Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Sweeney.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Bob. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began in homeless ministry 20 years ago having once been a senior pastor and then the head chaplain for a prison in Pennsylvania. I came to Dallas in 2005 with the Homeless No More Program I had written 15 years before. For years I had seen caring people in my churches that wanted to make a difference yet I was convinced they did not know where to begin. I then went into the prison ministry and had thousands of inmates that wanted to return to society as contributing members and I was equally convinced that they did not know where to begin. When I went into homeless ministry I wondered if I could write a program that would take caring volunteers and connect them with indigent people who did not wish to remain indigent and through encouragement and accountability establish a mentoring relationship which could lead to recovery. I could not be more satisfied with the results I see using Homeless No More at Dallas LIFE.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It took years or rewriting the program and recognizing that it is not a one size fits all program. That has helped us restructure it to also meet the needs of Veterans, the disabled and senior citizens, all of whom have unique and separate needs. People in recovery are always in transition. The poor will always be with us, so instead of attempting to eradicate a problem that will never go completely away, perhaps we should learn something from these dear needy people while we attempt to put structure back into their lives.
Rapid rehousing is not the answer because homeless people used to have a home. If we do not find out why they lost the homes they once had, they will lose every one we supply for them until we reach the root causes of their homelessness and fix that before proceeding.
Dallas LIFE Homeless Shelter – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Dallas LIFE is the largest homeless shelter in north Texas. We exist to radically transform the lives of homeless people through accountability and biblically based recovery programs. We see 90 percent of those going through the program reach complete recovery as compared to less than 10 percent across the country. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson says we are “the best example of a homeless recovery program she has ever seen.”
We are most proud of the people who leave Dallas LIFE never needing our services again and we stand apart because we see each person as someone of worth. We recognize that each person coming to us for help has different needs.
We are the only shelter that takes single dads with children and the Veterans Administration chooses to send all of their homeless families headed by a Veteran.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Winston Churchill said that success is going from failure to failure with losing your enthusiasm. Here at Dallas LIFE we realize the next person waiting to see us might be the biggest success story we have ever had, so we make sure we take time to listen and listen intently to each story and imagine that it could be us in the chair with no place to stay.
Our criteria is a person who is willing to change. That’s all it takes and we take it from there.
Pricing:
- Dallas LIFE asks $12 per night from those with a source of income staying with us.
- Homeless No More is free for those with no source of income and children always stay free.
- It costs Dallas LIFE $24.75 for every man woman or child every night they stay.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1100 Cadiz Street
Dallas, Texas 75215 - Website: www.dallaslife.org
- Phone: 214-421-1380
- Email: rsweeney@dallaslife.org
- Instagram: @dallaslife
- Facebook: facebook.com/1100cadiz
- Twitter: @dallaslife
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