It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 11

Joe had given me his brother, stepmother and daughter’s telephone numbers. As my family and I rode out of Virginia Beach that afternoon on our way to our holiday gathering in Georgia, I made several calls. I called Julie at Second Chances and Keli at the Office to End Homelessness to let them know how things had gone and where we were in the process. I told them about my concerns for the upcoming weekend. They both made it clear to me that I had done all I could do that week and that we had accomplished much more than most people accomplish in much more time. They told me that it would take a while for Joe’s relationship with his family members to be restored but that I needed to empower his family to help him make the transition from homelessness.

Next, I called Joe’s stepmother, brother and daughter. I informed each of them of our accomplishments that week. I informed them that I was headed out of town and made them aware of Joe’s challenges as of Friday morning. I encouraged them to take the responsibility to get Joe to the Union Mission that weekend and get him into their 30-day shelter program. After speaking with everyone I could speak with, all I could do was pray that the Holy Spirit would move on the hearts of everyone involved and that they would help Joe to the best of their ability.

You see, Joe’s story wasn’t the story of the typical American. Joe’s situation evolved over several years. His father was a merchant seaman. His mother was an alcoholic. When Joe’s father was out at sea, Joe’s mother had a difficult time dealing with being alone. Joe’s father would come home for brief periods of time and then be gone again. While the money was good, the family unit suffered. Joe’s mother stayed intoxicated most of the time. While Joe and his brother were very young, his mother introduced them to alcohol. They became alcoholics as children. Their mother encouraged them to drink. Joe was very smart in school. He always had good grades and a sharp mind. At age 14, Joe became a father with one of the 16 year-old girls in the neighborhood.