Posted on 12/24/2018 4:58:46 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
George Opudo used to drive for Uber. Picking up and dropping off customers at Union Station in Washington, just steps away from the U.S. Capitol, he’d look at homeless people and think: “That’d never be me.”
But in September 2017, Opudo lost his car, his job, and all of his worldly possessions. With no place to go and no food to eat, Opudo was homeless.
“I was so hungry, I didn’t know what to do,” Opudo told The Daily Signal.
Walking around Union Station, he asked a woman where he could find some food.
“She said, ‘Go down to the mission,’” Opudo recalled.
So he walked a few blocks down to Central Union Mission and asked, “Can I get something to eat, please? A sandwich?”
“Before they answered me … stuff started going on in my head. ‘OK, if I have to eat this sandwich, where am I going to go? I’m gonna be hungry again, [what] am I gonna do?’”
At that point, Opudo saw a flyer advertising Central Union Mission’s ministry program.
“I quickly turned around and asked the girl, ‘Hey, is there a way I can be in?’”
The Mission
Founded in 1884, Central Union Mission is the oldest private social service agency in Washington. In addition to providing nearly 3 million meals and 60,000 nights of shelter in 2017 alone, the mission offers a ministry program for men.
Besides meeting men’s physical and emotional needs (including food, shelter, clothing, and medical care), the mission offers workforce training and a strong spiritual foundation in the Christian faith.
“I thought about all the times that I’ve been trying to get closer to God,” Opudo said. “So I obliged. I said yes.”
(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...
How does one go about losing all ones processions.
Fire, earth quake, hurricane or just poor planning.
Should of read the whole story.
DRUGS of course a self inflicted cause.
“All I was doing was getting the money, doing drugs, getting the money, doing drugs,” he recalled.
That lifestyle caused him to become homeless. His car was the last thing to go.
He had a work record:
Before driving for Uber, Opudo worked for 11 years at the grocery store chain Harris Teeter, doing a mix of accounting, cashier work, customer service, restocking, and scanning. Before that, he ran his own car and boat cleaning business.
Then:
Everything started falling apart, Opudo said, when his wife decided to leave him.
Without Christ and strength of character, or true friends,
At the time, Opudo said, he didn’t understand the extent of his emotional trauma, let alone where to go to get help. He then made friends with the wrong crowd, and started drinking and getting into drugs.
Now this is telling:
Statistically, the homelessness rate in the District of Columbia is far worse than the national average.
DC also showsthe lowest % of military vets.
A few days ago, ConservaTeen, his sister and I were coming out of Publix. Someone asked me if I had change. I looked at him and he looked like he hadn’t had a bath in a year, unshaven and had a beer in a brown paper bag. Publix had on the door ‘Now hiring’, so I said, ‘They are hiring. Get a job.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Why?’ Stupid liberals they created LazyAmericans...
In other countries they’d work or starve...
A fair amount of the panhandlers I see look to be in good shape, non druggie.
People are lazy and shameless.
There are true down on their luck cases though.
I looked it up. The numbers do look pretty good, and no government funding.
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=9569
I met one waiting on a $7k grant to train to become an X-ray technician. He was in his 50’s. Why couldn’t’t he take any job/ Full time training is easier than a full time job.
Should have = should’ve
“In other countries they’d work or starve...”
If the only choice were between welfare and work, there would be very few liberals. Those who refused to work would starve. Most of those who got a job would value the fruits of their labor enough to begin resenting those who were too lazy to work.
That’s right.
In other countries people would never work so hard to pay for everything for people who refuse to work...
Just another Kenyan freeloader in DC. Deport him now! “Opudo came to the U.S. from Kenya on a spousal visa when he was 20. For over a decade, his life was stable. His sponsor left him, now the US Taxpayer is supporting him.
Did you even read the article? He went to the Central Union Mission, not some government office.
That’s why I generally don’t give to panhandlers. They do the unproductive work of relieving other people of their money through begging, then take the “loot” back to their house.
He could always do temp work until his (government-funded) ship came in. I’ve done that before. Not very respected, but still good work.
I heard of one panhandler outside of ritzy Tega Cay that lived in a very nice place just down the road from there.
I have worked three temp jobs. The first one was in 1990. I was hired after three months, lasted until 2001. Started.another, that same year, was made permanent, a few weeks later. Company moved.out of state in 2013. Took another temp job the following year, hired on the same year, still there. Lot of opportunity comes disguised as good, honest work . Thanks and Merry Christmas !
How do you loose everything?
Get married to a psycho scammer. What they don’t steal they will loose. And when the court gives you all the credit card bills, it’s all over.
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