January 22, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode, we delve into the incredible efforts of the Topeka Rescue Mission and its dedicated community partners to protect the unsheltered population during extreme weather. From the meticulous planning and outreach involved in preparing warming centers to the vital collaborations with community organizations, we highlight the critical strategies that foster resilience and ensure safety for our neighbors in need.
We also introduce Crystal Guerrero, a TRM Housing Navigator whose inspiring journey—from being a TRM guest over a decade ago to becoming an advocate and mentor—illustrates the power of determination and community support. Once struggling with addiction and homelessness, Crystal now works tirelessly to help others overcome barriers like past debts and legal issues, secure stable housing, and rebuild their lives. Her story is a testament to the value of peer support and the strength that comes from shared experiences.
This episode goes beyond a call to action—it’s an invitation to join a united effort to uplift our neighbors and create long-term solutions. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about perseverance, trust, and the collective responsibility of fostering hope and change within our community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gracious Father in heaven, we just come humbly
before you and thank you, lord,for this time.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Lord, thank you for this new year and God just thank
you, as always, for ourlisteners.
God, pray, your blessing overthem, blessings over this
conversation, and Lord, we justinvite your spirit here.
Lord, in your holy name, wepray, amen.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Hello everybody, thank you for listening to Our
Community, our Mission, apodcast of the Topeka Rescue
Mission.
I'm your host, barry Feeker,here on Wednesday January 22nd
2025, podcast episode number 253.
I have Amanda Broyles,executive Director, marion
Crable, deputy Director, here.
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It's been a bit since we've had a podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Where have you been?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
I've been looking for you guys and you're saving
people.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Well, you know, you know it's been a little cold.
It's been a bit cold, yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
So for avid listeners to our community, our mission,
we're sorry this is our firstpodcast of the new year.
Yeah, because there has been somany crisis interventions that
have been going on Right,lamanda.
Just a few, just a few.
So a little update.
Topeka Rescue Mission is full,beyond full.
Warming centers wereestablished.
(01:12):
Big snow was coming in, goingto get wet, going to get cold.
Talk a little bit about thatand kind of where we are at this
time.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Sure.
So you know, anytime that thereis kind of this change in
forecast where it's anticipatedthat we're going to have
precipitation, we're going tohave horrible wind chills,
dropping temperatures, thosekinds of things, I and the team
we start tracking it, we startwatching it, and so this last
(01:41):
one we were watching about sevento nine days out, but we also
live in Kansas and we knowthings can change the morning of
.
And so just kind of looking at,hey, is this going to be what
they say it is?
Because, if so, we couldpotentially get one to two feet
of snow.
The wind chills are going to bebad, those kinds of things.
(02:02):
And so, as it approached, webegan realizing yep, it's going
to hit.
And so we collaborate with theNational Weather Service, we
start getting city personnelinvolved in the conversations,
started doing all of that NewYear's Day just because it
really looked like it's going tohead this way.
What people don't know ispreparation starts going in on
(02:26):
this months in advance, and sowe just did our first one ever
in December of 2022.
And so we're not experts, butwe are risk takers on behalf of
others and we took the risk andlearned from it.
It went well the first year.
We needed to do it again inJanuary of 24 and made some
(02:48):
revisions based on that previoustime and kept some things the
same that worked well.
And so then last year westarted meeting internally
towards the end of the summer,starting to revamp our manual,
taking in effect feedback thatwe had received from the
community.
All of those things had ourfirst external meeting in
(03:11):
October or November.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
When you say external meeting, meaning what?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Inviting people from the community that said, hey, we
want to be at this table, wewant to be partners.
Let us know what you need fromus Adding new personnel or new
partners and saying, hey, youhaven't done these before, but
we'll help you.
Thank you for saying yes, andwe'll help with whatever we need
.
And so this time, because wehad so much of that kind of done
(03:36):
ahead of time, we were able tolaunch on that Saturday I
believe it was the 4th, but eventhen outreaches and stuff start
usually 48 hours prior to thatbecause we've got this
information piece.
And so my outreach teams wereout with forecasts, going into
(03:56):
encampments all over the countyand inside the city telling
people this is coming, we'regoing to have a warming center
option for you.
We actually have three optionscenter option for you we
actually have three optionsexplaining all of that.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
What's the?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
importance of that.
There's a couple of reasonsthat that's important.
One is just anything that wecan do when the elements are
going to be extreme.
Anytime, we can be preventativeand proactive and informative.
It's helpful right To startgetting them prepared, because
some is knowledge is key.
Some have no clue, they don'thave any type of technology,
(04:31):
they don't know what's coming.
Another piece to this is thereare many of them whether it is
due to being in the midst oftrauma other elements, things
like that not in the right stateof mind, midst of trauma, other
elements, things like that notin the right state of mind.
Some of them, when things areout of sight, out of mind, they
can't truly wrap their brainsaround it, and so if we can
(04:52):
start talking with them and thendo it again the next day and
the next day we see that peoplethen really start making
connections.
That also gives them time toprepare to leave, and I know
this is a controversial topic,but I will continue to address
it.
What one sees as trash and junkand clutter to our unsheltered
(05:17):
neighbors, whom we advocate for,that is their belongings.
Many of that is scraps thatthey're trying to sell.
Many of that is actually veryfunctional that we may not know,
because we've not had to livelike that.
But people start then making adecision Am I leaving everything
that I have to go seek refuge,or do I make the decision to
(05:42):
stay and try to basically hopefor the best?
And so those conversationsPeople are actually leaving
everything that they know.
Everything that they know.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
And so you're reaching out 48 hours, 72 hours,
ahead of time.
Isn't the first time that youhave contact with people who are
unsheltered?
Your teams are out there everyweek multiple times, developing
a relationship with people sothat, in a situation like this,
that it's life and death thatpeople don't always understand,
(06:12):
there is a relationship that'salready been developed.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
So that when you say, hey, you probably need to leave
and we can bring you to a placeof safety, there's a bit of
trust there.
It's hard, but makes it alittle bit easier for them to
leave everything they know.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It does.
And even then some people arelike, make sure you come back
and get me, I'll be the firstone to go.
And then we have some peoplethat trust us.
They know what we're saying istrue, they feel safe around us,
but they're still torn, and Itry to personalize that for us.
Look at our friends out inCalifornia.
My heart breaks for them.
(06:49):
We could name a lot of citiesright now that are experiencing
things that one they've neverexperienced as far as natural
disasters, or two.
They've experienced them, butnot of this magnitude.
And so I say and I've said thisa lot the past probably 30 to
45 days when I hear people saywell, why are you and your team
risking it, especially if you'retelling them a second time or a
(07:11):
third time once the storm hasstarted and everything.
And I tell people, what wouldyou be doing right now if
someone said you have 24 hoursto leave your home?
And then we tell them, and youcan only bring one bag Right.
And so I don't say all of thatto be dramatic or mushy, but
(07:32):
there is so much more to thisthan just being like, oh,
they're not choosing to come in.
It's a reality.
It's a reality that they arefacing and that they are trying
to make the best decisions basedon what they can, and so all of
that starts happening.
We're coordinating it and Ithink it's important to say with
nothing here stopping.
(07:53):
So food distribution is stillhappening.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Nothing here to be a rescue mission saying, okay,
we're going to put all that onpause.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
The 250 to 300 people that you're sheltering, plus
all the meals, plus all thepeople in the community.
They're able to get out todrive by to get food, yes, and
everything else.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
And our shelters are housing the guests that are here
right, which is 260 plus, butthe other side of it is
something long before my time.
You might even have the exactdate, I'm sure I just can't
remember my time you might evenhave the exact date we enacted
(08:30):
these, what used to be calledcold weather rules, weather
related lifts, and so we'vechanged the language of it.
Some but anything that hitswhen the temperatures hit 40
degrees, then we lift some ofthe restrictions.
People can begin coming in at11 PM.
They can.
They can stay all night, andthen they have to leave in the
morning.
Then, if it hits 32, and that'sin addition to our guests, so
(08:53):
our shelter staff are navigatingthe safety and the logistics of
all of that, and then wewelcome unsheltered neighbors in
if it drops to 40.
Then if it hits 32 degrees,there's another realm of a
variety of options, right?
So then we're allowing peopleduring the day.
You can come in and warm upevery 15 minutes, we're going to
(09:14):
give you hot cocoa, we're goingto give you coffee, we're going
to give you hand warmers, allof these things all while we're
encouraging.
Please come register.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Come with us.
That makes them a guest.
That's a registered guestversus somebody who's just
dropping in because of weather,who really doesn't necessarily
want to be a guest.
Correct, they don't want totake advantage of programs and
those things.
But you're saying, okay, we'renot just here for people who
register.
If the weather's bad enough,we're going to allow some other
people to come in.
Right, if you have space.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
And that's an issue.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Because of variances and everything else In addition
to that.
Then when it hits 20, we allowpeople to stay all day during
the day.
So we have at any time when thetemperatures drop to 40,.
You can look at it as TRM isoperating as an emergency
shelter for 260 plus individuals, but we are also acting as a
(10:10):
mini warming center for as manypeople as we can truly safely
provide.
And within variances and all ofthat and there's challenges
with that because we still haveto keep conduct safe we still
cannot allow any type ofsubstance abuse to occur in our
shelters where people arehealing and rehabilitating.
(10:30):
So I can't function the in thebuildings, trm cold weather
lifts and stuff.
I can't function them as a truelow barrier warming center.
But then we also try to doabove and beyond because we
recognize cold temperatures andthe issues with that.
And so then when we startseeing all of this is brewing,
(10:53):
we are communicating those coldweather lifts for the shelter
side.
We're also communicating.
But we're also going to haveincredible warming centers
opening up because this is goingto be a blizzard.
Or two years ago this was goingto be a blizzard, or two years
ago this was going to be a polarvortex, those kinds of
languages to explain.
And, because of our incrediblecommunity volunteers and
(11:14):
partners, you're going to havean option that's outside the
shelter parameters, which thenallows us to have help with pets
.
Thanks to Street Dog Coalition,it allows us to help people
that are truly in the midst ofaddiction struggles, maybe
alcoholism, complexities ofmental illness those kinds of
things that we can't doprimarily because our primary
(11:36):
goal is the guest, and so all ofthis is being juggled and
navigated.
