When You Give, You Receive

Kyle

Kyle was a former Veteran who had been homeless for three months, due to accumulative circumstances. He moved to Blairsville to be closer to his daughter and while he thought he was just trying to help others, he soon realized they were actually taking advantage of him. He also had a service dog and a rescue dog which made it difficult to find a place to rent.

The St. Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Francis of Assisi helped Kyle with gas money and paid his car insurance so that he could continue to search for a job and a home. When the weather turned cold, the Conference volunteers became concerned that he would not stay warm enough, so they called and met with him to give him some sleeping bags. He was so grateful, and expressed the desire to start coming to church, so he starting attending services. The volunteers also learned that Kyle’s generous spirit was still intact and he ended up giving one of the sleeping bags to another homeless person.

Meanwhile, several other missions and churches helped Kyle find a place to rent, bought him some clothes for job interviews, and let him use their facilities for showering before his interviews. As a result of the community’s efforts and his determination to do what he needed to do, Kyle succeeded in obtaining a good job and a place to rent though he eventually had to make the sacrifice to surrender his rescue dog.

Kyle learned valuable lessons during the three months that he was homeless. He knows he needs to take care of himself first, but still wants to pay it forward and help others. He said caring for others was instilled in him, but that he has learned to be cautious. Kyle said the one thing people couldn’t take away from him was his faith in his maker. He has always depended on the Lord to pull him through and he tries to surround himself with positive people.

A member of the St. Francis Conference said, “I hope our parishioners will remember Kyle’s story when they are sitting next to a stranger in church. I hope Kyle felt welcomed here at St. Francis and visits our church again.”