The Twin City Mission provides for people in need throughout the community. It could be you; it could be the person walking by you in the grocery store or the child sitting next to your child in class. The changing economy has changed the face of homelessness as well. Most important, it could happen to any of us, says Ron Crozier, director of community relations for Twin City Mission.
Twin City Mission aims to provide a home for the homeless, a friend for the friendless, and hope for the hopeless. They don’t just provide a service for the community; they are truly part of the community, reaching out to help others in need. “The face of homelessness is moving toward a trend of people needing short-term assistance,” Crozier tells us. There is a national, state and local trend occurring where professionals have been laid off due to the current economic trends and are simply unable to find new jobs.
“Homelessness can happen to anyone, because of anything,” says Crozier. “There is always the fear factor of homelessness. The second someone looses a job and is late on a payment, that fear enters their mind.”
Homelessness today is a far cry from what we see in the movies or from what most people perceive. The National Alliance to End Homelessness has added the current State of Homelessness Report to their website and the statistics are sobering. In one year the homeless population has increased by more than 20,000 people, just over 3 percent; the population of homeless families with children increased by more than 3,200 households or 4 percent in that same time frame. The increase in homeless families is more than any other group mentioned in the report, including single individuals, veterans and those designated as chronically homeless. When people think about homelessness, the first thought in their mind is rarely a mother, father and their two young children, but the unfortunate truth is this is what is happening more and more.
One of the goals at Twin City Mission is to increase awareness of the new “face” of homelessness so more people can be helped and more people will realize that they are not alone. “We’re all here to help each other,” Crozier reminds us. “This community is all about collaboration.” Collaboration is an idea Twin City Mission cherishes and promotes. By collaborating with the community and setting up volunteer opportunities, Twin City Mission and the community have been spreading the message that we are all the same. “Volunteering benefits you,” says Crozier, “but it also benefits the Mission because you’re showing people who have become homeless that we are all the same. You cannot put a price tag on this kind of help.”
Community support and trust are what make Twin City Mission so effective. With only one true fundraiser, which is more about raising awareness than money, Twin City Mission relies on the support of the community to continue their mission of help. From donating money to helping to provide meals for those staying at the mission to donating time to help serve food in the Twin City Mission cafe, the Brazos Valley community has stepped up and proved that generosity and compassion thrive here.
There is a way for everyone to get involved with Twin City Mission. Even Texas A&M football players have played an enormous role in boosting moral and promoting the idea that we are all one and the same. Though the football players have helped in several ways, Crozier tells the story of one Christmas where the players, having been touched by their work at Twin City Mission, asked to have some of the children come visit them at the practice fields. One player dressed as Santa Clause and they passed out presents because they wanted these children to know they were loved and to have the perfect holiday season. Volunteering doesn’t have to be extravagant, but the image of the famed Aggie football team passing out presents is one Crozier says will stay with him.
Twin City Mission serves as both a source and a resource says Crozier. “For those needing help the message is that Twin City Mission will provide it, or at least help you find whatever type of service you need.” From referring victims of domestic violence to aid and support to the Universal Child Abuse Prevention program, Twin City Mission acts as a resource to help individuals connect to the type of help they want.
The message, says Crozier, is that no matter what problem you are facing, or what it takes to get someone the help they need to help themselves, Twin City Mission is right next-door and ready to help.
Visit www.TwinCityMission.Org to find out more about their many programs and volunteer opportunities.