I call it organized chaos.
And then, finally, it iscommunication with the partners
to say, hey, we're ready to go,and so that Saturday morning we
were briefing by 8 am and Ithink we had about 14 people in
(11:57):
there hearing about.
The city is divided up north,south, east and west.
Here are the names that we'retrying to reach.
It's prioritized based onphysical ailments, mental
illness, complexities, all ofthose things, so that we know
what we're going into.
And then we do that for threehours, see how much we can get
done, come back and debrief andthe people who either weren't
(12:20):
ready yet or the people that wedidn't make contact with, they
weren't home in their tents orencampments we do what's called
a second sweep and our teams goout and do it a second time.
And then I and Iron man JohnCantrell did a third one at
midnight in some areas that Ihad not been able to all day see
(12:44):
the people and I just could notturn my brain off.
And that's how the warmingcenters begin and the proactive
parts to them.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
How many warming centers did you have in the
community?
Topeka Rescue Mission had itsown internally at the Children's
Palace.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Plus Full House and the shelters.
Right, but there were otherwarming centers that were
networked together, as you'dmentioned.
Some people will go one place,some people with pets.
I think they came to the rescuemission.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Yes, and then?
Speaker 3 (13:12):
street dogs stepped in to board their pets, and so
it was quite a system.
How many different locationswere there?
Speaker 2 (13:18):
So Fellowship Highcrest this was their second
year to partner with us and sothey opened up.
When we did High Crest this wastheir second year to partner
with us and so they opened up.
When we did, we had let's Helpopen up for a couple of days.
We were so thankful for them tosay yes and operated when they
did.
We had True Vine Church.
They opened with us last year.
We were thankful for that.
They did as well this year andwe also have kind of a
(13:42):
coordination with Central ParkChristian Church.
They really are a part of usRight and we're thankful for all
they do.
But they do a lot ofneighborhood outreach.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
With their own neighbors.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Yes, 365 days a year.
So I still try to include themwhen I give thanks and gratitude
for what they do, but I meanthem with Mary Flynn and Rick
Fleming, like they do stuff allthe time as a church body for
unsheltered neighbors, and sothey were running theirs as well
.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Yeah, so all that sounds complicated, but it's
more complicated than it evensounds, and one of the
challenges is that most of thisis run with volunteers.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And so you have to have a robust volunteer system
with TRM, the United Way,coordinating all of that.
And then at least one or two ofthe shelters had a little
challenge getting enoughvolunteers, so they couldn't
continue on, because you can'tjust open up a building and
expect everything to be okay,and so some people in the
community think all you need todo is have some of these vacant
(14:45):
houses and let people come inand they're going to be fine,
and it's just a little bit morechallenging than that, to say
the least.
And so there has to be a goodsystem so everybody is safe and
taken care of.
And if there's a medicalemergency.
I know the first Saturday youopened up.
I came down that morning andthere was an ambulance here
already at Topeka Rescue Missionthe first 30 minutes.
First 30 minutes, the guy who'dcome off the streets.
(15:07):
It was extremely cold.
We didn't have really even thesnow yet.
It was coming Right.
But that's the challenges andrealities.
You have to have people whohave some form of training and
people overseeing that, and Ijust want to say I think that
you and the team and everybodythat centered around this just
amazing job, amazing job, and Ijust hope people know that Um
and and uh, but it's the 22nd ofJanuary, it's still cold and we
(15:31):
don't know what's ahead.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Right and I think that's what's a challenge right
now is navigating.
Um, there are lots of powerfulopinions out there, um, about
how I haven't opened anotherwarming center.
We saw Amanda all over the newsand now she hasn't been when
it's cold.
And why did the rescue missiondo this two weeks ago and
(15:54):
they're not doing it now?
And so that's always achallenge for me as the ED to
navigate.
I can't respond to everypositive or negative opinion,
right, just capacity things andsuch.
But I do think that there is notthe proper education out there
and I will own that if I haven'tcommunicated that well or if we
(16:17):
need to, I definitely will.
But when we enact community widewarming centers, when I take
the lead of of that and TRM issaying we're opening and we've
got incredible partners thatfollow suit, that really is for
a combination of extremes, acombination of extreme temps,
(16:38):
extreme wind chills, extremeprecipitation, challenges that
prevent my outreach teams frombeing able to be out.
When I know I get nervous whenI know I can't get trucks or
UTVs or even walking on foot insome of the areas.
That's also a factor, and so,yes, it is so important that no
(16:58):
one has to be on the streets ofTopeka or in Shawnee County and
be cold, and I agree with that.
Topeka or in Shawnee County andbe cold, and I agree with that.
The other side of it is theTopeka Rescue Mission cannot
(17:18):
continue to do these hugeoperations every time it's cold
or every time it's hot, everytime it snows, every time it
rains, any time that could beharmful to our neighbors.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
And so Because they're already doing big
operations all the time and youcompromise those when you stop
and do this other.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Correct.
And just in five days, barry,that was 220 hours of overtime
for my staff.
We said that's equivalent ofhow many full time?
Five and a half, and that'sjust our hourly staff.
That does not include myself,any of my deputies or the people
(17:59):
that said I'm just going to behere to volunteer, don't pay me.
Um, and so I know for a factthere was one night where three
of us had worked 20 out of the24 hours physically here, and so
there's no telling how manyhours.
And that's not including allthe every night when anybody is
hot or cold, I worry aboutdehydration and such in both
(18:32):
elements, all of this stuff.
But the other side of it is Ifeel very strongly that the Lord
is moving and moving and usingTRM as a tool and a resource to
show what can be done and thewhy right, why we should care.
But that doesn't mean it's thesole responsibility for TRM to
(18:54):
meet the need of every personstruggling in the city or county
.
And so I'm thankful that in thelast couple of days Central
Park Christian Church went aheadand opened a warming center.
I couldn't, based on theparameters of what we have and
the fact that I'm at 300 almostin the shelters.
But just because TRM hasparameters and we function under
(19:17):
that, we are not limitinganyone else in the city or
county from doing what they'recalled to do.
And if every church didsomething, if every business or
organization did something, evenif it's not a warming center,
even if it's just you know what,I want to provide a box of hand
warmers and I'm going to sendthem to Central Park Christian
(19:38):
Church because I know they'redoing a warming center.
That would be that business orthat organization's yes, their
part.
And so it's been rough.
I mean, there's a lot ofnegative talk that has gotten
traction, and so I will continueto navigate, trying to explain
(19:59):
and to educate.
I will also own anything thatcould be done better, but I'm
also standing very firm that theLord is loving and fighting for
his people and that he iscalling more than just the
Topeka Rescue Mission to havethat mission and to care for
(20:21):
people who are broken.
And our city needs to respond.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Well, that's well said, and and LaManda, lamanda I
think that we all recognize,when somebody steps up to the
plate to do something well andyou have in the team of rescue
mission and all the otheragencies that were participating
in this, did it well there isthis mandated expectation you're
going to do it well everysingle time, even when you're
really not equipped to do it allthe time.
(20:46):
And so the question is whoseresponsibility is this?
Whose responsibility is it toprotect the citizens, regardless
if they live in a house or theydon't live in a house, from
harm's way?
And I think that, if we stopand think about that, it's not
the Topeka Rescue Mission'sresponsibility.
Topeka Rescue Mission has beenwilling to do what it can, as
(21:07):
well as let's Help, as well asScent, as well as Central Park,
the other folks that stepped upto the plate on this.
All the volunteers do what theycan, but there's some entities
out here in this community ofTopeka, kansas, that aren't
doing what they should be doing.
And so I think that, withoutgoing there in depth, those of
you who are listening and wouldlike to help educate, who is
(21:28):
responsible for our neighborsout here, who is responsible for
the people who are ill, who maybe having a medical emergency
or may be freeze to death in ourcommunity, topeka Rescue
Mission.
Some churches and othernonprofits have said we're going
to help, but it's really notthe responsibility of TRM.
So if you're on TV and saying,hey, we're doing this, this and
(21:49):
this, thank God that you are andthat people are recognizing and
supporting it.
But unless it becomes the 24-7,365 days a year to be a warming
center or a cooling center,topeka Rescue Mission, which has
not been identified at thispoint, whose responsibility is
it?
And so those are conversationswe're going to have to have
going forward, and at the sametime I'm going to throw it out
(22:11):
here because I'm not yourexecutive director anymore, I'm
your host of this podcast wehave decisions that have been
made at the level of ourgoverning body, leaders in our
community to go ahead and closehomeless camps with nowhere
people to go, and that is beingdiscussed this week.
It's being discussed again nextweek to do more of that.
And so, if you're listening tothis and if this offends you,
(22:31):
I'm very sorry, but whoseresponsibility is it to take
care of our citizens, regardlessif they live in a mansion or
they live in a tent, or do youeven have one of those to be
able to take care of others?
I mean, that is where the rubbermeets the road, and so I think
that more education, yes, isimportant, but more people who
are starting to think ratherthan respond to what these
(22:54):
issues are, I think, is going tobe where we're going to be
known as a community that reallycares, or a community that has
a few people that care and missthe boat.
So, amanda, thank you for beingtransparent on this.
I know there's a lot more.
Is there anything else?
I want to go into housing herein a second, but is there
anything else you'd like to sayaround this issue?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
not everything with the rescue mission, not
everything is feel good storiesthat I can put out there.
Sometimes there are, and that'sgreat, you know, and the
(23:35):
warming center, we had onegentleman who it was?
I don't even know what time itwas, but we pulled up, picked
him up.
We pulled up, picked him up,got his dogs registered and he
was so excited because he wasclose to his final round of
being hired on at a local plantand he was really worried that
(24:00):
this storm was going to preventhim from being able to walk on
foot and get to this final roundof interviews and all of that.
And so we picked him up.
We said, well, will you comewith us?
Yes, and we're so thankful, I'mso thankful that you're doing
this and brought him back.
And he worked TRM's warmingcenter every day and because of
(24:23):
generosity of donors, we got hima pair of new boots.
