Guest Post by Pastor Brian Nixon I remember the first time I spent the Easter holiday at a homeless shelter. I did so, not as a homeless person, but as an evening counselor. The year was 1989. I recently began working for the Tri-City Homeless Shelter in the Bay Area of California, acting as the evening counselor for the … Read More
Skeptical Homeless Speak Out about their Hopes from the New Mayor.
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. One compares politicians to addicts and says they lie, deceive and manipulate With Albuquerque’s mayoral runoff on the home run and the partisan jabs going back and forth, we asked a few shelter guests whether they thought the new administration would make any difference in services provided by the city … Read More
What’s So Special About 1440?
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. All the partisan political sniping, pious pontification and nastiness that’s still being unleashed over social media does nothing except take away time and valuable creativity from the 1440 minutes available daily that we have to make a difference in the lives of the needy. If we spend the discretionary portion … Read More
Being Homeless is Tough But You Can Help
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. There’s probably not a day that passes when you don’t see a homeless person, or a panhandler who is possibly homeless, in Albuquerque. Here’s a shocking statistic. In 2016 the estimated average life expectancy in the U.S. is 79 years old and a 2014 article pointed out that the normal … Read More
Joy Junction at 31. Turning 60, Shelter Founder and CEO Has Spent More Than Half of His Life There
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Joy Junction is three decades plus old. It is hard to believe the shelter I founded turned 31 this year, and turning 60, that I’ve spent almost half my life at what has obviously now become a lifetime calling. Looking back, it seems just like a short time ago that … Read More
Joy Junction Guests Talk about the Importance of Prayer. One Asks for the Wisdom of Solomon
by Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. An article I read points out, “Even a mere 30 seconds of prayer, acknowledging God and giving thanks for all the blessings in your life, can have a powerful effect on your body, mind, and spirit.” Do you agree? Well, there’s some science in the piece to back it up. … Read More
Summer Heat Puts Excess Pressure on an Already Under Served Homeless Population
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Look around Albuquerque and many other cities nationwide, and you will soon see people trying to beat the summer heat, at the pool, sitting under a shade tree or sipping a glass of iced tea close to the air conditioner. But where can a homeless person go to escape the … Read More
Joy Junction: The Next 30 Years
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Joy Junction is three decades-plus old. It is hard to believe the shelter I founded was 30 years old last Aug., and that I’ve spent more than half my life at what has obviously now become a lifetime calling. Looking back, it seems just a short time ago that I … Read More
ABQ Homeless Looking for More Than a Dry Bed and a Warm Meal; New Mexico’s Largest Shelter to Open 52-Unit Apartment Complex
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. It’s no secret that homelessness in Albuquerque is an ongoing crisis. The crisis continues, despite inaccurate promises by some groups to “end” homelessness. Over the last few years, I’ve seen panhandling increase prolifically all over the city, while at Joy Junction, desperate families-often with children-call or visit us daily … Read More
Joy Junction’s Life Recovery Program Produces Changed Lives
By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. When you hear the word homeless, what comes to mind? I’m guessing you may think of the prolific number of panhandlers we have in Albuquerque, someone shuffling through Downtown with a loaded shopping bag, or a person waving his hands to the sky and talking enigmatically to an invisible … Read More
