John Tumino

Covid-19 is a Pandemic that has affected all of us around the world but right here in Syracuse NY and Onondaga County we are also battling an Epidemic. Over the last 9 years of doing street outreach we have seen a rise in Heroine use among our friends who are experiencing homelessness. We have seen an increase in used needles laying around our streets were ever you go. One of the missions during our clean ups with Hire Ground is to locate theese needles and dispose of them properly so that our community is clean and safe from incident. Kevin (IMFK Van Driver) is reponsible for this task, Kevin wears special gloves that protect him and the needles are put into a sharps container that will be dropped off to a secure location who disposes these needles. Its so heart breaing to see our friends who are being ravaged by Heroine, this addiction is so powerful and its touching so many lives. Every week we receive calls from family members who are at the end of their ropes trying to figure out how to assist their loved ones. Many times family members will see our posts and thank us for doing what we do. During Hire Ground work days many great conversations take place regarding addiction. Kevin and Paulette are survivors of addiction and the insight and light they shine to our friends is priceless. They are lights shinning a way out of the darkness of addiction.

One of the great opportunities with Hire Ground is colaborating with other comminty partners for the greater good of our City and County! Today we partnered with the State Department of Transportation cleaning up under some bridges in our City. We received a call from D.O.T. Commissioner last week about a concerned bridge that was a mess and receiving complaints from community citizens regarding its appearance. So today Kevin, Paulette and crew went out to make these areas shine again. We always make sure that no one is living in these locations and if there where someone staying there we would clean around someones belongings and engage the individual who was staying there. Hire Ground has multiple opportunities with its mission and partnership with Onondaga County, first is to our friends who are homeless and panhandling second is colaborating with City, County and State agencies and third to you our Community members. This 3 pronged approach means win win win for everyone and Together we are Building Hope and Changing Lives

John and Leigh Ann

Celebrating events is a big deal at IMFK especialy someones Birthday! JD joined our TEAM 3 weeks ago and has fit in perfectly with our system. His heart for our friends is incredible so today we surprised him with a Carvel Ice Cream Cake and a birthday song from the crew. JD you are so appreciated and we look forward to many more Birthday Celebrations at IMFK.

 HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY 

John and Leigh Ann

Always something new happening on street outreach. Today as we were giving our friend G a lunch we asked if there was anything else he needed. G said yes can you remove the staples in my head I missed my appointment and need them removed. Dr. Lehman stepped right up and said of course lets step into my office (outreach van). We walked over to the IMFK outreach van got the tool needed and the staples where removed. G was so appreciative and Dr. Lehmann was so gracious and loving in the removal process. After Doc was finished G was so eager to talk and said he needed our assistance to secure housing. That right there is music to a street outreach workers ears. A simple meal ( meatball sandwich) a house call from a Doctor some toiletries opened a door for further engagement. It never ceases to amaze me how far a little dignity and value will go with our friends outdoors.

The Topic of Mental Health is a Tough

Many of us reading this post may have friends or family members suffering with variations of Mental Health disorders. The reality is that Mental Health is a serious condition just like other conditions that many of us are dealing with. One of the challenges about discussing this topic is the stigma that wraps itself around the one who is suffering. My post today is to bring awareness to and the challenges of tying to assist someone suffering with with a Mental Health disorder. This photo is not here to shame anyone its to show the reality of whats happening on our streets. Drugs are one key component to drive someone to homelessness but the othe major key is untreated mental health conditions and encouraging someone to get help. Our friend here ( we will call him Al) is an elderly man who has a untreated Mental Health condition and he refuses our assitance. (Al) will take our lunches and some water but refuses clothing and connections to mental health providers. (Al) is elderly and vulnerable to something bad happening to him outdoors. With out knowing (Al) you would think that he is just an old man wandering and drunk (a bum) but that so far from the truth. (Al) is a man that has value, has a family and is caught in a cycle of untreated mental health. One of the things that I have observed over the years is that when someone has a broken leg or arm there is a cast placed to help the mending process and those of us in the community seeing these individuals understand that there is a broken bone because we see a cast. Well with mental heath there is no cast to put on and for us in the community we must realize that just because we dont see a cast on someones head we should not assume that everything is back to normal. What we will continue to do with (Al) is love him engage him reach out continually to mental health providers and believe that (Al) will say yes to assistance. You might be asking why cant they just pick him up? As outreach provider to the homeless I think that as well but one thing I have learned dealing with mental health challenges is that if someone is not a harm to themselves or others they can not be picked up against their will. My prayer as a Clergy Member is that these laws would be revisited and that a new approach could be established with engaging friends who are suffering with Mental Heath. During my prayer time today this passge came to my thought

“How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”

John 1:48 NLT

No one is Invisible and we at IMFK will continue to advocate for our friends especially for our friend (Al)