Because of generosity of donors, we got him a pair of new boots
because he was out shovelingparts of our warming center and
socks and slippers and I don'tknow how long.
He did that while I was out onthe UTV and we were doing
transports and rescues.
(24:43):
I came back in and saw that andI said why are you helping me
in socks and slippers?
And he looked at me and he saidwhy would I not with how you're
helping me?
And so I hugged him.
But I did wrestle him some andtold him I was about to, he was
about to get grounded and helaughed.
So we got him some boots andall of that.
(25:05):
He went either the first orsecond night of the warming
center and went back to thesecond interview and got his job
.
And so then he I came in onenight and he said am I going to
be able to be excused Because Istart?
And I said of course we'regoing to excuse you for being
able to work, of course we'regoing to excuse you for being
(25:26):
able to work.
He's then been in contact withme and asked if I would write a
letter to show what all hevolunteered with, which then
helps with the house arrest.
He's under all of this stuff.
There's beautiful stories likethat, but unless something
changes, I'm never going to putthat in a newsletter.
I'm not going to just ask himto go and exploit everything Now
(25:47):
in his timing, when he's readyto share his testimony.
I would love to, but we havethose moments right and they
matter.
And so he got back on his feet.
He had a place.
What would have happened if hewas a no show because of the
storm, all of these things?
But, barry, as the ED, I alsohave to see the person that is
sitting in a corner rocking, notsure of her name, defecating on
(26:13):
herself the fact that shewasn't alone, the fact that she
was warm, and the fact that Isaw two volunteers with no
training talk to this womanabout the importance of getting
in a shower, and I'm pretty sureit took all day.
(26:36):
I cannot define that any lesssuccessful as I do someone that
utilizes a warming center to geta job.
Successful as I do someone thatutilizes a warming center to
get a job.
In that moment, there is anindividual that is a citizen of
our community who gosh knows howmany people probably drive by
(26:57):
her and look at her and discardher every day, and for four days
she was in this place, lovedand respected, given her space.
I'm not sure if that's going tochange the trajectory, I don't
know, but from my viewpoint andI will continue to represent
(27:18):
this for TRM's mission thatperson is Imago Dei, made in
God's image.
Is Imago Dei made in God'simage and for the fact that she
was able to sit here and notreally have a conversation with
anyone.
When we look at the mission ofour warming centers, that is
just as beautiful and successfulas someone entering back into
(27:40):
the workforce.
And so our guest today on here,I think, is beautiful for so
many reasons, and it'sincredible to see the work she
does every day to help peopletake the next step.
But what makes her even morebeautiful is there was once a
time in her life where sheneeded someone to help her get
(28:02):
to the next steps, and so I'llprobably just cry during this
whole podcast.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
That's a good segue and, amanda, thank you for
sharing, helping people to get alittle inside picture that
maybe didn't in regards towhat's been going on so far this
year.
Here we are again.
We're past the midpoint ofJanuary.
No, you can't say anymore.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
No, I have to tell you one thing.
Someone just said hey, how arethe first three weeks of 2025
going?
I literally crossed my eyes andI said I think it's been three
years and three weeks, right.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's been an avalanche.
And so, before we get to ourguest, miriam, sometimes things
that are really good are birthedout of problems.
We've got plenty of opportunityto have for really good things.
Good are birthed out ofproblems.
We've got plenty of opportunityto have really good things
right, and so one of thosethings was COVID, and when we,
(28:55):
before Amanda's time here, wesaw a lot of needs to make
Topeka Rescue Mission smallerbecause of social distancing,
and this meant we had toscramble for what are some
different things we can create.
Map was created out of that asbeing a good thing today, but
one of the things that TopekaRescue Mission wasn't doing a
lot of was rehousing, and so wewere contacted by the city that
said we have some of thesefederal dollars we would like to
(29:18):
give it to Topeka RescueMission to be able to rehouse
people, and the immediatereaction was no, thank you, and
so that was my-.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
That was your reaction.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
That was my no thank you, because it was government
dollars.
We didn't do that, and so thefolks at the city said, well,
we're not going to give it toanybody else but you, and if you
don't take it, we're sending itback to Washington DC.
Well, that didn't sound good,and so we kind of pondered over
that a little bit and looked atthe legalities of it and this,
that and the other thing, and sowe went ahead and partnered
(29:49):
with Federal Lawyers first timein TRM's history to be able to
say, okay, we'll develop asystem here.
And so, miriam, you got achance to be really the
developer of that system andbring different people in for
some rehousing and being able topass through these dollars to
be able to get people housed.
Some of those monies ran out,and so then TRM had to go out
and raise funds, because it's areally good program to be able
(30:13):
to help people to get to thatnext place.
So, mariam, here we are today.
We're in 2025.
Pandemic was five years ago.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
I know, isn't that a weird thought?
Speaker 3 (30:23):
It is a weird thought and there's been a lot of
people helped through thisprogram, whether it is public
dollars or private dollarscoming into the rescue mission.
What would you like to saybefore we actually talk to our
guest today, Crystal?
Speaker 1 (30:36):
You know I think it's important that we just get to,
just get to Crystal.
But you know I am verypassionate about the housing
program.
I think it's really importantthat we help people get to a
next step.
And that isn't for everybodythat we serve, because people
are in such different places.
The community we serve is justso diverse.
(30:58):
But it is wonderful when we getto see people move into
something that they didn't evenimagine for themselves.
And sometimes that's housingand not necessarily the LaManda
and I had a conversation theother day about it and it's like
there's so some of the folksthat we have housed.
(31:18):
We don't think the places thatthey're living in are great and
they think they are a castle.
And it is such a good reminder,you know, in terms of why we do
this and and helping people tofeel ownership, um and stable is
very, very important, andthat's what our housing team
gets to do.
I I am a big proponent of thehousing program, so housing's
(31:41):
important, but it's not justabout housing.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
It's about that supportive services.
We call it navigation here.
And so, Crystal Guerrero, thankyou for being on the podcast
today.
So are all the nerves gone yet?
Yeah, okay, good, we thought ifwe talked long enough that
maybe you'd just be chillingover there, you know.
So, anyway, thank you for being.
You are Topeka Rescue Missionhousing navigator.
What does that mean?
(32:03):
Thank you for being.
You are Topeka Rescue Missionhousing navigator.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
What does that mean?
That means I get to workalongside with our guests and
help them find sustainablehousing, navigate them through
what's best for them as far aswhere they live, where they work
(32:28):
, how much their income is,being able to just help them
understand and see where theirnext move is going to be and how
to get there.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Why is that necessary ?
To have somebody to help peopleto be able to do the things you
just mentioned?
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Support, support.
I think it's good that theyhave support, support and a
helping hand to guide them,because not everybody gets that
in life and it's an honor to beable to give my hand and walk
through that.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Used to be in the old days that there was in the want
ads in the newspaper.
I don't know if that stillexists, but does it?
Okay I'm not sure though, sorry, cj, haven't been there in a
while that there would be a listof rentals, and so there was a
phone number and you'd call alandlord or an agency or
whatever, and that's how you tryto figure out your housing.
But that can be complicated inand of itself, even knowing that
(33:30):
that exists, but then let aloneall of the financial things
that have to be taken care of toget there.
Some people have got pastutility debt, legal debt, maybe
have been banned from housingbefore for a bad decision, maybe
they have a felony and thenpeople don't rent to a felon, or
whatever the case might be, ora lot of different reasons that
(33:53):
it's hard.
So you represent that personwho is ready for that next step.
And so how difficult is that,or how successful is that to
work with property owners thatmaybe have a place that people
can go?
How important is it to havethat relationship with landlords
?
Speaker 4 (34:12):
It's very important.
I have quite a few that I'mworking with right now and we
have great relationship.
I'm learning more about what'savailable in the community with
people with barriers and it'sreally hard.
It's really hard to navigategetting them if they have had a
(34:32):
criminal record and you knowthere's a lot of stipulations on
those kinds of things.
But, yeah, working with thelandlords, being open,
advocating for our guests andjust putting it out there.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Crystal, getting them to that point where, oh wow,
I've got some keys, I'm going tobe able to get my place now.
It means that maybe I need abed to sleep in.
I need some stuff in therefrigerator.
Oh, wait a minute, I need arefrigerator.
How do you take care of thosethings when people have zero?
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Well, I'm glad you asked.
So at Speaker Rescue Mission wehave a distribution center and
when they are, our guests thatI'm working with are getting
ready to be housed, they have amove-in date.
We get with the distributioncenter and they do a beautiful
job with getting the items thatare needed for that move-in.
(35:23):
The items that are needed forthat move-in, dc will contact
the guest and get the list of.
Sometimes, you know, peoplehave stuff in storage.
Sometimes they have absolutelynothing and I just did a move-in
on Friday and he messaged me.
I talked to him last night andhe said you know, I'm so
grateful they gave me everythingI needed and I said I'll let
(35:44):
the DC know that.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
So those are kind of celebration moments, right,
somebody's been, maybe on thestreets, maybe whatever end up
at the rescue mission and theygo through some training and
some programs and then you getthem to take them to that next
level and here they are in theirown place.
So there are some situationswhere that's kind of
overwhelming to folks thathaven't been in that situation
(36:07):
before, don't know how to handlepaying their rent or their
utility bill or keeping theplace clean or whatever the case
might be.
So once you hand the key offand you have your celebration,
thank you, the refrigerator'sfull, we're good, we're good to
go.
Is that it or is there more?
Speaker 4 (36:23):
That's just the beginning, okay.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
Talk about the rest.
That's just the beginning, okay, talk about the rest.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
That's just the beginning.
We build a relationship beforethat day happens, but we build a
friendship.
We build a friendship.
And no, I talk to the peoplethat I've helped get housed
about a couple of times, a fewtimes a month, and I go visit
(36:46):
them once a month.
Yeah, so, constant check-ins,you know, trying to help them
understand that there areservices out there that will
like there's LEAP and there'sthese things, and help them do
the application and so the restof life is helping them navigate
housing to get them there, tohelp them stay there.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
But then there's more about walking through life,
which for some folks, is allforeign.
Um, if any of you remember, uh,if you went to college, um, and
you left high school and youwent to your first college dorm
and, uh, you're with somedifferent, strange people and
those kinds of things just thinkabout how crazy that was.
