RV Hope
The
RV Hope Story
Meet Ronnie
The RV Hope story begins with Ronnie, a 70 year old man who lost his home and was living in his tiny Honda Civic. He began parking in front of Life Journey Church because he felt it was the safest place for him to sleep and park without being chased off.
Our hearts went out to him, and we helped with food, gas cards, a gym membership so that he could shower, and temporary shelter during months of extreme weather. But we knew God was calling us to help him get off the street. We didn't want the story of his life to end with his death in a car.
A Hopeless Situation
Ronnie had no family that could help him.
There were no government housing assistance programs available to him.
We tried for months getting him into the only homeless shelter in the county. But they had no available room for him even though he qualified for their program.
And because his monthly income was too low, no apartment complex would lease to him, even if we raised the money to pay for an entire year of leasing an apartment in advance.
Ronnie's situation seemed hopeless.
Renewed Hope
After failing to find shelter for him using conventional methods, one of our team members suggested getting him an RV to live in at a local RV park. We got the community involved and within a couple months, raised enough money to purchase a used RV and set it up at a nearby RV park.
For the last 2 years he has faithfully paid his bills, and has been able to sustain himself even with his limited income.
A Calling from God
Since helping Ronnie, God has used us to provide shelter and renew hope for two other families. But the need is great. And we believe God has called us to help hundreds of families facing homelessness.
Scripture tells us in James 1:27 that, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress."
In the first century when this was written, widows and orphans were the most vulnerable people in their society. But today, the most vulnerable people in our society are the homeless.