HomeCommunity NewsFlores Is Fighting One Of Society’s Major Ills

Flores Is Fighting One Of Society’s Major Ills

JOY FLORES

She went through local schools and has spent the vast majority of her life here, but last Spring, Joy Flores—known during her younger days as Joy Bonham—did one of the most un-San Marino things imaginable: she went to work for a charitable organization that serves the homeless on Skid Row.

Eschewing warm, well-lit places, Flores, instead, treks daily to the Union Rescue Mission [URM], the oldest and largest rescue mission in the nation at 128 years old, which serves up to 3,000 meals every single day.

“These numbers feel giant and significant, but not in light of our current numbers and statistics,” told members of the Rotary Club of San Marino last Thursday afternoon, where she was the keynote speaker. “As I am sure you know, Los Angeles County is the ‘homeless capital of the nation,’ with an estimated 60,000 precious souls experiencing homelessness, with one of them dying every day,” she added.

The relentlessly energetic mother of four was a star athlete at San Marino High School, playing soccer and softball while filling what little free time she could muster by serving as the Titan mascot.

But with four young children and a heart for the homeless, there is little, if any, “free time” left for Flores, who went to URL after a stint as pastor of local outreach at Fellowship Monrovia, a multiethnic, intergenerational church.

“Before that, I was heavily involved with raising kids, volunteering for every committee, running lots of ministries here at San Marino Community Church, working from home and living my best mom life.”

Her narrative soon became personal, powerful and quite emotional as Flores told the story of her older brother, who later in life was diagnosed as manic depressive, migrated in and out of treatment centers and shelters his entire life, offering a possible explanation for his little sister’s passion for the downtrodden.

“I wonder what could have happened, if during this time, there was someone who had a conviction and showed up consistently for him,” Flores wondered aloud. “Would things have been different? Instead of a handout, could they have offered him a hand-up and built a personal relationship with him. If someone would have spoken life into this broken, lost man and told him whose he was, would it have changed his destiny?”

Though URM is clearly having a positive effect, many are still looking for answers to the problem.

“I have had hundreds of conversations with folks who want to help those who are lost and hurting, but don’t know where to start,” she said. “I look out my office window which overlooks Skid Row and see church after church, non-profit after non-profit, who come and hand out food, clothing, supplies, and goods that are indeed helpful, but there is a major component that is missing. The group that comes at 9:00 a.m. doesn’t know there is another group who comes at 11:30 a.m., then again at 2 and 5 and 9. I look over and see everyone get out of their tents or up from their cardboard slabs on the sidewalk to get in line. They have no idea what the line is for, or what the handout of the hour will be. They receive their items or plate and go sit back down. Once they are done, most of the packaging or styrofoam plates are tossed to the side. This happens over and over and over. I know this is done and given with a generous and pure heart. For Christians, the Bible calls us to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, care for the sick. But what has happened is we are doing these simple tasks with no proximity or relationship. When our hearts are moved with compassion to act we respond with an immediate need, but this alone is toxic. There is no transfer of power, there is no restoration of dignity. We need to couple that one-time act with long-term development and engagement. When you pair the mercy component of meeting immediate needs with the justice component of building trusting relationships, this is when change and transformation have a chance to sprout. When only one side of this is represented, it is known as toxic charity.”

Flores called the current homeless epidemic “complex.”

“Which is one of the reasons we haven’t been able to solve it,” she quickly added. “As a Christian organization we don’t pick political sides, so everyone can take a deep breath.

She identified the housing crisis as one of the major issues as well as a limited number of landlords who will accept Section 8 vouchers.

“We see two-parent families who due to job loss or a diagnosis are unable to work, this turns to eviction when they can’t pay rent. Progressing to living in their car, then the car gets repossessed and they find themselves on the streets with nowhere to go. We welcome them 24 hours a day. We are the only shelter on skid row that accepts single moms with kids, single dads with kids, and two-parent families with kids. We see former foster care youth who have run away, now with children of their own, who have never learned life skills necessary to live independently. We welcome them seven days a week.

We see human trafficking victims who have finally run away from their oppressor. Our doors are open to them 365 days a year.”

Flores said that URM is trying to “shift the narrative.”

“Those who are experiencing chronic homelessness have been homeless for years. They have lost all connections with themselves, with their God and with others. We believe recovery is not merely sobriety, it is reconnection. We are trying to be holistic in our approach, even though we are still toxic ourselves in a lot of ways. Yes we feed the hungry…3,000 meals a day of hungry mouths. Yes, we offer soup, soap and salvation through the transforming power of Jesus Christ. But we also offer job training, leads to permanent supportive housing, comprehensive case management, legal aid, resumé prep, addiction education, relapse support, a full medical and dental clinic free of charge for anyone who comes through our doors, and on and on and on. Our staff is remarkable. Any need you might have we are working towards a long-term solution, not to just mask your hunger pangs, but to come alongside you and teach you how to use the tools offered to get you back into community. It’s the restoration of trusting relationships that we focus on.”

She then welcomed members of the audience to get involved.

“I promise I want to encourage you today,” Flores said. “Get involved with local organizations who are building relationships and trust. Last year we had 31,000 volunteers who made an incredible impact through our organization. We need 45 volunteers every single day, just to help serve meals. I invite you to come down any time.”

She also mentioned opportunities at the Hope Gardens Family Center in Sylmar, including meal service, youth group, afterschool tutoring and other other activities.

“We are always seeking volunteers to step in,” she said.

“If time is not something you have at your disposal, we are extremely resourceful in our efforts to accept your treasure in the form as cash, checks, credit cards, stocks, bonds, bequests,” she said as the audience laughed.”

“Just kidding…actually I’m serious,” Flores concluded.

Of that there is no debate.

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