This article was published in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin as a guest editorial on Sunday, October 9, 2016  With all the recent attention the subject of homelessness is getting in our community, I’m often asked what are some ways to help the homeless. So, as someone who has worked with this population for nearly 20 years at the Christian Aid Center, here are my suggestions on how you can REALLY help the homeless.   First of all, one of the best things you can do is to understand how they got there in the first place. In most cases,…

Henry* didn’t see much need in seeing the nurse in our clinic. He had just arrived at the shelter the day before and had healthcare available through the Veteran Affairs Hospital if he needed it. But fortunately, a staff member encouraged him to go—as is customary with new guests. While talking with the nurse, he started exhibiting the signs of a stroke and was immediately sent to the emergency room. After several days in the hospital, Henry recovered from the stroke and he is thankful for the quick thinking nurse who saved his life. In the past 12 months, the…

I’ve seen a lot of brokenness in my life. I grew up in a broken home with broken people and I think, consequentially, I became broken as well. Years of being addicted to meth didn’t heal anything, but only brought me in contact with more broken people like me. I continued on a spiral of drug addiction for years, but this year was different. This year, I lost a lot of things in my life: my license, my home, my brother to a drug overdose, and my ten-year-old son—Jadyn—to CPS (Child Protective Services). I was almost arrested for driving on…

Time to Reconnect Graduates of Rebuilders, our life-change program for men, and CAC staff held their first alumni retreat at beautiful Wallowa Lake. The purpose of this weekend event was to reconnect the men with each other and share the successes and challenges of living in this new phase of their lives, while resisting the negative temptations of the past. The CAC staff also wanted to get feedback on how effective Rebuilders had been for the participants and brainstorm ways to strengthen the program. One graduate admitted to struggling before the retreat. Gratefully, the love and encouragement given to him…

I’m sixty-one, I have a Ph.D. in social work, and before I came to the Christian Aid Center, I was sleeping on a picnic table in the park. I had a bad home-life when I was young, so at 17, I quit high school and moved out on my own. I began working factory jobs and drove trucks for twenty-five years. I was an atheist and an alcoholic, but I always had a job and a home. After giving up alcohol, I became depressed, and without any substances to drown my thoughts and sorrows, I began to contemplate my life,…

Our friends at Pineapple Pete's want to banish cold feet. From October 1-15 they are offering 50 percent off the price of a shaved ice or slushy, in exchange for a new pair of socks. Socks will be given to men, women and children staying in our shelter. One discount per pair and families can bring a multi-pack for a group discount. Visit Pineapple Pete's at their new location at 915 S. Second Street in Walla Walla!

Meet Cherish, Zoe and Derek -- three awesome kids who decided to spend some of their vacation time helping others.  On Tuesday, they raised $69.43 for our shelter with their lemonade stand on the corner of Birch and Catherine Streets.  They also made some cool summertime decorations for our dining hall.  Thank you!

When he thinks about his condition three years ago, Phillip would have never thought he would be where he is today.  “At that time everything in my life was crashing down.” His marriage had fallen apart, he had lost his apartment and he was suffering from severe depression and sexual addiction.  “I couldn’t cope anymore.”  His cousin offered him a place to stay in Walla Walla, but his mental illness caused him to lash out both verbally and physically.  In desperation, he searched to find a place that could help him. “I was extremely scared when I walked through the…