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Mission launches Esther's Ladder: Transitional housing program for single women
The People’s City Mission has served the homeless in Lincoln for more than 100 years. Our experience has proven that, while short-term emergency shelter is vital, it is not enough to break the cycle of homelessness or addiction. The need for a long-term approach led to the development of our transitional housing programs, including our newest program for single women, Esther’s Ladder.
Esther's Ladder is a faith-based program designed to help women get back on their feet. The goal is to give participants the time and tools they need to break free of the cycle of poverty and destructive patterns, change their lives in a positive way, and become the person God meant for them to be.
The program's name comes from Esther in the Bible, who reminds us that a person has choices no matter where he or she is in life, and that with God's help they can overcome any circumstance.
The mission of Esther's Ladder is to foster an atmosphere of encouragement, truth, and love that promotes life transformation, freedom and health. The program is encompasses five basic elements: spiritual development, recovery, education/vocation, identity/leadership, and life management. The plan is individualized based on each guest’s needs.
For more information, contact Becky Painter at bpainter@peoplescitymission.org.
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Teens for Jeans
Across the country, Aeropostale and P.S. from Aeropostale stores are collecting gently worn jeans to donate to teens at local homeless shelters, including the Mission. The “Teens for Jeans” campaign, put on in conjunction with DoSomething, encourages teens to run a denim drive in their high school and bring their donations to the local Aeropostale store. Aeropostale will then bring all the jeans to the Mission. The school that donates the most jeans to the campaign will receive $5,000, a new pair of Aeropostale jeans for every student, and a party. For information on the steps you can take to start a collection in your school, click here.
Anyone can participate in the program right here in Lincoln by bringing your jeans to the Aeropostale store at the Westfield Gateway Shopping Center between January 16 and February 12. For every pair of jeans you donate, you’ll receive a coupon for 25% off the purchase of a new pair.
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Meet Randy
Randy Hand has been homeless for more than 15 years. At one point in his life he was married, had a good job, and vacationed at various scenic spots around the country. He lost all of that, however, to an alcohol addiction.
Randy continued to travel the country homeless, hitching a ride to the next city on a greyhound bus. He never had much of a plan for what he would do when he arrived; he just wanted to go somewhere.
“The plan was just to get drunk,” he said. For nearly two decades, Randy roamed from state to state, slept under bridges and in alleyways, and continually searched for his next drink. Finally, he got tired of his transient lifestyle and came back to Lincoln, where he had been born.
As Randy struggled with his alcoholism, he felt God reaching out to him and pushing him to face his problems.
“I would just drink more and not think about it,” he said. Of course, God never gave up on him, and eventually Randy gave in. He checked into rehab at Cornhusker Place and, more than a year later, came to stay at the Mission. He’d never before checked into a shelter.
“I wasn’t a ‘mission person’,” he said. “They had rules, and you weren’t supposed to drink there.” Randy claims the Mission has far exceeded his expectations.
“The people here are so willing to help us,” Randy said. “They really want us to succeed, and they’re willing to do anything they can to help us.” That willingness to help is just one way God’s love has been manifested in Randy’s life, and for that he says he is grateful.
Today, Randy is sober. He lives in the Mission’s transitional housing and holds a steady job in the Mission’s kitchen, cooking meals for his fellow guests. He attributes his progress whole-heartedly to the Lord and is deeply grateful for the people God has used to touch his life.
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"I feel that what you do for the people of this city is great, and I thank you so much for your help and your generosity."
- Anonymous
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