Today was another great day for the Streets of Hope San Diego volunteers and especially for Milton as Milton is getting off the streets and is no longer homeless downtown, but is now sleeping in his new home!
Milton stated through a big smile, “God is good to me!”
The Streets of Hope San Diego’s mission is to help San Diego’s homeless by giving them hope and to help them get off the streets. Continue reading to learn more about Milton’s journey in getting off the streets in downtown San Diego.
Milton’s History of Being Homeless on the Streets of San Diego
Milton’s been living off and on the streets of San Diego for many years. You can read the story of when we first met Milton on the streets about 4 years ago by clicking here. Over those 4 years, we have seen the power of God transform Milton from someone who can be closed off and angry, to someone who is open to sharing his life and is joyful.
For Milton, that journey to transformation began when he started coming to the Streets of Hope San Diego homeless outreaches every Monday night. (In fact, see the every Monday night page and there’s Milton hugging one of our younger volunteers – actually, if you look closely, you can see Milton’s photos all over this site!) It’s on every Monday night that we meet San Diego’s homeless, feed them, have great conversations, sometimes clothe them, help them with their resumes, massage their backs, tell them about God, provide shelter information and so much more. Milton not only comes to get help, but after coming for a long time, realized the need and call to help others. It’s when he started really serving other homeless people that his outlook on life began to change.
Over the years, Milton really has become part of the Streets of Hope San Diego family. We even had the honor of holding a memorial service for Milton’s mom over a year ago right on the streets in downtown San Diego where we meet every week. (You can read about that by clicking here.)
A Great Day Today Getting Off the Streets
So today some of us from the Streets of Hope San Diego had the honor of meeting Milton at his storage unit downtown and moving him into his new room at the Golden West Properties. (Many of San Diego’s homeless keep their things in a storage unit in the day and pull out the items they need to sleep with at night.)
Here’s a little bit about the Golden West Hotel/Properties. The Golden West Hotel is indeed a hotel, but also desinated as a SRO – that stands for a Single Room Occupancy. A SRO is a building where tenants who have their own room typically share the common areas, such as a bathroom, a kitchen, and a laundry room. The Golden West Hotel has an amazing staff and location right in the heart of downtown San Diego. It truly is great place for those who are on a fixed income to be able to get off the streets.
So after we got Milton settled in his place at the Golden West Properties, a few of us were able to go to Taco Bell and celebrate the special event with him. One of of the highlights of the day was when Milton prayed over the food, his new place and really thanked God for his spiritual family and friends.
You can see how the day went by viewing the photos.
Special Thanks
- Milton’s friends at the Streets of Hope who financially supported Milton in this getting off the streets
- Golden West Hotel staff, and especially the general manger, Tom, for working with us on getting Milton’s room
- Eric, Suzy, Dan, Joe, Richard and Johnny for helping Milton move his stuff from homeless storage to his new place
Photo Gallery of Getting Milton Off the Streets
Click on photo for a larger image.