2025 July
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
Do you have a close-knit family? Do you experience a deep sense of connection and loyalty with those in your family unit?
When a family is close, they actively support each other in many different ways. That could include walking side-by-side with them during the smooth-going times and (bold, italic, underline) the rough times, or financially helping out during hardships, or simply offering a hug and encouraging words when someone feels sad.
Strong families usually prioritize their relationships with one another above all others outside of their inner circle. A sense of unity is created because of the shared interests and activities. You just “belong.”
Being separated causes a feeling of emptiness inside your heart. Sometimes, when thinking about the possibility of being without each other, there may even be a “twinge” felt in the pit of your stomach.
The fear of being separated is one reason why some families choose to live in their vehicle instead of at a shelter when they find themselves in a homeless situation.
Many in that circumstance will do things they normally wouldn’t, just to keep their family together. Living in a vehicle is hard. Living in someone else’s home is hard. Living on the street is hard.
What is a better solution?
Jason (not his real name), one of our guests, shares the story of his family’s situation:
I lost my job so when the money ran out, we had to leave our apartment. We tried living with other family members, but that wound up being a bad situation. Believe it or not, none of us felt safe there.
We are a family of four, so it’s hard to find a place for all of us to be together. It was a scary position to be in. I asked around and heard there was a shelter that took entire families in, and wouldn’t separate them. So, I looked into that and found out it was Joy Junction.
We got a ride here [Joy Junction] and the staff welcomed us with open arms. They gave us beds, blankets, and food to eat.
It was such a relief to know that we had a place to stay, and we’d be together…
We are making it our “home” for the time being.
I thank God every day for keeping us safe, healthy, and TOGETHER. I do not know how long we’ll be here or what God’s plan is, but my wife and I have joined the program and feel we will be given the opportunity to begin a fresh start in life.
Joy Junction was created with families in mind. Being homeless as a single individual is hard enough, but when an entire family is homeless, it effects the physical, emotional, and mental health of the whole unit.
Jason and his family are able to go through their day without worrying about each other, as they might in other shelters where the men are placed in one location and the women and children are placed in a different location. We believe allowing families to stay together will help them continue to develop and bond as one unit while they work to turn their life situation around.
Joy Junction has developed into one of the largest homeless shelters in the state who focuses on keeping families together.
Jeremy Reynalds (our late founder) established Joy Junction in 1986 after experiencing the insecurity of hunger and homelessness. He had a dream of being able to minister to the people who were going through what he once did, but his heart hurt for homeless families more than anyone else.
He really didn’t care what had caused their homeless situation. The fact that they were (bold, italic) homeless touched his heart and he wanted to help. He had a big, generous heart, and felt he could not turn a blind eye to their needs.
He worked hard to make that dream a reality, and we are currently able to house and feed up to 350 individuals a day/night. Because of Jeremy’s hard work and all that he has accomplished, Mayor Tim Keller declared July 17th a “Day of Honor” for him.
We will continue to honor him and his work by providing for our guests every day of the year. We daily offer them three homecooked meals, a place to lay their head at night, programs that teach and train them, and opportunities to transform their lives.
Our heartfelt goal is to encourage and enlighten our guests so they can rejoin society and use their newly-formed habits as they reenter the workforce.
Our guests are welcome to stay as long as they truly need help. We strive to get each person to the point of being able to survive on their own. We are thrilled for them when the time comes for them to leave our campus to go to a job and home of their own.
