“I have been living with the homeless for almost 90 days and have about two weeks left. I started this on October 1 because there were so many negative news stories about homeless people as the city talked of cleaning out their camps. I wanted to live with them and walk in their shoes to understand how they got there and how to help them. I also wanted to share their stories and help others see who the homeless really are. 

I was an addict years ago. I have been clean for about 15 years, but I lost a sister to addiction. We all have pain and struggles, but for some it causes them to live outside. Others had things go wrong and they have no other option. 

My eyes were opened when I met a homeless guy years ago, and I liked him. I pulled over because I thought he was broken down, but he was living in his car. Helping him led to becoming a street minister and loving people where they are. I have seen God change lives, and it only takes a few days of care for someone to appear different. 

The day I moved under a bridge on I-65, the homeless community immediately took me in.  They shared what they had to help set me up, but it was clear from the beginning this would be a tough existence. The first hour I was there, a dead body floated up in the canal. It was a homeless man who drowned. 

It is difficult living under bridges. There is filth and violence. It smelled so bad that I lost 30 pounds in 40 days. I didn’t have an appetite because the odors made it hard to eat. I was finally getting used to it, then the city cleaned out the camp and everyone left. 

There are many reasons for the messes. The homeless don’t have trash bags, garbage service, or washing machines. After they wear clothes for a few days, the only thing to do is discard them, and the trash piles up. 

The biggest reason for the mess is mental illness.  Where there is internal disorder, you can’t expect external order. There are a lot of unmedicated people with mental illnesses on the street; it starts with childhood trauma and festers. They try to medicate any way they can, but it breaks spirit and soul.

While I was living under the bridge, one of the guys following my story online met me there. God told him to share his empty warehouse to help the homeless, so we worked together and opened Port City Samaritan’s Home. There was no power or water, but we had 15 people in here that first night. I have been spending many of my days and nights here.

Port City Samaritan’s Home is probably the ugliest shelter in the country, but it is a community and people love it. We have 20 to 25 people living in tents and sleeping on mattresses. They have taken ownership of this warehouse home by keeping it clean and helping each other. 

The people who come here are criticized, yelled at, or physically abused by people passing by. They aren’t used to kindness. Now cars pull up with people saying,’I love you’ and bringing food, clothes, or shoes. That love changes lives and restores dignity. When people quit looking at the ground and start looking up, they see the beauty of life.

God is at work here. We have gotten seven or eight people into housing. We help residents get their identification and jobs, and to get back on their feet. Six of them are at work right now, and we help transport them back and forth.

We are doing this with no money, but Mobile has embraced this shelter and somehow we make it every day. I post needs and supporters always jump in to help. We have 200 volunteers and feed three good meals a day. We had Thanksgiving lunch prepared and served by a lot of volunteers, and you couldn’t tell who was homeless and who wasn’t. 

People walk into this building and don’t want to drink or use drugs anymore–we have 15 people in rehab–but mental health is the bigger problem. Some of the homeless are schizophrenic. AltaPointe is doing all they can about the situation, but how do we deal with this? There are many Christian drug rehabs in our area, but there are no places like that dealing with mental illness. People are scared and don’t know how to help. 

Getting people off the street and stabilized is the first step. Out there, they are always on the move because nothing is theirs. Anywhere they sit or sleep is illegally on private or government property. Here they can safely rest and get their minds together. They can make plans for the future. We also have two or three church services and Bible studies each day.

Folks from Housing First, Healthcare for the Homeless, and AltaPointe come by every day. Having this many people settled in one place makes their jobs easier. The City of Mobile is also behind us and police officers bring people here. 

We also help families get housed. One family had lived at the bus station for a month. Another family of eight was living under a bridge. Since they had young kids, we wanted to put them in a motel. We had no money for this, so we shared the need with our supporters.  The residents staying here didn’t want those kids living under the bridge and gave everything they had: $11, $3, or change. After a week in the motel, the family got jobs and housing. All they needed was a little hand up to get back on their feet.

I hope Port City Samaritan’s Home becomes a permanent shelter,  but it will take a lot of construction and financial donations. We need more of these shelters in Mobile. We also need churches doing more to help. The weather is going to be dangerously cold the week of Christmas, and it is almost as cold inside the warehouse as it is outside. Churches need to open their doors and let us in. 

My time of living among the homeless ends Dec. 31. This  was originally supposed to be one month with my friends pledging donations for Driftwood Housing’s tiny homes for the homeless if I succeeded, but in the video, 90 days came out of my mouth. Later I thought, ‘why did I say that?’ But if I had only done this 30 days, Port City Samaritan’s Home would not have happened.  

It is not easy serving God, but He is moving here all day every day. This warehouse is changing the minds and attitudes about people who are displaced. We want everyone to visit and see it for themselves 

Over the final weeks, I am trying to go into every camp and share as much love as I can. On January 1, I am going to the beach with my girlfriend and family. I own a construction company and manage a car lot, and it is time to get back to work. 

I will still be involved with Port City Samaritan’s Home, and next year I will give talks at churches to get more people helping the homeless. Feed the sheep and love our neighbors—this is the stuff in the Bible that God wants us to do.

Through this, I have learned that one person can make a difference. One spark can light a whole lot of fires, and right now there is a blaze of compassion burning in Mobile.”

Eric