By NATE KING
Salina Post
Mike Smith, 62, was born and raised in Salina. After graduating high school from Salina Central, he served in the Army National Guard. And when his contract with the Army was fulfilled, he went to work as a laborer building retaining walls in Nebraska.
"I was raised knowing that after I graduated high school, I would be out of the house. My parents made that clear to me, which was fine. They wanted to travel the world after raising the kids," said Smith (whose name was changed for this story at his request).
After working a physically demanding job for years, he was dealt a series of health setbacks that caused him to go on disability. Smith recently moved back to live in Salina hoping to retire and live the rest of his life here.
But he is now homeless and staying at the Salina Rescue Mission.
Smith is one of the more than 900 individuals who receive shelter at the Salina Rescue Mission, Domestic Violence Association Central Kansas, Salina Grace and Ashby House. Based on local data, there are likely close to 2,000 people who experience some form of homelessness in Saline County each year.
Homelessness forum: Chad Young
Late last year, the city held a well-attended public forum regarding the homeless population in Salina. Anne Zimmermann of Eggers & Zimmerman Law & Mediation mediated as nonprofit leaders, local law enforcement officers and community members who experienced issues relating to homelessness contributed to the learning session for the city commissioners and the broader public.
One of forum presenters was Chad Young, executive director of Salina Grace Rescue Mission, a nonprofit Christ-centered organization. Young has worked to address the homelessness crisis for 15 years. Through his years working with the men at the rescue mission, he has seen first-hand how anyone can experience homelessness. Young's message focused on the words of Jesus and the Rescue Mission's calling: Love and serve our fellow neighbors. At the forum, Young showed images of tents on the side of a public street.
"Homelessness gets pretty ugly at times and affects our community in ways that we don't want it too. It's disturbing," Young said. "Yet behind all of this mess that we see is there's a person who's going through something that he doesn't know or she doesn't know how to get out of. There's issues that are arising that need to be addressed. As we began looking at homelessness, we need to start understanding what the underlying causes are that create homelessness."
According to a study by Mental Health America, Kansas ranks last in the nation when it comes to access to mental health resources. Young and the staff the at the Salina Rescue Mission are increasing their reach when it comes to providing access to mental health resources.
"All people need a sense of community — and that includes the homeless population. At the mission, we are currently working to secure housing and property to provide more halfway-housing to men who need additional support after they leave the mission," Young said.
He said providing halfway housing is a struggle due to the current housing shortage across the state and in the Salina community.
About the mission
The Salina Rescue Mission was organized in 1983. For the past 40 years, the mission has provided through Christian ministry food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs. Far too often, Young said, people are dehumanized and labeled based on their condition, rather than their identity.
"A person who experiences homelessness is not defined by their condition. They are someone's son, brother, father, cousin, or uncle. They are real people." Young said.
From serving three daily meals to providing job opportunities and mental health resources, the Salina Rescue Mission is dedicated to enriching the lives of homeless men in Salina.
Annually, the Salina Rescue Mission serves more than 50,000 meals to sober, homeless men over the age of 18. The mission serves three meals a day, seven days a week. Dinner is open to anyone in the community and is served right after chapel service, which starts at 6 p.m.
Part of setting up their guests for success, the mission's employment program is designed for men whose goal is to get a job, save money and return to living on their own. The program helps guests build their resume, fill out job applications, create monthly budgets, pay off debt, and establish future goals to stay on the right track.
The mission also helps restore their guests spiritual needs. The mission's New Life program is for men who want to focus on building a new relationship with Jesus Christ at the center.
The New Life program consists of biblical counseling, working to mend and restore relationships, identifying areas in their life need changed, and restoring their relationship with God.
Young emphasized that the Salina Rescue Mission is a faith-based organization and does not receive any government funding.
"All of our programs are 100 percent supported by our community," Young said. "A majority of our donors choose to give between $20 and $100 dollars a month. Because of them, we are able to help people right here in Salina."
To donate or learn more about the work Salina Rescue Mission is doing to improve the lives of individuals without homes, visit its website.