And you want to go home, backhome to mommy and daddy.
(37:24):
I mean it was scary to thinkabout that, let alone not going
to college and coming from anenvironment wherever they were
to.
Now I might be able to besuccessful.
How important is it to helpindividuals that you work with
that are your friends now to beable to stay encouraged.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
It's very, very important.
Again, I go back to when youwere just talking.
It reminds me of a gentlemanthat was housed a few weeks ago
and it was his first place.
34 years old, he always livedat home with mom and dad in
California and he ended upcoming to Kansas, been here for
a few years and he had been atthe rescue mission for almost
(38:07):
two years and this was his firstplace.
And I just messaged him acouple days ago and I was like
how's it going?
And he got a game system andhe's loving his own space and
like I told him he would, but hewas super nervous, never had
that and I know he's going tolove it, just like I told him,
(38:28):
it can be really good, but youdon't realize how really good it
is until you feel comfortablein your space yeah, yeah,
Crystal, how long have you beendoing this now at Speaker Rescue
?
I've been here four months.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Four months, okay, so why, what's your why?
Speaker 4 (38:43):
I've always wanted to be over here.
Yeah Well, why I've alwayswanted to be over here?
Yeah Well, since I let me backup.
So I was a guest here, I livedhere.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You lived here to make a rescue mission.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Yeah, about 12 years ago.
Yeah, I had hit my rock bottomand um in addiction.
Uh lost my kids, um and I.
I did the program, did theprogram here and you guys helped
me get housed, um and uh.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
So you've been there.
Yeah, so you know.
You know what all of this isabout for the people that you
are helping to move forward inlife.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (39:23):
So what's that like being on this side of that
particular part of your life now?
Speaker 4 (39:30):
Beautiful To be on this side, being able to give my
hand back and guide them and belike.
I know what you're goingthrough.
I've been in this situation.
I've been in a similarsituation.
There is hope and there is adifferent way about life that
you can go and so I wouldimagine that your experience is
(39:55):
helpful in conversations withthe folks.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
What do you find?
When you're trying to help them, they see, okay, you're a
navigator, you know that'sofficial, that's like, that's
like, that's like government orsomething.
You're just part of the system.
When you have an opportunity tosay I understand A lot of
people that are working insocial services, I hate to say
it they don't understand.
It is a passion that they'vehad, they got some education for
(40:21):
it.
They go, do a thing and theyreally don't understand.
I've worked in a lot ofdifferent arenas outside of
Topeka Rescue Mission before Igot here.
That sounds strange.
I must have been about twoyears old, but anyway, I worked
in institutions that weregovernment institutions for
social services, predominantlymental illness.
We had a lot of highly educatedpeople that really did a lot of
(40:43):
good stuff in school and gotsome really cool stuff on their
wall that talked about differentthings that they accomplished
and all those kind of things.
They had a lot of bookknowledge, but they didn't have
an understanding.
What's the game changer of youhaving an understanding with the
people you're working with?
They go wow, you were here.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
You made it.
I think it makes them more open, more open and willing to know
that somebody else has beenthere.
Yeah, I've had that and they'relike what?
Really?
I said oh yeah, yeah, Like,look, my license was suspended
there.
You know, it took me five yearsto get it.
We're playing a conversation Ihad with someone.
Really, I'm like, yeah, you cando it.
(41:20):
It takes a lot of hard work,you know, but you can do it.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
So there was somebody there for you, would you say,
12 years ago, when you came intoTopeka Rescue Mission, and what
was it like?
You'd gone through some loss,some serious loss.
You had an addiction.
You came to the Topeka RescueMission.
What can you help the listenerto understand what that feels
(41:45):
like to walk through the doorsof a homeless shelter for the
first time and how challengingthat is?
Speaker 4 (41:55):
You come in and you're empty, you're defeated,
you're tired, you're scared.
I mean, there's not a lot ofgood feelings when you're
walking through the door andtrying to figure out what you're
going to do next, when you'vejust lost everything.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
So it's not like, oh, I'm on rescue.
Speaker 4 (42:13):
We're cool now, right ?
No, no, not at all.
No, not at all.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
So when does that, or why does that begin to change
for something more positive thanthat first experience when you
came in?
Speaker 4 (42:26):
something more positive than that first
experience when you came in, Ithink, when you know when you
start working, when they startworking with their case managers
, and well, mine went south,yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
So you know again, I'm asking you to roll it back,
the clock back.
You know in your own experience, and that's, you know, been
over a decade.
But you came in, it wasn't agreat time, and so the question
was what began to change for you, and maybe why?
It wasn't just because you hada bed in a dorm with some other
women.
It was more than that.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
No, I wanted to get my life back on track.
I had mentioned I lost my kidsand I was trying to reconcile um
being back in their life.
Um, so that time when I camethrough, I was focused.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
So you're ready at this point, yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Yeah, I had been here several times before that too,
so, and at that time you weren'tready yet.
I wasn't ready.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Well, that's a story for a lot of folks, you know.
Speaker 4 (43:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
They come to Topeka Rescue Mission and they need a
place to go, but they aren'treally ready for change and
sometimes that's a journey, andthat's a painful journey for the
person experiencing andsometimes the people helping.
Yeah, Because they go, man, wejust see great potential but not
there yet.
So this time you came back inthrough your journey and you
(43:52):
yourself said, okay, I'm readyto do something different.
And so there were some peoplehere and some systems here you
mentioned program and so forththat helped you in your
readiness to move forward.
So when you see somebody comethrough the mission today and I
know more of what you do is thepeople who are ready, but how do
(44:13):
you keep them moving forward?
To stay in that, I'm ready togo to the next place.
Speaker 4 (44:22):
Just having conversation.
Each story is different, Eachindividual is different but just
reminding them what they'redoing it for.
There's some situations attimes where they have debts that
they have to pay and they don'twant to pay it.
I was evicted, but I owe thismuch money and I really
shouldn't have to pay that muchmoney.
(44:43):
But you have to.
You have to in order to move onto the next level and, um,
walking them through that andgiving them a little bit of
understanding of look, you'rehere.
This is the perfect opportunityto be able to pay on that debt,
because you're going to face itfor the rest of your life, so
let's have it paid and go away.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
It's not going away.
Speaker 4 (45:06):
And you know, once you finally, um, the light bulb
clicks and they're like okay,fine, I'll pay it, I'll start
paying on it.
And then to watch them walkthrough and make their monthly
payments and they come throughand say look, I made the payment
, I made the payment and thedebt is now paid.
And they didn't think that theycould do it.
That's super cool, Super coolyeah.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
And without you and your team being there to help
them, to keep looking at if youwant this, you got to do this,
how bad do you want this thing,and to help them to remember
that and then be there tocelebrate with them.
Speaker 4 (45:41):
Yes, that's a game changer.
Speaker 3 (45:42):
Yes, and you can't just do that with a shelter, you
can't just do that with housingand hope that everything works
out Well.
Crystal, what would you liketoday for people to know about
the housing, the rehousingprogram at Topeka Rescue Mission
and the importance of it?
I think we kind of talked aboutit, but what's one thing that
you would like to really leavewith people today in your
(46:04):
experience?
Speaker 4 (46:06):
Of course, housing is super important.
I would like them to understandthat.
You know each case is differentand it's a lot of hard work,
but helping them get a place isthe beginning of their new
journey.
It's the second chance thatthey needed, the beginning of
(46:26):
their new journey.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
It's the second chance that they needed, and
somebody will be like you thatyears later, they'll come back
and they'll start helping otherpeople in the same place.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
That's what it's about, and how rich is that
right?
Speaker 3 (46:35):
That's what it's about.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
Well, and you know the thing that that Crystal has
shown so many times over is thatthere's an even bigger reason.
You know, um, what I, what Ihave watched Crystal do, is she
is sharing her life because shefeels like she has been blessed
and that the Lord has walkedwith her through so many steps,
(46:59):
and she wants to be thatreflection of the Lord to the
people that she gets toencounter every day and she
brings this joy and thisencouragement and this, of
course, you can do, this kind ofattitude that I don't think you
can put value to, or not enoughvalue right To what the person
(47:24):
that she is, how that benefitseach of the people that she
comes in contact with, becauseshe does not see many obstacles.
Right, because she's going tofind a way.
She's going to find a way whenthere's a will, there's a way,
absolutely, and she will tapinto the resources here at TRM.
(47:45):
She is just so committed andit's just beautiful to watch and
it's beautiful to see how therelationships build and what she
is able to do because shebuilds relationships.
Speaker 3 (47:58):
There is a growing popularity today in many
different areas of socialservices, whatever they be, of
the value of peers.
Some programs now are saying weneed to go more towards peers.
Well, topeka Rescue Mission hasalways been about peers, in
other words, people who havebeen there have done that, not
just about professionals whohave never been there, and it's
(48:18):
a mixture here at Topeka RescueMission.
So you are a leader here atTopeka Rescue Mission, also a
peer, that you can uh, helpother people, um, because you
can identify where they are.
Speaker 1 (48:31):
Crystal.
Thank you for being here today.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Thank you for what you're doing and, uh, just um.
God bless you for um justsaying yes to helping people to
to move on forward in theirlives.
Well, amanda, last word um,what's it like, um, for you to
be over here fighting to keeppeople alive on the streets and
knowing that what Crystal justtalked about is part of the big
(48:53):
package here.
What's that like?
It's not just crisisintervention all the time.
It's about helping people to gothe distance with their life,
to come out of homelessness andhave an opportunity of a future.
What's that like to know?
As executive director, youcould be a part of that too.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
I think there's so many things I could say, but I
could just summarize it bysaying there is nowhere else I'd
rather be and nothing else I'drather be doing.
Speaker 3 (49:22):
Thank you it's well said.
Thank you for listening to ourcommunity, our mission.
Today we kind of did some deepdive into some challenges that
we're facing in this communityand the response to some of
those challenges, knowing thatwe really need to go deeper in
regards to what we're doing withour neighbors, for our
neighbors standing with entitieslike Topeka Rescue Mission, who
(49:43):
are standing in a gap right nowfor very, very many people, and
not just for a day or a fewdays when things aren't good,
but for life, as we've heardCrystal and 12 years ago, how
things changed for her.
