Pastor Tom Barber, Executive Director of the People’s City Mission of Lincoln, wants to dispel a few stereotypes about the people his organization serves.
“We have ‘Crisis Homeless,’ ‘and Chronic Homeless,’” he began.
Barber explains that there are a minority of tenants at the Mission who, due to mental disease, disability or otherwise, are considered chronically homeless.
More than 75% of them, however, he classifies as crisis homeless. “The greatest amount of people we serve are battered women and children,” he explains.
The People’s City Mission located at 110 Q Street has been serving the homeless and underprivileged of Nebraska since 1907,and their funding costs the taxpayers nothing.
“96% of our proceeds come from donators – about 35,000 people,” Barber states.
The Mission provides a number of services to the community, including a free medical clinic with specialists and pharmacy, youth programs such as the Safe Place program where bullied or at risk teens can go for support, and Veteran’s Assistance programs, which currently house around 30 vets attempting to live on after living through their own battles.
Barber insists that there are enough resources to meet the needs the Mission. “It takes a lot of people giving a little,” he states.
Barber believes that the best way to help is to know the story, to connect with the people. He went on to talk about the women who have escaped domestic violence in the Mission and the men who have rebuilt their lives after divorce had taken everything away from them.
The stories go on from veterans who served and are rocked with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to getting kids and youth off the streets. Barber notes that youth are the fastest growing population of homeless in Lincoln.
When asked what a person could give. He says it very simply: “I want all your worldly possessions…(he pauses for effect)…that you don’t want. We can use absolutely anything,” he concluded with a cheeky smile.
For a college student, for those who don’t have many fiscal resources, though, he suggested that time, and an open heart would help more than anything.
While time may not be a resource readily available before a test or finals, a student might explore on the next scholastic break the opportunity to help people who aren’t quite as able.
It’s an enriching experience, and it puts a whole new perspective on the community, he said.
He added that he would like to see the younger generation “Do a better job of giving than my generation.” Barber said it may not be much, but it may be the world to someone else.