Miracle Messages

As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a national day of service, we are reminded that people of color are drastically overrepresented in the homeless population. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, as of 2020, African Americans make up 13 percent of the general population, but more than 40 percent of the homeless population. As a September 2021 report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) described, "the... impact of institutional and structural racism in education, criminal justice, housing, employment, health care, and access to opportunities cannot be denied." To begin to right these inequities and to end homelessness for all Americans #MoreThanADay of service is needed. At Miracle Messages, we believe that no one should go through homelessness alone, and no one should feel helpless on this issue. Our approach is to rebuild social support systems and financial security. It is not a silver bullet. But it works, it's tangible, and it invites everyday people to be part of the solution. On this MLK Day of Service, we invite you to commit to #MoreThanADay of service, and to join us as we work to end homelessness. Here's how: We need hundreds of additional volunteers to commit to weekly calls and texts with their unhoused neighbors, as part of our Miracle Friends phone buddy program. Learn more, get trained, and sign up at miraclefriends.org If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are doing street outreach and delivering meals with A Meal With Dignity today on MLK Day (Monday, January 17th), meeting at the Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround at 4pm PT. Email [email protected] to RSVP. If you are in Los Angeles County and interested in joining us full-time, we are hiring for a General Manager to lead street outreach, partnership building, and volunteer recruitment locally. Learn more and apply today at miraclemessages.org/join

To honor MLK, let's commit to #MoreThanADay. - https://mailchi.mp//to-honor-mlk-lets-commit-to-morethanad

After two consecutive matches ended in disappointment, Hilary was unsure if she would ever connect with a friend. Then she met Anna. Anna had struggled after parting ways with a previous volunteer and felt hesitant in matching with another friend. But Hilary, a trained crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line, was uniquely able to set Anna at ease and make her feel loved and safe. I had no agenda, says Hilary. My only purpose was to be kind and supportive. Hilary’s commitme...nt to Anna allowed a strong relationship to bloom. Anna has been absolutely lovely, shares Hilary, I am in awe of her positive spirit. Anna faces daily struggles from being handicapped, suffering from chronic pain and being an unhoused senior citizen. Hilary shares that Anna continuously fights to see the good in life. I see Anna relying on her faith and looking for things to be grateful for, says Hilary. While impressed with Anna’s strength and perseverance, Hilary longs for a better situation for her friend. (Hilary pictured first, swipe to see Anna with her dog, Chewie!)

Join us to volunteer in San Francisco to help enroll your unhoused neighbors in our reunion services and phone buddy programs while delivering meals from A Meal With Dignity. January 17th 4pm-5:30pm, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in downtown San Francisco. No experience required, training provided. We'd love for you to join us!

Announcing the final results of the Miracle Money pilot! - http://bit.ly/miraclemoneyresults

We had an incredibly successful event in December honoring our volunteers! There are still a few days left in 2021 for your tax-deductible donations! Help us usher in 2022 with even more amazing connections, ensuring that no one has to go through homelessness alone. Make your gift at miraclemessages.org/donate and raise our impact.

The Miracle Messages family is wishing you all a very Happy Holiday season! Our hearts are especially full this year with how many families we were able to reunite with the help of all of our supporters and volunteers! We hope you all have the opportunity to safely spend the holidays with your families and friends.

This past Sunday, the PBS NewsHour featured Miracle Money in its weekend edition. It is an important piece, as it shows how relationships and direct cash trans...fers are highly effective, cost efficient, and impactful. If we had just told our neighbors experiencing homelessness what to do with their $500/month for 6 months, or spent the money ourselves on their behalf, we wouldn't have used it nearly as well as they did for themselves and their loved ones. Want to actually help end homelessness in the United States? Please check out this short video from PBS, and let's do this!