Thank you for being a supporterof Topeka Rescue Mission.
If you'd like to know moreinformation about TRM, you could
go to trmonlineorg.
(50:04):
That's trmonlineorg.
You can sign up to volunteer,you can sign up to give and you
can sign up just to learn.
What every one of us needs toknow is more about who our
neighbors are.
Thank you for listening to OurCommunity, our Mission.
Gracious Father in heaven, we just come humbly
before you and thank you, lord,for this time.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Lord, thank you for this new year and God just thank
you, as always, for ourlisteners.
God, pray, your blessing overthem, blessings over this
conversation, and Lord, we justinvite your spirit here.
Lord, in your holy name, wepray, amen.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Hello everybody, thank you for listening to Our
Community, our Mission, apodcast of the Topeka Rescue
Mission.
I'm your host, barry Feeker,here on Wednesday January 22nd
2025, podcast episode number 253.
I have Amanda Broyles,executive Director, marion
Crable, deputy Director, here.
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It's been a bit since we've had a podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Where have you been?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
I've been looking for you guys and you're saving
people.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Well, you know, you know it's been a little cold.
It's been a bit cold, yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
So for avid listeners to our community, our mission,
we're sorry this is our firstpodcast of the new year.
Yeah, because there has been somany crisis interventions that
have been going on Right,lamanda.
Just a few, just a few.
So a little update.
Topeka Rescue Mission is full,beyond full.
Warming centers wereestablished.
(01:12):
Big snow was coming in, goingto get wet, going to get cold.
Talk a little bit about thatand kind of where we are at this
time.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Sure.
So you know, anytime that thereis kind of this change in
forecast where it's anticipatedthat we're going to have
precipitation, we're going tohave horrible wind chills,
dropping temperatures, thosekinds of things, I and the team
we start tracking it, we startwatching it, and so this last
(01:41):
one we were watching about sevento nine days out, but we also
live in Kansas and we knowthings can change the morning of
.
And so just kind of looking at,hey, is this going to be what
they say it is?
Because, if so, we couldpotentially get one to two feet
of snow.
The wind chills are going to bebad, those kinds of things.
(02:02):
And so, as it approached, webegan realizing yep, it's going
to hit.
And so we collaborate with theNational Weather Service, we
start getting city personnelinvolved in the conversations,
started doing all of that NewYear's Day just because it
really looked like it's going tohead this way.
What people don't know ispreparation starts going in on
(02:26):
this months in advance, and sowe just did our first one ever
in December of 2022.
And so we're not experts, butwe are risk takers on behalf of
others and we took the risk andlearned from it.
It went well the first year.
We needed to do it again inJanuary of 24 and made some
(02:48):
revisions based on that previoustime and kept some things the
same that worked well.
And so then last year westarted meeting internally
towards the end of the summer,starting to revamp our manual,
taking in effect feedback thatwe had received from the
community.
All of those things had ourfirst external meeting in
(03:11):
October or November.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
When you say external meeting, meaning what?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Inviting people from the community that said, hey, we
want to be at this table, wewant to be partners.
Let us know what you need fromus Adding new personnel or new
partners and saying, hey, youhaven't done these before, but
we'll help you.
Thank you for saying yes, andwe'll help with whatever we need
.
And so this time, because wehad so much of that kind of done
(03:36):
ahead of time, we were able tolaunch on that Saturday I
believe it was the 4th, but eventhen outreaches and stuff start
usually 48 hours prior to thatbecause we've got this
information piece.
And so my outreach teams wereout with forecasts, going into
(03:56):
encampments all over the countyand inside the city telling
people this is coming, we'regoing to have a warming center
option for you.
We actually have three optionscenter option for you we
actually have three optionsexplaining all of that.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
What's the?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
importance of that.
There's a couple of reasonsthat that's important.
One is just anything that wecan do when the elements are
going to be extreme.
Anytime, we can be preventativeand proactive and informative.
It's helpful right To startgetting them prepared, because
some is knowledge is key.
Some have no clue, they don'thave any type of technology,
(04:31):
they don't know what's coming.
Another piece to this is thereare many of them whether it is
due to being in the midst oftrauma other elements, things
like that not in the right stateof mind, midst of trauma, other
elements, things like that notin the right state of mind.
Some of them, when things areout of sight, out of mind, they
can't truly wrap their brainsaround it, and so if we can
(04:52):
start talking with them and thendo it again the next day and
the next day we see that peoplethen really start making
connections.
That also gives them time toprepare to leave, and I know
this is a controversial topic,but I will continue to address
it.
What one sees as trash and junkand clutter to our unsheltered
(05:17):
neighbors, whom we advocate for,that is their belongings.
Many of that is scraps thatthey're trying to sell.
Many of that is actually veryfunctional that we may not know,
because we've not had to livelike that.
But people start then making adecision Am I leaving everything
that I have to go seek refuge,or do I make the decision to
(05:42):
stay and try to basically hopefor the best?
And so those conversationsPeople are actually leaving
everything that they know.
Everything that they know.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
And so you're reaching out 48 hours, 72 hours,
ahead of time.
Isn't the first time that youhave contact with people who are
unsheltered?
Your teams are out there everyweek multiple times, developing
a relationship with people sothat, in a situation like this,
that it's life and death thatpeople don't always understand,
(06:12):
there is a relationship that'salready been developed.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
So that when you say, hey, you probably need to leave
and we can bring you to a placeof safety, there's a bit of
trust there.
It's hard, but makes it alittle bit easier for them to
leave everything they know.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It does.
And even then some people arelike, make sure you come back
and get me, I'll be the firstone to go.
And then we have some peoplethat trust us.
They know what we're saying istrue, they feel safe around us,
but they're still torn, and Itry to personalize that for us.
Look at our friends out inCalifornia.
My heart breaks for them.
(06:49):
We could name a lot of citiesright now that are experiencing
things that one they've neverexperienced as far as natural
disasters, or two.
They've experienced them, butnot of this magnitude.
And so I say and I've said thisa lot the past probably 30 to
45 days when I hear people saywell, why are you and your team
risking it, especially if you'retelling them a second time or a
(07:11):
third time once the storm hasstarted and everything.
And I tell people, what wouldyou be doing right now if
someone said you have 24 hoursto leave your home?
And then we tell them, and youcan only bring one bag Right.
And so I don't say all of thatto be dramatic or mushy, but
(07:32):
there is so much more to thisthan just being like, oh,
they're not choosing to come in.
It's a reality.
It's a reality that they arefacing and that they are trying
to make the best decisions basedon what they can, and so all of
that starts happening.
We're coordinating it and Ithink it's important to say with
nothing here stopping.
(07:53):
So food distribution is stillhappening.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Nothing here to be a rescue mission saying, okay,
we're going to put all that onpause.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
The 250 to 300 people that you're sheltering, plus
all the meals, plus all thepeople in the community.
They're able to get out todrive by to get food, yes, and
everything else.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
And our shelters are housing the guests that are here
right, which is 260 plus, butthe other side of it is
something long before my time.
You might even have the exactdate, I'm sure I just can't
remember my time you might evenhave the exact date we enacted
(08:30):
these, what used to be calledcold weather rules, weather
related lifts, and so we'vechanged the language of it.
Some but anything that hitswhen the temperatures hit 40
degrees, then we lift some ofthe restrictions.
People can begin coming in at11 PM.
They can.
They can stay all night, andthen they have to leave in the
morning.
Then, if it hits 32, and that'sin addition to our guests, so
(08:53):
our shelter staff are navigatingthe safety and the logistics of
all of that, and then wewelcome unsheltered neighbors in
if it drops to 40.
Then if it hits 32 degrees,there's another realm of a
variety of options, right?
So then we're allowing peopleduring the day.
You can come in and warm upevery 15 minutes, we're going to
(09:14):
give you hot cocoa, we're goingto give you coffee, we're going
to give you hand warmers, allof these things all while we're
encouraging.
Please come register.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Come with us.
That makes them a guest.
That's a registered guestversus somebody who's just
dropping in because of weather,who really doesn't necessarily
want to be a guest.
Correct, they don't want totake advantage of programs and
those things.
But you're saying, okay, we'renot just here for people who
register.
If the weather's bad enough,we're going to allow some other
people to come in.
Right, if you have space.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
And that's an issue.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Because of variances and everything else In addition
to that.
Then when it hits 20, we allowpeople to stay all day during
the day.
So we have at any time when thetemperatures drop to 40,.
You can look at it as TRM isoperating as an emergency
shelter for 260 plus individuals, but we are also acting as a
(10:10):
mini warming center for as manypeople as we can truly safely
provide.
And within variances and all ofthat and there's challenges
with that because we still haveto keep conduct safe we still
cannot allow any type ofsubstance abuse to occur in our
shelters where people arehealing and rehabilitating.
(10:30):
So I can't function the in thebuildings, trm cold weather
lifts and stuff.
I can't function them as a truelow barrier warming center.
But then we also try to doabove and beyond because we
recognize cold temperatures andthe issues with that.
And so then when we startseeing all of this is brewing,
(10:53):
we are communicating those coldweather lifts for the shelter
side.
We're also communicating.
But we're also going to haveincredible warming centers
opening up because this is goingto be a blizzard.
Or two years ago this was goingto be a blizzard, or two years
ago this was going to be a polarvortex, those kinds of
languages to explain.
And, because of our incrediblecommunity volunteers and
(11:14):
partners, you're going to havean option that's outside the
shelter parameters, which thenallows us to have help with pets
.
Thanks to Street Dog Coalition,it allows us to help people
that are truly in the midst ofaddiction struggles, maybe
alcoholism, complexities ofmental illness those kinds of
things that we can't doprimarily because our primary
(11:36):
goal is the guest, and so all ofthis is being juggled and
navigated.
I call it organized chaos.
And then, finally, it iscommunication with the partners
to say, hey, we're ready to go,and so that Saturday morning we
were briefing by 8 am and Ithink we had about 14 people in
(11:57):
there hearing about.
The city is divided up north,south, east and west.
Here are the names that we'retrying to reach.
