Liberty Ministry Honors Friends with No Homes
“Tell them we’re people, too, and we didn’t choose this.”
That’s what a person who was homeless told Kim Beck on her first visit to the South Dallas streets in September 2014, and out of that concept has grown Liberty Ministry.
In preparing to teach about generational poverty, Kim realized, “I knew people who were poor, but I didn’t know anyone who lived at that harshest level of poverty.” So she joined an acquaintance in their service to those without homes and upon meeting them, simply asked, “How can I best represent you in my affluent community?”
She spent three hours talking to Henry that day. “I had to go back because I had a friend.”
“These are just people who, because of circumstances, live a very different life than we do,” said Leann White, Liberty Ministry’s co-founder. Leann had retired from youth ministry and was looking for a way to serve.
She knew of Kim’s service and learned Kim needed stuff — “I could be her stuff-getter.” Leann smiled. But when she approached Kim, her answer was, “Come to the streets with me.”
The mission of Liberty Ministry is “developing Godly friendships to bring honor, hope, and healing to people with no homes.”
Honor is so important to Liberty Ministry because something happened to each of the people they meet to have to live without a home — health problems, job issues, or divorce. People don’t choose this.
One friend was married and both worked. “His wife died in his arms. He lost his job then lost his apartment,” Kim said.
“They didn’t have a safety net,” Kim explained. “There’s a breakdown of family and relationships.”
Making friends and building and maintaining these relationships is the cornerstone of what Liberty Ministry does — weekly visits, phone calls, taking them to lunch and more. Fostering that relationship brings hope, and after several years — healing.
For those who seek a home, it doesn’t happen easily. At best, it can take 60-90 days to get into an apartment with the help of a caseworker. “Such a process can cause people to give up,” Leann said.
When they do get a place, however, Liberty Ministry is there to help their friends settle in. They’ll furnish the apartment and supply other items they need to set up their new home, including toasters, trash cans, art for the walls, and curtains.
“We tell them we won’t put anything into their home if we wouldn’t put it in ours,” Kim said. They currently have commitments to two friends to set up their homes.
Liberty Ministry has two storage spaces for items they’ve received, and they can honor their friends by sending pictures and letting them choose what they like. “It’s important to give them what they need, not just stuff we think they need,” Leann said.
Their Pen Pals program is another way to maintain friendships. Once a friend gets into a home, they may feel isolated and alone, especially after constantly being around other people in a shelter.
“Within 30-60 days after getting a home, they physically change,” Kim said, in part because they can eat what they want, when they want. They’ve also shed a lot of the stress from living on the streets.
“When you meet these people, it changes your perspective so quickly,” Leann said. “They’re not all ‘drug addicts and crazy people.’ Some are well-educated,” such s friends who have master’s degrees, one in landscape technology and another in psychology.
While mental health and drugs can be an issue for those without a home, it’s a chicken-or-the-egg question about which came first. “People are eight times more likely to develop mental health issues on the street,” Kim said.
Every Tuesday, Liberty Ministry leads a Bible study at Austin Street Center, one of the largest low-barrier shelters in Dallas, that started with 5-6 people three years ago and now regularly draws 25-30. “When faith is all you have, you hold it tight,” Kim said.
With Liberty Ministry spending $400-500 a month on the snacks, drinks, Bibles and devotionals for their Bible study, as well as $600-$1000 per apartment, financial assistance is always welcome. They rely on volunteers to move items, attend Bible study, and serve as “personal shoppers,” sourcing what their friends need for their new homes.
Liberty Ministry also supports several organizations, such as by supplying blankets for times of inclement weather and purchasing other basic hygiene items.
They hold two promotions during the year to collect items. April Showers is a collection throughout April of bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths for organizations that have showers available for people experiencing homelessness.
To help, purchase new items through their organization’s registry at Target. You can also arrange a pickup by sending a message to Liberty Ministry through Facebook, or drop off items at the Mission U center at Trietsch Memorial UMC.
During “Soctober” they will collect new socks — the least donated and most needed item at homeless shelters.
To learn more or to help, visit liberty-ministry.org.
