Movin' on Up

By Laura Chandler
Chief Operating Officer

Many of us (ok, maybe all of us) are ready to say, “Au revoir,” to 2020. It’s been a tough year and ringing in the New Year sounds oh, so very sweet. 

But, before we close out 2020 and file it away into the deepest, darkest corner of our mind, let’s remember the good things…at least for a moment…so we start 2021 off right!

Here are the stories of our four residents who all persevered in our programs this year at The Field’s Edge.

 Perri
Perri became a resident at The Field’s Edge after living at the Salvation Army for over a year. At the start of 2020, she had been in our Neighbor Care program for just a few months.  She was living in an RV that she had secured on her own but, through our program, was receiving help with the RV lot rental space. She was working a job as a dishwasher at restaurant…a job which she hated…and she was lonely…living out in an RV park by herself. It was only a few months into 2020 when things got worse and she lost her job. But Perri did not get discouraged. She is a small lady, but she is strong lady. Perri came into our office…pretty much every day…for company and for help finding a job. It worked. Within a few weeks, she found a new job. And not just any job, a job she loves. But Perri didn’t stop there. With the support of our Neighbor Care program, she moved her trailer to the same RV park as our other three residents; she enrolled in the Marketplace and is fully covered with health and dental insurance; she applied to Midland College to earn her Clerk Certificate; and she was awarded Employee of the Month! Just a few weeks ago she said that 2020 was the best year she could remember. Way to go, Perri!

Connie
Connie joined our Neighbor Care program in 2019 after living in her car for several years. This year was tough for Connie because she has COPD and at high risk for complications if she contracts COVID. She has worked, and still works, at the Salvation Army as their lead cook. Connie is also quiet lady and enjoys her privacy. At the start of 2020, she was in our Neighbor Care program and living in an RV with a roommate which was not an ideal situation for a private lady like Connie. It took some coaxing to pry it out of her that she was unhappy with her living situation and afraid for her health living in close quarters with someone else. God was listening to this quiet lady because that same month, maybe even that same week, we received a call from a very generous donor that wanted to gift The Field’s Edge a brand-new RV. So, in April, at the height of the pandemic, we moved Connie into her very own RV. She now lives next door to her old roommate which is her best friend (just not a good roommate). Way to speak up, Connie!

Photo of Ted by Conrad Coleman

Ted
Ted started off this year living in an abandoned building on south Big Spring street. He had no electricity, no job, and only a bike for transportation. Every day he would peddle to our office and do odd jobs to earn just enough money to survive. Ted is an extremely hard worker, and he loves to tinker (we call him our Chief Tinkering Officer) but he was extremely down on his luck. However, things turned around for Ted this year. In February, another RV was donated to The Field’s Edge and we moved Ted to our temporary village that is an RV park. Ted was excited about his new home but worried he would not be able to make rent (all of our residents are required to pay rent which is low but requires each person to earn at least a small income). So, Ted started working our Glean Up program which is a low-barrier work program that pays cash to those living on the street to pick up litter. The program is four to six months in which participants are expected to show up to work regularly and work with a case manager to set goals and receive the support they need to enter the work force. Ted flew through the program. He was our first graduate. He got enrolled in the Marketplace for health and dental insurance, he got his diabetes under control, he put a resume together, and he got a job as cook. He even reconnected with his family and attended his son’s high school graduation.  Way to work, Ted!

Kim
You think you had a tough year?? No, you didn’t. Or at least it wasn’t as tough as Kim’s year, I promise. Kim’s year started out great. She had a job, she was living in one of our RVs, she had a roommate. In her own words, she was “like George Jefferson, movin’ on up.” You remember that bad roommate I mentioned in Connie’s story? Well, that was Kim. Around April, everything fell apart. Kim fell off the wagon; burned bridges with all her friends; she lost her roommate; and she lost her job. Then she lost another job. And then another. It was a roller coaster of a year for Kim. And the ride is not over. But it’s improving. Kim is working through an addiction program, she mended a few relationships, and just started a new job. Hang in there, Kim! We love you.

All of us at The Field’s Edge are so proud of our residents and everything they accomplished this year. They looked 2020 in the face and said, “I’ve got this.”  I have no doubt that 2021 will be even better. We are adding a fifth resident very soon and then four more when we complete our tiny home village in the fall. We are “movin’ on up” thanks to our donors, board members, staff, and beloved residents.