Homeless, and yet, in Community

Ernie Solis shares this story:

Jorge is a 65 year-old homeless man who was bounced around from house to house with no permanent place to lay his head. As a former homeless person I can tell you that bouncing from place to place--you wear our your welcome quickly.

Jorge was in a unique situation since he had no documentation at all. He was born in Mexico City, however, without any family there he cannot get his birth certificate. He was stuck in a crack in the system so we helped him get into the homeless shelter. The shelter is for the night only and he has to leave every morning at 7:30am and cannot return until 4:30pm. Jorge is disabled and walks very slowly with the aid of a walker.

So he sits outside, close to the shelter, waiting to be let in again in the late afternoon, which makes for a long day.

Jorge's contacts are in Winton. He is part of the Cherish program which provides a warm lunch and good companionship, so all his friends are in Winton.

So we connected with some community members and service groups and we have been able to get him a Bus Pass for the last few months. Now he leaves the shelter and takes the bus to Winton, where he spends the days with his friends, and returns to the shelter at night.

I am refreshed when I see people from the Winton community step up and do the right thing. Winton is becoming a better place when people care enough to act together, and I am resolved to continue to put,"Winton on the map for something good!"

Thank you to everyone who is helping Jorge and the whole community!