It's prioritized based onphysical ailments, mental
illness, complexities, all ofthose things, so that we know
what we're going into.
And then we do that for threehours, see how much we can get
done, come back and debrief andthe people who either weren't
(12:20):
ready yet or the people that wedidn't make contact with, they
weren't home in their tents orencampments we do what's called
a second sweep and our teams goout and do it a second time.
And then I and Iron man JohnCantrell did a third one at
midnight in some areas that Ihad not been able to all day see
(12:44):
the people and I just could notturn my brain off.
And that's how the warmingcenters begin and the proactive
parts to them.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
How many warming centers did you have in the
community?
Topeka Rescue Mission had itsown internally at the Children's
Palace.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Plus Full House and the shelters.
Right, but there were otherwarming centers that were
networked together, as you'dmentioned.
Some people will go one place,some people with pets.
I think they came to the rescuemission.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Yes, and then?
Speaker 3 (13:12):
street dogs stepped in to board their pets, and so
it was quite a system.
How many different locationswere there?
Speaker 2 (13:18):
So Fellowship Highcrest this was their second
year to partner with us and sothey opened up.
When we did High Crest this wastheir second year to partner
with us and so they opened up.
When we did, we had let's Helpopen up for a couple of days.
We were so thankful for them tosay yes and operated when they
did.
We had True Vine Church.
They opened with us last year.
We were thankful for that.
They did as well this year andwe also have kind of a
(13:42):
coordination with Central ParkChristian Church.
They really are a part of usRight and we're thankful for all
they do.
But they do a lot ofneighborhood outreach.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
With their own neighbors.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Yes, 365 days a year.
So I still try to include themwhen I give thanks and gratitude
for what they do, but I meanthem with Mary Flynn and Rick
Fleming, like they do stuff allthe time as a church body for
unsheltered neighbors, and sothey were running theirs as well
.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Yeah, so all that sounds complicated, but it's
more complicated than it evensounds, and one of the
challenges is that most of thisis run with volunteers.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And so you have to have a robust volunteer system
with TRM, the United Way,coordinating all of that.
And then at least one or two ofthe shelters had a little
challenge getting enoughvolunteers, so they couldn't
continue on, because you can'tjust open up a building and
expect everything to be okay,and so some people in the
community think all you need todo is have some of these vacant
(14:45):
houses and let people come inand they're going to be fine,
and it's just a little bit morechallenging than that, to say
the least.
And so there has to be a goodsystem so everybody is safe and
taken care of.
And if there's a medicalemergency.
I know the first Saturday youopened up.
I came down that morning andthere was an ambulance here
already at Topeka Rescue Missionthe first 30 minutes.
First 30 minutes, the guy who'dcome off the streets.
(15:07):
It was extremely cold.
We didn't have really even thesnow yet.
It was coming Right.
But that's the challenges andrealities.
You have to have people whohave some form of training and
people overseeing that, and Ijust want to say I think that
you and the team and everybodythat centered around this just
amazing job, amazing job, and Ijust hope people know that Um
and and uh, but it's the 22nd ofJanuary, it's still cold and we
(15:31):
don't know what's ahead.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Right and I think that's what's a challenge right
now is navigating.
Um, there are lots of powerfulopinions out there, um, about
how I haven't opened anotherwarming center.
We saw Amanda all over the newsand now she hasn't been when
it's cold.
And why did the rescue missiondo this two weeks ago and
(15:54):
they're not doing it now?
And so that's always achallenge for me as the ED to
navigate.
I can't respond to everypositive or negative opinion,
right, just capacity things andsuch.
But I do think that there is notthe proper education out there
and I will own that if I haven'tcommunicated that well or if we
(16:17):
need to, I definitely will.
But when we enact community widewarming centers, when I take
the lead of of that and TRM issaying we're opening and we've
got incredible partners thatfollow suit, that really is for
a combination of extremes, acombination of extreme temps,
(16:38):
extreme wind chills, extremeprecipitation, challenges that
prevent my outreach teams frombeing able to be out.
When I know I get nervous whenI know I can't get trucks or
UTVs or even walking on foot insome of the areas.
That's also a factor, and so,yes, it is so important that no
(16:58):
one has to be on the streets ofTopeka or in Shawnee County and
be cold, and I agree with that.
Topeka or in Shawnee County andbe cold, and I agree with that.
The other side of it is theTopeka Rescue Mission cannot
(17:18):
continue to do these hugeoperations every time it's cold
or every time it's hot, everytime it snows, every time it
rains, any time that could beharmful to our neighbors.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
And so Because they're already doing big
operations all the time and youcompromise those when you stop
and do this other.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Correct.
And just in five days, barry,that was 220 hours of overtime
for my staff.
We said that's equivalent ofhow many full time?
Five and a half, and that'sjust our hourly staff.
That does not include myself,any of my deputies or the people
(17:59):
that said I'm just going to behere to volunteer, don't pay me.
Um, and so I know for a factthere was one night where three
of us had worked 20 out of the24 hours physically here, and so
there's no telling how manyhours.
And that's not including allthe every night when anybody is
hot or cold, I worry aboutdehydration and such in both
(18:32):
elements, all of this stuff.
But the other side of it is Ifeel very strongly that the Lord
is moving and moving and usingTRM as a tool and a resource to
show what can be done and thewhy right, why we should care.
But that doesn't mean it's thesole responsibility for TRM to
(18:54):
meet the need of every personstruggling in the city or county
.
And so I'm thankful that in thelast couple of days Central
Park Christian Church went aheadand opened a warming center.
I couldn't, based on theparameters of what we have and
the fact that I'm at 300 almostin the shelters.
But just because TRM hasparameters and we function under
(19:17):
that, we are not limitinganyone else in the city or
county from doing what they'recalled to do.
And if every church didsomething, if every business or
organization did something, evenif it's not a warming center,
even if it's just you know what,I want to provide a box of hand
warmers and I'm going to sendthem to Central Park Christian
(19:38):
Church because I know they'redoing a warming center.
That would be that business orthat organization's yes, their
part.
And so it's been rough.
I mean, there's a lot ofnegative talk that has gotten
traction, and so I will continueto navigate, trying to explain
(19:59):
and to educate.
I will also own anything thatcould be done better, but I'm
also standing very firm that theLord is loving and fighting for
his people and that he iscalling more than just the
Topeka Rescue Mission to havethat mission and to care for
(20:21):
people who are broken.
And our city needs to respond.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Well, that's well said, and and LaManda, lamanda I
think that we all recognize,when somebody steps up to the
plate to do something well andyou have in the team of rescue
mission and all the otheragencies that were participating
in this, did it well there isthis mandated expectation you're
going to do it well everysingle time, even when you're
really not equipped to do it allthe time.
(20:46):
And so the question is whoseresponsibility is this?
Whose responsibility is it toprotect the citizens, regardless
if they live in a house or theydon't live in a house, from
harm's way?
And I think that, if we stopand think about that, it's not
the Topeka Rescue Mission'sresponsibility.
Topeka Rescue Mission has beenwilling to do what it can, as
(21:07):
well as let's Help, as well asScent, as well as Central Park,
the other folks that stepped upto the plate on this.
All the volunteers do what theycan, but there's some entities
out here in this community ofTopeka, kansas, that aren't
doing what they should be doing.
And so I think that, withoutgoing there in depth, those of
you who are listening and wouldlike to help educate, who is
(21:28):
responsible for our neighborsout here, who is responsible for
the people who are ill, who maybe having a medical emergency
or may be freeze to death in ourcommunity, topeka Rescue
Mission.
Some churches and othernonprofits have said we're going
to help, but it's really notthe responsibility of TRM.
So if you're on TV and saying,hey, we're doing this, this and
(21:49):
this, thank God that you are andthat people are recognizing and
supporting it.
But unless it becomes the 24-7,365 days a year to be a warming
center or a cooling center,topeka Rescue Mission, which has
not been identified at thispoint, whose responsibility is
it?
And so those are conversationswe're going to have to have
going forward, and at the sametime I'm going to throw it out
(22:11):
here because I'm not yourexecutive director anymore, I'm
your host of this podcast wehave decisions that have been
made at the level of ourgoverning body, leaders in our
community to go ahead and closehomeless camps with nowhere
people to go, and that is beingdiscussed this week.
It's being discussed again nextweek to do more of that.
And so, if you're listening tothis and if this offends you,
(22:31):
I'm very sorry, but whoseresponsibility is it to take
care of our citizens, regardlessif they live in a mansion or
they live in a tent, or do youeven have one of those to be
able to take care of others?
I mean, that is where the rubbermeets the road, and so I think
that more education, yes, isimportant, but more people who
are starting to think ratherthan respond to what these
(22:54):
issues are, I think, is going tobe where we're going to be
known as a community that reallycares, or a community that has
a few people that care and missthe boat.
So, amanda, thank you for beingtransparent on this.
I know there's a lot more.
Is there anything else?
I want to go into housing herein a second, but is there
anything else you'd like to sayaround this issue?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
not everything with the rescue mission, not
everything is feel good storiesthat I can put out there.
Sometimes there are, and that'sgreat, you know, and the
(23:35):
warming center, we had onegentleman who it was?
I don't even know what time itwas, but we pulled up, picked
him up.
We pulled up, picked him up,got his dogs registered and he
was so excited because he wasclose to his final round of
being hired on at a local plantand he was really worried that
(24:00):
this storm was going to preventhim from being able to walk on
foot and get to this final roundof interviews and all of that.
And so we picked him up.
We said, well, will you comewith us?
Yes, and we're so thankful, I'mso thankful that you're doing
this and brought him back.
And he worked TRM's warmingcenter every day and because of
(24:23):
generosity of donors, we got hima pair of new boots.
Because of generosity of donors, we got him a pair of new boots
because he was out shovelingparts of our warming center and
socks and slippers and I don'tknow how long.
He did that while I was out onthe UTV and we were doing
transports and rescues.
(24:43):
I came back in and saw that andI said why are you helping me
in socks and slippers?
And he looked at me and he saidwhy would I not with how you're
helping me?
And so I hugged him.
But I did wrestle him some andtold him I was about to, he was
about to get grounded and helaughed.
So we got him some boots andall of that.
