Jesus Center "ambassadors" offer solace for…
Jesus Center "ambassadors" offer solace for homeless
Forty-eight-year-old Rickey Russell (LEFT), a homeless man, speaks to Bill Such of the Jesus Center on Wednesday at City plaza.(Ty Barbour/Staff photo)<p class='dotPhoto'>All Chico E-R photos are available <a href='http://chicoer.mycapture.com/'>here</a>.</p>
By Larry Mitchell |
CHICO — There was an unusual celebration at City Plaza Wednesday.
About 25 homeless people were rewarded with barbecued hot dogs and cold drinks.
The outdoor lunch marked the launching of an initiative by the Jesus Center, a local organization that provides free meals to the needy.
Once a month, clients of the Jesus Center will participate in a downtown cleanup, said Bill Such, the center"s executive director.
They"ll walk from the center, which is on Park Avenue south of downtown, and pick up trash in places frequented by the homeless, such as City Plaza, Children"s Playground and Depot Park, near the train station.
Such said the idea for this project came from his reading an editorial in the Enterprise-Record at the beginning of the year.
It listed a number of stories the paper"s editors hoped to be able to print in 2008. The one that caught Such"s eye was a hoped-for story stating that the city had found "a way to deal with homeless people in City Plaza, and a way to reassure residents that the $4 million plaza is a safe and inviting place for families."
There are problems at City Plaza caused by homeless people and others with time on their hands. At times, there"s loud music, people who are high on drugs or alcohol, folks sleeping on the bandstand stage or engaging in generally "loutish behavior," all of which can frighten "normal people," Such said.
The new initiative grew out of what the Jesus Center calls "Neighborhood Ambassadors," staff members who patrol the area within a couple blocks of the center looking for potential problems.
A few weeks ago, Such said he decided to extend that program and create "Downtown Ambassadors." Once a day, he and three other staff members from the center walk to the plaza, through downtown, and over to Children"s Park and Depot Park.
"Primarily, it"s developing relationships," he said. The ambassadors, who wear fluorescent green vests, talk to people who look like they might need help. They inquire about those people"s needs and let them know about the Jesus Center, the Torres Shelter, and new facilities for homeless youth.
Such said a police officer who patrols downtown told him one of the big problems was trash left around City Plaza. That gave him the idea to start the monthly cleanup work.
He said it wasn"t hard to round up 25 volunteers for Wednesday"s trash-collecting operation. A few of the center"s clients wanted to do something for the community, and others were eager just to have something to do, he said. And, of course, the hot dogs and drinks were an incentive.
Such said he"d appreciate donations of food from local businesses to reward the cleanup crews in the future. The hot dogs served Wednesday came from such a donation.
He also said he"d welcome any citizens who"d like to join the ambassadors on one of their daily walks.
The "homeless problem" is really the whole community"s problem, he said, adding he"d like to see residents get involved in helping to solve it, even in small ways.
Churches could "sponsor" a homeless person or family for a year, and businesses might offer entry-level jobs, he said.
Also, individuals might extend themselves by being friendly, he said. It"s important to always use common sense, but if the scene and circumstances seem safe, citizens could approach mentally ill people they see talking to themselves, he said. They could ask how they"re doing and just listen to them for a little while.
"Frequently, they are crying out for a bit of human contact," he said.
Staff writer Larry Mitchell can be reached at 896-7759 or lmitchell@chicoer.com.
Larry Mitchell