she struggled to trust Him.  Her progress wasn’t linear, but she kept coming, still reaching for the God she hoped hadn’t given up on her.

Below are the words written by our team over one year, revealing a woman seeking recovery, belonging, and ultimately God’s steady presence.

January 2: She spoke about struggling to stay clean and following Jesus. She was encouraged to attend Recovery/Bible Study.
January 4: She prayed about being willing to do things God’s way and not lean on her own understanding.
January 7: She prayed, asking God to help her stay clean.
January 17: She was reminded that God would be a steady and constant presence as she moved forward in her recovery.
May 8: She wondered if God could still use her. She was told that anyone whose heart is transformed by His love can be used for His purposes.
June 8: The night she was beaten, she prayed. She just wanted rest. She opened her Bible to Psalm 38 and read it quietly. In that moment, God was there with her, steady and faithful, offering comfort in the midst of pain.
October 7: At the hospice center, we read Psalms to her. When we reached Psalm 38, the same passage she had opened in her moment of suffering, she took her final breath at 11:12 PM. God had been with her the entire time, from her struggles to her final rest.

What happened in her life mattered, every struggle, every setback, every prayer asking God to help her try again. But what mattered most is this: within one year, Jen went from doubting God’s love to trusting Him with her final breath. Psalm 38 was the thread through it all, a reminder that God had been with her every step of the way.

That is The Journey Home—not always off the streets, but always toward belonging and the hope of the Gospel.

When Paulo from our Street Outreach Team found Tonya, she had been beaten, stabbed, and raped. With only her tent to protect her, she had reached a place of complete hopelessness. Paulo brought her to the Women’s Center, where he and Beth sat with her and shared their testimonies of God’s transforming work in their lives. That day, Tonya gave her life to Jesus. 

With their support, Tonya entered a program out of state and began doing the hard work of rebuilding her life. Months in, she encountered an unexpected setback that forced her to leave. It was discouraging and could have easily ended her journey.

But it did not.

During that season, God was also restoring her family. Long-broken relationships began to heal, and when her mother and son faced eviction, they too found support at OurCalling.

When Tonya returned, she decided to enter another program and continue the work God had already begun in her life.

Today, she is seven months into that program. She is surrounded by a healthy community and continuing her healing. Her mother and son are now safe with extended family, and her son is thriving in school.

Recently, Tonya volunteered in our Women’s Center. She served alongside women who are in the very place she once was. And while she was there serving, another family member who is still stuck in the cycle of homelessness walked through our doors. On that day of all days, she saw Tonya with her own eyes and felt hope that change is possible.

This is what placements look like.

Not quick fixes.
Not straight lines.
But faithful steps taken over time.

The Journey Home is possible because people like you believe our neighbors are worth that kind of commitment, even when the path is long and the process is complex.