(25:05):
He went either the first orsecond night of the warming
center and went back to thesecond interview and got his job
.
And so then he I came in onenight and he said am I going to
be able to be excused Because Istart?
And I said of course we'regoing to excuse you for being
able to work, of course we'regoing to excuse you for being
(25:26):
able to work.
He's then been in contact withme and asked if I would write a
letter to show what all hevolunteered with, which then
helps with the house arrest.
He's under all of this stuff.
There's beautiful stories likethat, but unless something
changes, I'm never going to putthat in a newsletter.
I'm not going to just ask himto go and exploit everything Now
(25:47):
in his timing, when he's readyto share his testimony.
I would love to, but we havethose moments right and they
matter.
And so he got back on his feet.
He had a place.
What would have happened if hewas a no show because of the
storm, all of these things?
But, barry, as the ED, I alsohave to see the person that is
sitting in a corner rocking, notsure of her name, defecating on
(26:13):
herself the fact that shewasn't alone, the fact that she
was warm, and the fact that Isaw two volunteers with no
training talk to this womanabout the importance of getting
in a shower, and I'm pretty sureit took all day.
(26:36):
I cannot define that any lesssuccessful as I do someone that
utilizes a warming center to geta job.
Successful as I do someone thatutilizes a warming center to
get a job.
In that moment, there is anindividual that is a citizen of
our community who gosh knows howmany people probably drive by
(26:57):
her and look at her and discardher every day, and for four days
she was in this place, lovedand respected, given her space.
I'm not sure if that's going tochange the trajectory, I don't
know, but from my viewpoint andI will continue to represent
(27:18):
this for TRM's mission thatperson is Imago Dei, made in
God's image.
Is Imago Dei made in God'simage and for the fact that she
was able to sit here and notreally have a conversation with
anyone.
When we look at the mission ofour warming centers, that is
just as beautiful and successfulas someone entering back into
(27:40):
the workforce.
And so our guest today on here,I think, is beautiful for so
many reasons, and it'sincredible to see the work she
does every day to help peopletake the next step.
But what makes her even morebeautiful is there was once a
time in her life where sheneeded someone to help her get
(28:02):
to the next steps, and so I'llprobably just cry during this
whole podcast.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
That's a good segue and, amanda, thank you for
sharing, helping people to get alittle inside picture that
maybe didn't in regards towhat's been going on so far this
year.
Here we are again.
We're past the midpoint ofJanuary.
No, you can't say anymore.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
No, I have to tell you one thing.
Someone just said hey, how arethe first three weeks of 2025
going?
I literally crossed my eyes andI said I think it's been three
years and three weeks, right.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's been an avalanche.
And so, before we get to ourguest, miriam, sometimes things
that are really good are birthedout of problems.
We've got plenty of opportunityto have for really good things.
Good are birthed out ofproblems.
We've got plenty of opportunityto have really good things
right, and so one of thosethings was COVID, and when we,
(28:55):
before Amanda's time here, wesaw a lot of needs to make
Topeka Rescue Mission smallerbecause of social distancing,
and this meant we had toscramble for what are some
different things we can create.
Map was created out of that asbeing a good thing today, but
one of the things that TopekaRescue Mission wasn't doing a
lot of was rehousing, and so wewere contacted by the city that
said we have some of thesefederal dollars we would like to
(29:18):
give it to Topeka RescueMission to be able to rehouse
people, and the immediatereaction was no, thank you, and
so that was my-.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
That was your reaction.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
That was my no thank you, because it was government
dollars.
We didn't do that, and so thefolks at the city said, well,
we're not going to give it toanybody else but you, and if you
don't take it, we're sending itback to Washington DC.
Well, that didn't sound good,and so we kind of pondered over
that a little bit and looked atthe legalities of it and this,
that and the other thing, and sowe went ahead and partnered
(29:49):
with Federal Lawyers first timein TRM's history to be able to
say, okay, we'll develop asystem here.
And so, miriam, you got achance to be really the
developer of that system andbring different people in for
some rehousing and being able topass through these dollars to
be able to get people housed.
Some of those monies ran out,and so then TRM had to go out
and raise funds, because it's areally good program to be able
(30:13):
to help people to get to thatnext place.
So, mariam, here we are today.
We're in 2025.
Pandemic was five years ago.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
I know, isn't that a weird thought?
Speaker 3 (30:23):
It is a weird thought and there's been a lot of
people helped through thisprogram, whether it is public
dollars or private dollarscoming into the rescue mission.
What would you like to saybefore we actually talk to our
guest today, Crystal?
Speaker 1 (30:36):
You know I think it's important that we just get to,
just get to Crystal.
But you know I am verypassionate about the housing
program.
I think it's really importantthat we help people get to a
next step.
And that isn't for everybodythat we serve, because people
are in such different places.
The community we serve is justso diverse.
(30:58):
But it is wonderful when we getto see people move into
something that they didn't evenimagine for themselves.
And sometimes that's housingand not necessarily the LaManda
and I had a conversation theother day about it and it's like
there's so some of the folksthat we have housed.
(31:18):
We don't think the places thatthey're living in are great and
they think they are a castle.
And it is such a good reminder,you know, in terms of why we do
this and and helping people tofeel ownership, um and stable is
very, very important, andthat's what our housing team
gets to do.
I I am a big proponent of thehousing program, so housing's
(31:41):
important, but it's not justabout housing.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
It's about that supportive services.
We call it navigation here.
And so, Crystal Guerrero, thankyou for being on the podcast
today.
So are all the nerves gone yet?
Yeah, okay, good, we thought ifwe talked long enough that
maybe you'd just be chillingover there, you know.
So, anyway, thank you for being.
You are Topeka Rescue Missionhousing navigator.
What does that mean?
(32:03):
Thank you for being.
You are Topeka Rescue Missionhousing navigator.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
What does that mean?
That means I get to workalongside with our guests and
help them find sustainablehousing, navigate them through
what's best for them as far aswhere they live, where they work
(32:28):
, how much their income is,being able to just help them
understand and see where theirnext move is going to be and how
to get there.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Why is that necessary ?
To have somebody to help peopleto be able to do the things you
just mentioned?
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Support, support.
I think it's good that theyhave support, support and a
helping hand to guide them,because not everybody gets that
in life and it's an honor to beable to give my hand and walk
through that.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Used to be in the old days that there was in the want
ads in the newspaper.
I don't know if that stillexists, but does it?
Okay I'm not sure though, sorry, cj, haven't been there in a
while that there would be a listof rentals, and so there was a
phone number and you'd call alandlord or an agency or
whatever, and that's how you tryto figure out your housing.
But that can be complicated inand of itself, even knowing that
(33:30):
that exists, but then let aloneall of the financial things
that have to be taken care of toget there.
Some people have got pastutility debt, legal debt, maybe
have been banned from housingbefore for a bad decision, maybe
they have a felony and thenpeople don't rent to a felon, or
whatever the case might be, ora lot of different reasons that
(33:53):
it's hard.
So you represent that personwho is ready for that next step.
And so how difficult is that,or how successful is that to
work with property owners thatmaybe have a place that people
can go?
How important is it to havethat relationship with landlords
?
Speaker 4 (34:12):
It's very important.
I have quite a few that I'mworking with right now and we
have great relationship.
I'm learning more about what'savailable in the community with
people with barriers and it'sreally hard.
It's really hard to navigategetting them if they have had a
(34:32):
criminal record and you knowthere's a lot of stipulations on
those kinds of things.
But, yeah, working with thelandlords, being open,
advocating for our guests andjust putting it out there.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Crystal, getting them to that point where, oh wow,
I've got some keys, I'm going tobe able to get my place now.
It means that maybe I need abed to sleep in.
I need some stuff in therefrigerator.
Oh, wait a minute, I need arefrigerator.
How do you take care of thosethings when people have zero?
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Well, I'm glad you asked.
So at Speaker Rescue Mission wehave a distribution center and
when they are, our guests thatI'm working with are getting
ready to be housed, they have amove-in date.
We get with the distributioncenter and they do a beautiful
job with getting the items thatare needed for that move-in.
(35:23):
The items that are needed forthat move-in, dc will contact
the guest and get the list of.
Sometimes, you know, peoplehave stuff in storage.
Sometimes they have absolutelynothing and I just did a move-in
on Friday and he messaged me.
I talked to him last night andhe said you know, I'm so
grateful they gave me everythingI needed and I said I'll let
(35:44):
the DC know that.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
So those are kind of celebration moments, right,
somebody's been, maybe on thestreets, maybe whatever end up
at the rescue mission and theygo through some training and
some programs and then you getthem to take them to that next
level and here they are in theirown place.
So there are some situationswhere that's kind of
overwhelming to folks thathaven't been in that situation
(36:07):
before, don't know how to handlepaying their rent or their
utility bill or keeping theplace clean or whatever the case
might be.
So once you hand the key offand you have your celebration,
thank you, the refrigerator'sfull, we're good, we're good to
go.
Is that it or is there more?
Speaker 4 (36:23):
That's just the beginning, okay.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
Talk about the rest.
That's just the beginning, okay, talk about the rest.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
That's just the beginning.
We build a relationship beforethat day happens, but we build a
friendship.
We build a friendship.
And no, I talk to the peoplethat I've helped get housed
about a couple of times, a fewtimes a month, and I go visit
(36:46):
them once a month.
Yeah, so, constant check-ins,you know, trying to help them
understand that there areservices out there that will
like there's LEAP and there'sthese things, and help them do
the application and so the restof life is helping them navigate
housing to get them there, tohelp them stay there.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
But then there's more about walking through life,
which for some folks, is allforeign.
Um, if any of you remember, uh,if you went to college, um, and
you left high school and youwent to your first college dorm
and, uh, you're with somedifferent, strange people and
those kinds of things just thinkabout how crazy that was.
And you want to go home, backhome to mommy and daddy.
(37:24):
I mean it was scary to thinkabout that, let alone not going
to college and coming from anenvironment wherever they were
to.
Now I might be able to besuccessful.
How important is it to helpindividuals that you work with
that are your friends now to beable to stay encouraged.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
It's very, very important.
Again, I go back to when youwere just talking.
It reminds me of a gentlemanthat was housed a few weeks ago
and it was his first place.
