Papa's House

By Thomas Sullivan

Our homeless population presents an opportunity and challenge for faith-based groups, nonprofits, and the government to develop programs to help people transition into safe affordable housing. While the majority of the homeless are men, women are the most vulnerable living on the street. Housing appears to be the primary need, as once people have secure housing, services can be provided and resources used to assist them become independent. Papa's House, while fictional, does present several characters struggling with life on the streets. While their backgrounds have similarities, each is unique.

In Papa's House, the reader will meet these women and may even identify to them in some ways. Most homeless people do not want to be homeless and, given opportunity and compassion, will succeed in developing independence. It is the author's hope that the book will challenge and motivate readers to take action and become part of changing someone's life forever!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639031672

Book preview

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Papaand#39;s House

Thomas Sullivan

ISBN 978-1-63903-166-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63903-167-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2021 by Thomas Sullivan

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Introduction

Homelessness continues to be one of the biggest challenges in our nation today. It is currently estimated that at least half a million people are homeless here in the USA. Most are males. In Florida, statistics from 2019 indicate about thirty thousand people are homeless. Of that estimate, approximately 2500 are veterans. Current economic conditions indicate those numbers will increase. Women make up a significant percentage of the homeless. Some have their children with them, living in tents or in a car. A few fortunate ones can stay in a cheap motel. Homeless women are a vulnerable group who often resort to panhandling to survive. In too many cases, women feel forced to turn to prostitution to survive on the street. Lack of affordable housing is the primary reason for homelessness today.

The homeless come from different backgrounds but often have some things in common. Papa’s House is a fictional work, but the characters are typical of homeless women. Any similarities with people, living or dead, are completely coincidental.

As the author, it is my hope that this short work will create a compassion for the homeless and that readers will choose to take action to help them.

Chapter 1

A New Beginning

Papa was sitting on the big front porch of his home enjoying a cup of coffee. It was just a few minutes before sunrise, his favorite time of day. He knew it was going to be another hot day in Central Florida. Papa had only lived in Florida a few months after leaving the harsh winters of the northeast. There, he had been a respected minister in his denomination. He had also struggled with alcohol during most of his ministry. Like many strugglers, alcohol eventually controlled him.

Some fellow ministers, family, and friends had tried to help him. Some, through their own personal experience, knew what Papa was going through. But the third time he went to the pulpit intoxicated, it was too much for the church to deal with. His church fired him, and his denomination took his credentials. Soon after, his house was foreclosed, his wife of thirty years left him, and his children were ashamed of him. For a minister who had faithfully taught the love and forgiveness of God which believers should practice, it was disappointing to find little of that from his congregation. Most family members and friends either openly rejected him or avoided him.

Accepting that he had hit rock-bottom, Papa went to a residential alcohol treatment program for a year. While in treatment, he met many men and women from various backgrounds, all of them with one common goal. They were all struggling to take back what they had lost—jobs, family, security, and emotional support. Most had spent time living on the streets before coming to treatment.

Papa understood that substance abuse can cause people to do whatever it takes to feed their addiction and even to survive. Panhandling, stealing, and prostitution were just a few of the unfortunate choices many make. He also knew that many of these people, after treatment, would have nowhere to go. Many had burned bridges with family and friends that may never be repaired. Few government or nonprofit organizations provided aftercare services for people completing treatment. Nor were there enough faith-based programs to meet the needs. So many would return to a difficult life of homelessness.

Papa felt the best strategy would be to house homeless people and then provide support services to help them obtain and maintain independence.

After completing treatment, Papa moved to Florida to start a ministry to address the needs of the homeless, especially vulnerable women. Oddly, he found that at least in Florida, there are programs to house and treat the mentally ill who are homeless, but not much assistance was given to homeless people without a mental health diagnosis. Papa