Today we’d like to introduce you to Terry Cole.
Hi Terry, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Street Youth Ministry back in 2008, after volunteering to serve homeless young adults (age 28 and younger) at two other organizations for 5 years. I’m not rich so this had to be a community supported ministry, and the clients deserve stable adults in their lives (first they ever had had in most cases) so it was important to be reliable. At first, we just helped serve the same people as the two ministries that I learned from, but over time we recognized gaps and *slowly* added one thing after another to meet needs and built relationships. Outreach on Friday when everything else was closed. A safe place to get Bible questions answered (forbidden in many places as too controversial or off base). A place to learn to pray for yourself and others. A place to get clothing. A place to learn job search methods that work. A place to have fun in social games. A place to show off your talent (singing, poetry, juggling, Origami… you name it, we’ve seen it). Each of these turned into a weekly event. Eventually we got our own place as support grew. We offer those same events plus a safe place to hang out, become known, share, heal, grow and recover. We have food. We have clothing. We have supplies, but the one product that matters more than any other is guidance counseling. It takes time and patience. But it truly changes their lives. Most client recover!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Homeless young adults have separated from society for reasons… they were in danger, hurt, abandoned, or so angry they might hurt others. So dealing with them is an emotional load that can be very heavy. However, the largest source of anguish and pain has come from the Austin community at large as it struggles over 25 years with homelessness. Decisions that mean we love the homeless… decisions that allow them to take advantage of us, and decisions that show we shun the homeless. We pass laws giving them rights, then we pass laws limiting their rights. The roller coaster and associated politics are hard, and I have often been the target of community hate and threats as a result (from the community). But I have tried to have a mantra that guides me… in every complaint there is a seed of truth and an opportunity. It’s hard. But the homeless young adults deserve something stable, something they can trust, and something they can count on. So we have to persevere even as everything shifts back and forth.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an engineer by training. An electrical engineer who helped design and standardize some of the systems used around the world every day… WiFi and DSL are two of the most notable that I co-led with other peers from competitor companies. I’m a problem solver by nature. I see systems that can be changed, improved, worked with. I did that for 25 years and loved it. However, I felt the call to do something more significant. And applying problem solving to this social situation of homeless young adults who have separated from the main part of society and fester in poverty became my calling. These young individuals are so strong, so resilient, and I truly believe we are incomplete without them. So I have created systems that help them survive, identify the hurt, heal from their trauma, move forward, and reintegrate with society. And it works. I’m so proud of each of them. I have served 500 per year for almost 20 years now. I hear from formerly homeless young adults almost every day. And they give me the feedback of what helped, what worked, where they are now. It’s simply amazing to watch my small team of 6 people apply that we’ve learned to make our community better.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We need money. We take no government grants. It’s not for lack of trying, but they just aren’t truly interested in what we do. They talk a good game, but case work transactions and housing are all that government focuses on. We’re neither. The “pre-clinical” guidance is so valuable and yet nobody wants to pay for it. So we enlist help of hundreds of community members to give something… what they can… to support the work. To get started, we need your clothing… especially men’s clothing as 2/3 of our clients are male… from your closet when you can spare it. We won’t sell it, and we’ll give it directly to people who will wear it. We need more people to make sandwiches for our 7 outreaches. We need more people to go with us on our outreaches. We need more people to come in and help organize and restock our “Sunshine Store” where clients choose clothing, supplies, and toiletries every day. It’s a constant task and almost anyone can do it. And it really matters! You’ll see what we do daily and learn if there is a spot for you to do even more.
Pricing:
- Sponsor access to music — $35
- Sponsor an hour of guidance – $75
- Sponsor a load of laundry — $8
- Sponsor 10 OTC meds — $15
- Sponsor what we pour into a client in 6 months with 99% change results — $1075
Contact Info:
- Website: https://symin.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetyouth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/streetyouthministry
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrycole/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SYMin
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/streetyouth/
