2026 April
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
Seasons come and seasons go, causing changes to interrupt our lives each time. Change is not something many of us like to experience.
Because of that, we remain fairly close to being the same throughout the year with little to no alterations in our lives. We live in the same place, work at the same place, play sports with the same people, attend the same events, and visit the same people for years.
Those who have that type of consistency in their lives really do not understand the constant upheaval that is present in the lives of others who live with daily change.
Spring is here and, for some, the changes that come with this season bring more adjustments than just the allergies from the blooming of new flowers.
For those who are homeless and on the streets, the needs change from season to season. For example, in spring and summer, more water (to stay hydrated) and sunscreen (to protect their skin from the sun that has become more prominent) become vital.
As well, they need more hygiene items to keep themselves clean, because (to say it politely) the sun causes everyone to sweat more. Hand sanitizer, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and feminine products, to name a few, are a necessary part of keeping a person clean.
In any season, it becomes a deeper hardship to survive when all of those things are unattainable.
Then, there’s the lack of good nutrition. It’s hard to find food to make three meals a day when finding something to eat once a day may not even be a reality. It’s a hard life!
So, to make things a bit easier for those who have lost so much, we prefer to have homeless families and individuals come to us so we can provide shelter from the elements, make sure they get good nutrition with three meals a day, and offer them daily hygiene items and habits.
Our campus offers a safe environment and programs to encourage our guests to seriously think about what caused them to become homeless, and begin to make choices to turn that situation around.
It is our hope that each person who finds themselves in a homeless situation will choose to use our facility to make a difference in their lives. When life becomes too hard and the heaviness of the world becomes too much, we want to be the place that homeless people think of to get help.
One of our guest families found themselves in such a place.
Here’s a story from Samantha (not her real name):
We thought everything was going well. We had received our housing help from the city and had moved into an apartment of our own. We were excited about being settled into a place that we could call home.
However, we found out really quick that the elderly man who lived right next door to us did not like children. I guess he just didn’t want to put up with the noise that comes from a child. He was very grumpy and didn’t speak English, so it was hard to form a relationship with him.
After a while, we found out that he was telling the manager things about my son that was not true. We had to stop allowing outdoor play time to make sure nothing could be falsely reported about him. It became such a problem that one of us had to leave. Since our neighbor had lived there longer, he was allowed to stay.
We were without housing…again…
We felt lost. We heard about Joy Junction and decided that it was the best choice for us. We are so thankful for a family shelter because we had nowhere else to go.
We feel blessed to be able to have a safe place to sleep – with clean bedding. We are also very happy to receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. We feel a peace of mind here, so I decided to join the program.
I have found that if a person will take the program seriously, they truly will have an opportunity for a fresh, new start. We are looking forward to getting back on our feet again.
We are being guided toward the right path with God’s Word and the staff. I know a place of our own is in our future.
Providing a safe place for those who come to us is just the beginning. We know we need to provide the basic necessities of life for our guests before they can even contemplate joining a program.
But, once they feel safe and have a full tummy, we do encourage them to join our program. Each day, we intentionally try to make an impact on the lives of our guests as we work with them. We become a family, of sorts.
We want them to trust us and rely on us as we teach them how to make better decisions. To us, that’s the key to their transformation.
We will continue to do that for as long as God allows our doors to be open.
