Connect the Dots Articles

If you've spent even 10 minutes with me you know what a huge dog person I am. Friends, family members, former coworkers and even clients know the story of my beloved Baxter who I said goodbye to last March after 16 years. So it stands to reason I would be on top of dog rescues, right? Of course....but it got me thinking. Why isn't there the same thing for people?

Why I volunteered with ShelterApp and why I hope you will consider helping, too. One of the most frustrating realities of homelessness is that help often exists, but the people who need it cannot always find it. A shelter may have an available bed. A food pantry may be serving meals nearby. A nonprofit may offer transportation, mental health care, clothing, job assistance, or help replacing identification. But that information is often scattered across outdated directories, websites, flyers, and phone numbers that lead nowhere. For someone experiencing homelessness, finding help can become a full-time job. That is why I was excited to discover ShelterApp.

Following my last post on focusing on one person at a time, one idea stands out. It isn't another shelter. It's knowing exactly who needs help—and what is preventing each person from getting housed. Imagine asking the mayor of a city a simple question: "Who is homeless in your city tonight?"

It's been far too long since I posted. Wanted to reframe my original concept to help those experiencing homelessness. On any given night, more than half a million people in the United States experience homelessness. It's a number so large that it's difficult to comprehend. Imagine every resident of an entire state like Wyoming suddenly without a place to call home. When we hear statistics like these, it's easy to feel powerless. We wonder, How could one person possibly make a difference? Maybe that's the wrong question. What if the better question is, "Who can I help?"

I have been a huge fan of Brian Goldstone's book "There Is No Place For Us" since it was released last year. It's been universally praised (rightfully so) and made it on numerous  Top 10 lists for 2025. Then there is the back-handed compliment the City Journal gave it in a review last week.

Over the past two and a half years, I have read dozens of books on the issue of homelessness. I'm not sure I learned anything new, not that the books were bad, but they were more suited for those who haven't delved as deeply as I have into the issues of homelessness. That changed with my latest read. There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone is the most important book I've read about homelessness, for several reasons.

When I evangelize about careers, one of the mantras I have been using recently is, "New Year - New Job - New Life." If only it was that simple for the 800,000+ individuals experiencing homelessness in the U.S. We'll have a better idea on the number after the Point-in-Time count (PIT) that will take place in communities across the country over the next couple of weeks. Most people are surprised when I tell them that around half the homeless population actually have a job. So much for just telling someone to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." No, someone who is homeless doesn't simply just need to find a job.

Earlier this year I wrote about how we need to focus on specific individuals and get them whatever they need to help get them off the street and stay housed. It's too overwhelming if you obsess about all the 650,000+ people who are experiencing homelessness in the U.S.. On Thanksgiving I read this article about a man, Patrick Fealey, who has been experiencing homelessness for years.

As I get ready to move to Denver, I wanted to give an update on my initiative. I’ve learned a lot. I learned that a lot of people are set in their ways, and no I am NOT talking about those experiencing homelessness. Some individuals believe people are homeless because they choose to be or because they made bad decisions (drugs or alcohol). The amount of patience I’ve exhibited when dealing with these idiots should have resulted in some award.

A couple recent articles crystallize why my plan is so important to help the homeless. The first one is something you see and hear almost daily, the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) crowd. However this time it became absurd. A local non-profit teamed with with City of Tulsa to use a former nursing home as a shelter for between 50 and 75 households who are on a waiting list for permanent housing.

There are reasons you see and hear about the need to build more housing for those experiencing homelessness, it’s easier to provide services to a group of people in the same location, hence the idea of transitional housing. We need to do more Scattered Housing. To do that we need to cover transportation needs. There’s a challenge though in having people spread all over town. It’s a problem, but one that has a simple answer; provide the transportation. It’s literally that simple….and it isn’t. Let me explain.

"Poverty porn"...I had never heard that term until earlier this month. A social worker mentioned the term when I was talking to them about highlighting specific individuals experiencing homelessness and how a people could help them. Later that day I looked up the meaning of that phrase. Here is Cy Alcala's definition from an Medium article a couple years ago... Poverty porn is a concept used to refer to sensational media content, typically using a voyeuristic, schadenfreude-style viewpoint when portraying poverty to generate controversy and traffic and it is exploited by filmmakers, advertisers, and others for profit.

In my career as a salesperson, I had a motto that went like this: "I don't sell anything, "I figure $*&% out." What I meant by that is I don't have all the answers, but I will go get whatever is needed. I was tenacious, persistent, and creative. That’s a hell of a combination. I call it my superpower.