Today we’d like to introduce you to Wayne Walker.
Hi Wayne, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I’m a recovering entrepreneur now focused on building up people rather than a business. As a kid, I would sell bags of candy, dreamt of owning a roadside barbeque stand, and eventually landed in software development, creating efficiencies for manufacturing companies. However, I was tired of the chase for building stuff or the next version of an app and was given a passion for developing the next version of a person. I also was exposed to years of trauma as a child, suffered a traumatic brain injury, battled severe depression and suicide, and am a recovered addict. I’m also hyper ADD and was diagnosed as dyslexic early in college. But God… That phrase appears many times in the Bible, and it usually begins a massive transformation and redemption story. And it’s the same story in my life. After the world fatefully survived Y2K, my wife and I cashed our chips in. We moved to Dallas to start seminary, and I left the software development and business world. We started serving those experiencing homelessness in 2001, and two decades later, we are still passionate about doing that every day. In 2009 my wife and I started a nonprofit out of necessity, not to make a salary or build another business, but because the people we serve deserve a full-time team with a real strategy built with human-centered design, innovation, and some really great technology.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been extremely difficult in many ways – personally for our family and marriage, and organizationally, for the nonprofit. Running a startup is a beating. Running a startup nonprofit as a married couple is a whole next level of crazy. But God…by His grace has carried us through. I’ll highlight two areas:
Innovation: Traditionally, a “homeless guy” can go to a shelter or get into government housing. We call these two unique “exit strategies” from homelessness. But those aren’t a good fit for many people; shelters are full, housing lists are long and have an arduous process, and the negligence in support services has a demonstrable impact on the ability of an individual to thrive in “supported” housing. Our team has found other options, call it additional exit strategies. Technically we have created about 200 unique exit strategies. And with great technology, we can match people to the most appropriate options for them, track their retention, and evaluate the efficacy of these plans.
Fundraising: Every dollar given last year is not a guarantee for this year. We must earn it, showing stewardship and proving our “salt” within the ask. We operate debt free, which means we raise the money, then do the thing. The trek for fundraising is not for the faint of heart. Some people don’t like us because we work with the homeless (they don’t believe they need help), and others won’t fund us because we are blatantly faith-based (we care about your physical AND spiritual condition). Winning the right to be heard, the trust to earn a donation, and the responsibility to communicate the impact is not easy.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
OurCalling helps people walk with Jesus and get off the streets. Those simple words alone can be alarming or triggering for some, but follow me for a minute…
We want to help people get off the streets. We aren’t here to help you camp, enable a destructive lifestyle, or just to “be your friend.” Death is a harsh reality of unsheltered homelessness. With a massive outreach across Dallas County and a huge downtown facility, we meet many people in various stages of life. We work with runaways, the elderly, families, trafficking victims, fleeing victims of domestic violence, and individuals with severe cognitive disabilities. We also work with people down on their luck who need a hand up. Our job, every day, is to help people get off these streets. We utilize a unique strategy, awesome technology, a highly skilled team of +50 staff, +2,000 annual volunteers, and many supporters and partner agencies. Last year we helped people exit homelessness 1,599 times.
We also help people walk with Jesus. Our faith is our motivation and what gets us up in the morning and inspires us to keep going. Everything we do faith-wise is voluntary. People aren’t required to say certain things, pray a certain way, or worship a certain way. We serve everyone, regardless of their tradition. But we also believe that faith works. We believe we were created by God to have a relationship with him, but the crap in our life(sin) creates this massive separation. God sent Jesus to bridge that gap, and through Him, we can have new life. Most people I meet are sick of their lives, and something new sounds like a good option. We don’t require it, but we do offer it.
So, we get a ton of people off the streets, and we help people walk with (follow) Jesus. It’s what we do – specifically with the unsheltered homeless community in Dallas County.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I love to catch fish. It’s my therapy (in addition to seeing my actual therapist), and it’s my chance to enjoy God’s creation. Fresh water, salt water, spinner, baitcast, or fly – it is my jam. I love fishing from a kayak, a boat, or the shore.
Contact Info:
- Website: ourcalling.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/ourcalling
- Facebook: facebook.com/ourcalling