34 years old, he always livedat home with mom and dad in
California and he ended upcoming to Kansas, been here for
a few years and he had been atthe rescue mission for almost
(38:07):
two years and this was his firstplace.
And I just messaged him acouple days ago and I was like
how's it going?
And he got a game system andhe's loving his own space and
like I told him he would, but hewas super nervous, never had
that and I know he's going tolove it, just like I told him,
(38:28):
it can be really good, but youdon't realize how really good it
is until you feel comfortablein your space yeah, yeah,
Crystal, how long have you beendoing this now at Speaker Rescue
?
I've been here four months.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Four months, okay, so why, what's your why?
Speaker 4 (38:43):
I've always wanted to be over here.
Yeah Well, why I've alwayswanted to be over here?
Yeah Well, since I let me backup.
So I was a guest here, I livedhere.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You lived here to make a rescue mission.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Yeah, about 12 years ago.
Yeah, I had hit my rock bottomand um in addiction.
Uh lost my kids, um and I.
I did the program, did theprogram here and you guys helped
me get housed, um and uh.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
So you've been there.
Yeah, so you know.
You know what all of this isabout for the people that you
are helping to move forward inlife.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (39:23):
So what's that like being on this side of that
particular part of your life now?
Speaker 4 (39:30):
Beautiful To be on this side, being able to give my
hand back and guide them and belike.
I know what you're goingthrough.
I've been in this situation.
I've been in a similarsituation.
There is hope and there is adifferent way about life that
you can go and so I wouldimagine that your experience is
(39:55):
helpful in conversations withthe folks.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
What do you find?
When you're trying to help them, they see, okay, you're a
navigator, you know that'sofficial, that's like, that's
like, that's like government orsomething.
You're just part of the system.
When you have an opportunity tosay I understand A lot of
people that are working insocial services, I hate to say
it they don't understand.
It is a passion that they'vehad, they got some education for
(40:21):
it.
They go, do a thing and theyreally don't understand.
I've worked in a lot ofdifferent arenas outside of
Topeka Rescue Mission before Igot here.
That sounds strange.
I must have been about twoyears old, but anyway, I worked
in institutions that weregovernment institutions for
social services, predominantlymental illness.
We had a lot of highly educatedpeople that really did a lot of
(40:43):
good stuff in school and gotsome really cool stuff on their
wall that talked about differentthings that they accomplished
and all those kind of things.
They had a lot of bookknowledge, but they didn't have
an understanding.
What's the game changer of youhaving an understanding with the
people you're working with?
They go wow, you were here.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
You made it.
I think it makes them more open, more open and willing to know
that somebody else has beenthere.
Yeah, I've had that and they'relike what?
Really?
I said oh yeah, yeah, Like,look, my license was suspended
there.
You know, it took me five yearsto get it.
We're playing a conversation Ihad with someone.
Really, I'm like, yeah, you cando it.
(41:20):
It takes a lot of hard work,you know, but you can do it.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
So there was somebody there for you, would you say,
12 years ago, when you came intoTopeka Rescue Mission, and what
was it like?
You'd gone through some loss,some serious loss.
You had an addiction.
You came to the Topeka RescueMission.
What can you help the listenerto understand what that feels
(41:45):
like to walk through the doorsof a homeless shelter for the
first time and how challengingthat is?
Speaker 4 (41:55):
You come in and you're empty, you're defeated,
you're tired, you're scared.
I mean, there's not a lot ofgood feelings when you're
walking through the door andtrying to figure out what you're
going to do next, when you'vejust lost everything.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
So it's not like, oh, I'm on rescue.
Speaker 4 (42:13):
We're cool now, right ?
No, no, not at all.
No, not at all.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
So when does that, or why does that begin to change
for something more positive thanthat first experience when you
came in?
Speaker 4 (42:26):
something more positive than that first
experience when you came in, Ithink, when you know when you
start working, when they startworking with their case managers
, and well, mine went south,yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
So you know again, I'm asking you to roll it back,
the clock back.
You know in your own experience, and that's, you know, been
over a decade.
But you came in, it wasn't agreat time, and so the question
was what began to change for you, and maybe why?
It wasn't just because you hada bed in a dorm with some other
women.
It was more than that.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
No, I wanted to get my life back on track.
I had mentioned I lost my kidsand I was trying to reconcile um
being back in their life.
Um, so that time when I camethrough, I was focused.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
So you're ready at this point, yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Yeah, I had been here several times before that too,
so, and at that time you weren'tready yet.
I wasn't ready.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Well, that's a story for a lot of folks, you know.
Speaker 4 (43:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
They come to Topeka Rescue Mission and they need a
place to go, but they aren'treally ready for change and
sometimes that's a journey, andthat's a painful journey for the
person experiencing andsometimes the people helping.
Yeah, Because they go, man, wejust see great potential but not
there yet.
So this time you came back inthrough your journey and you
(43:52):
yourself said, okay, I'm readyto do something different.
And so there were some peoplehere and some systems here you
mentioned program and so forththat helped you in your
readiness to move forward.
So when you see somebody comethrough the mission today and I
know more of what you do is thepeople who are ready, but how do
(44:13):
you keep them moving forward?
To stay in that, I'm ready togo to the next place.
Speaker 4 (44:22):
Just having conversation.
Each story is different, Eachindividual is different but just
reminding them what they'redoing it for.
There's some situations attimes where they have debts that
they have to pay and they don'twant to pay it.
I was evicted, but I owe thismuch money and I really
shouldn't have to pay that muchmoney.
(44:43):
But you have to.
You have to in order to move onto the next level and, um,
walking them through that andgiving them a little bit of
understanding of look, you'rehere.
This is the perfect opportunityto be able to pay on that debt,
because you're going to face itfor the rest of your life, so
let's have it paid and go away.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
It's not going away.
Speaker 4 (45:06):
And you know, once you finally, um, the light bulb
clicks and they're like okay,fine, I'll pay it, I'll start
paying on it.
And then to watch them walkthrough and make their monthly
payments and they come throughand say look, I made the payment
, I made the payment and thedebt is now paid.
And they didn't think that theycould do it.
That's super cool, Super coolyeah.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
And without you and your team being there to help
them, to keep looking at if youwant this, you got to do this,
how bad do you want this thing,and to help them to remember
that and then be there tocelebrate with them.
Speaker 4 (45:41):
Yes, that's a game changer.
Speaker 3 (45:42):
Yes, and you can't just do that with a shelter, you
can't just do that with housingand hope that everything works
out Well.
Crystal, what would you liketoday for people to know about
the housing, the rehousingprogram at Topeka Rescue Mission
and the importance of it?
I think we kind of talked aboutit, but what's one thing that
you would like to really leavewith people today in your
(46:04):
experience?
Speaker 4 (46:06):
Of course, housing is super important.
I would like them to understandthat.
You know each case is differentand it's a lot of hard work,
but helping them get a place isthe beginning of their new
journey.
It's the second chance thatthey needed, the beginning of
(46:26):
their new journey.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
It's the second chance that they needed, and
somebody will be like you thatyears later, they'll come back
and they'll start helping otherpeople in the same place.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
That's what it's about, and how rich is that
right?
Speaker 3 (46:35):
That's what it's about.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
Well, and you know the thing that that Crystal has
shown so many times over is thatthere's an even bigger reason.
You know, um, what I, what Ihave watched Crystal do, is she
is sharing her life because shefeels like she has been blessed
and that the Lord has walkedwith her through so many steps,
(46:59):
and she wants to be thatreflection of the Lord to the
people that she gets toencounter every day and she
brings this joy and thisencouragement and this, of
course, you can do, this kind ofattitude that I don't think you
can put value to, or not enoughvalue right To what the person
(47:24):
that she is, how that benefitseach of the people that she
comes in contact with, becauseshe does not see many obstacles.
Right, because she's going tofind a way.
She's going to find a way whenthere's a will, there's a way,
absolutely, and she will tapinto the resources here at TRM.
(47:45):
She is just so committed andit's just beautiful to watch and
it's beautiful to see how therelationships build and what she
is able to do because shebuilds relationships.
Speaker 3 (47:58):
There is a growing popularity today in many
different areas of socialservices, whatever they be, of
the value of peers.
Some programs now are saying weneed to go more towards peers.
Well, topeka Rescue Mission hasalways been about peers, in
other words, people who havebeen there have done that, not
just about professionals whohave never been there, and it's
(48:18):
a mixture here at Topeka RescueMission.
So you are a leader here atTopeka Rescue Mission, also a
peer, that you can uh, helpother people, um, because you
can identify where they are.
Speaker 1 (48:31):
Crystal.
Thank you for being here today.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Thank you for what you're doing and, uh, just um.
God bless you for um justsaying yes to helping people to
to move on forward in theirlives.
Well, amanda, last word um,what's it like, um, for you to
be over here fighting to keeppeople alive on the streets and
knowing that what Crystal justtalked about is part of the big
(48:53):
package here.
What's that like?
It's not just crisisintervention all the time.
It's about helping people to gothe distance with their life,
to come out of homelessness andhave an opportunity of a future.
What's that like to know?
As executive director, youcould be a part of that too.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
I think there's so many things I could say, but I
could just summarize it bysaying there is nowhere else I'd
rather be and nothing else I'drather be doing.
Speaker 3 (49:22):
Thank you it's well said.
Thank you for listening to ourcommunity, our mission.
Today we kind of did some deepdive into some challenges that
we're facing in this communityand the response to some of
those challenges, knowing thatwe really need to go deeper in
regards to what we're doing withour neighbors, for our
neighbors standing with entitieslike Topeka Rescue Mission, who
(49:43):
are standing in a gap right nowfor very, very many people, and
not just for a day or a fewdays when things aren't good,
but for life, as we've heardCrystal and 12 years ago, how
things changed for her.
Thank you for being a supporterof Topeka Rescue Mission.
If you'd like to know moreinformation about TRM, you could
go to trmonlineorg.
(50:04):
That's trmonlineorg.
You can sign up to volunteer,you can sign up to give and you
can sign up just to learn.
What every one of us needs toknow is more about who our
neighbors are.
Thank you for listening to OurCommunity, our Mission.
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