"We came very close to being on the street; it can happen to anyone." says Helen. She and her husband Al had been doing pretty well financially. Already in their 50's, they owned their own home and had an electronics business and were living the American dream when it all fell apart.

                                                                        Al started getting sick with a degenerative spinal injury that slowly left him with less and less ability to walk. And so they began a cycle of poverty that nearly cost them everything.

It took almost two years before they were finally given disability benefits, and in the meantime they discovered the true meaning of the term 'safety net'. "We were offered $11 a month in food stamps through DSHS" says Helen. "They really don't want to help you if you don't have children to support. And the system is so dehumaniing - they actually suggested to me that Al and I should split up so that I could get a few more dollars a month." 

So they tried other sources of help. With no college degree, good jobs were hard to come by. Even minimum wage jobs were not offered to her in spite of the many applications she filled out in so many places.

"We also turned to the United Way and the Salvation Army for help and didn't receive any there" says Helen. "We finally found some assistance from the Catholic church and a local food bank, and we consider ourselves very blessed to have somehow managed to keep our home through this time."

"I used to think that homeless people were mostly winos who didn't take care of themselves" says Helen. "But it's a lot different now; people can become homeless for so many reasons - losing their jobs, families making minimum wage, health problems - there aren't always the services available to get people through the hard times."

When Helen discovered City Gates through the bible study she was attending through Christ the Servant Lutheran church, she liked what she saw. "I like giving where I can see where my money is being spent" she says. Her and Al have been volunteering for about a year, helping with the mailing list, with the backpack ministry, and generously giving out of what they have - blankets, a tv, food, toys, and thier time.

"I try to get other people interested in the ministry" says Helen. "I would like to see it continue to be successfull."

It's people like Helen and Al who make City Gates successfull, and we couldn't do what we do without them. We thank them for their support and hope they are with us for many years to come!