The Positive Voices

Over the past year, it has been increasingly obvious that the needs in our community run deep. Some people need long-term support to recover from addictions and break the cycle of poverty. Others, like Carl, are most in need of basic services— three hot meals a day, a warm, safe place to sleep and encouragement as they regain stability in their lives. Carl first came to Guiding Light Mission two years ago after an accident forced him out of work after twenty-two years as a truck driver. “I knew the Mission was here,” Carl shares. “When I lost my job, I was grateful that I could come. They’ve been very good to me.” Over the past few years, the downward economy has seriously affected Carl, losing real estate properties where he once served as a landlord. The same story is true for many people in West Michigan. Grand Rapids was recently named #1 nationwide for having the steepest increase in poverty since the year 2000. Couple that with unemployment, which is up 11.8 percent in Kent County since this time last year, and many are finding themselves seeking community services like those provided at Guiding Light Mission. “We have seen a steady increase in need over the last few years,” said executive director Stuart Ray. “Stays in our emergency shelter are up by 20 percent over the last two years due in part to the downtrodden economy that has left many living below poverty.” In 2008, an estimated 6,022 people in Grand Rapids were homeless, according to a report by the Coalition to End Homelessness. Today, 25 percent of the metropolitan population in Grand Rapids is and they take care of those people here. That’s what I really like There are only 600 shelter beds in the Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids, with 104 of those beds located at Guiding Light Mission. With an increased need for shelter, Guiding Light Mission has safely sheltered more in its facility than they have beds. “I’ve been more blessed than homeless individuals. many homeless people,” Carl acknowledges. “I’ve had a job, I’ve in business. But when I lost all that, the Mission was here to take care of me.” To learn more about Guiding Light Mission, please visit www.lifeonthestreet.org.