Brian K: Recipient of the 2007 Simpson
You Are Remarkable Award

This award is given in recognition of the tremendous strides made by a family or individual who has participated in one of the Simpson programs.

Mary Gallini, Housing Resource Specialist for the Simpson Single Adult Rental Assistance or SARA Program says of this recipient: “This man spent about 20 years without a permanent place to call home. Throughout the time I’ve known him (close to 10 years) he has always been friendly and kind to everyone he comes across, no matter what challenges were going on in his life. Now that he’s been in housing for over two years through the SARA program, he’s more amazing than ever.

He has made his health a priority and takes pride in making his apartment a place that he wants to come home to. He has made enormous strides in his self-sufficiency and in tending to the daily tasks in his life. He’s laid back with an easy going style that puts everyone at ease. He spends time at the Peace House and is a fixture at the Alliance of the Streets office.”

Mo O’Keefe, Advocate at Zoom House, where the recipient has his apartment reports: “This guy’s heart is so big. Without being asked and without expecting any recognition, he is constantly doing volunteer work around the house and nearby church picking up trash and making repairs. He has a calming, dignified presence. There is a great spirit about him.”
 
Mike Menner of the Alliance of the Streets adds: I have known this man for most of the 18 years I have worked with the Alliance of the Streets. Today he is in a far different place than he was in 1996, when he was photographed for a City Pages cover story about homelessness. At that time he was living hour by hour.

With the help of Mary Gallini and Simpson he is now in permanent housing. He is committed to staying in that apartment and keeping it up. He clearly is taking care of himself and eating better these days. Who wouldn’t be when they are able to cook in their own place. I am proud of what he has accomplished these past few years and know that Tom Logeland and I always look forward to his visits to our office as part of his weekly routines.”

Everyone in this man’s life is proud to say they know him and Simpson is proud to give the “You Are Remarkable Award” to Brian K.

John R.'s Door to Step Back Into

John R. remembers the day his artist father taught him to paint. He showed him a picture: a house nestled within a thick landscape, beneath an open blue sky. John’s dad told him, “Begin with the sky, always begin with the sky.” John picked up his brush and began with the sky. When he finished the sky, he moved carefully down the scene, adding bits of detail and splashes of color as he went. He wasn’t in a hurry. His dad told him it would take a while, so he went slowly, but eventually John finished his painting. When John speaks of his painting of the house, his bright, melodic voice turns especially hopeful and spirited.

John grew up in Chicago. He first came to Minnesota nearly twenty years ago. After treks out west, he moved back for good, recognizing that he had a true Midwestern soul. “I just got a good feeling about Minnesota.” John has spent most of his time in Minnesota without a steady place to call home, but last spring with the help of Simpson’s SARAP program, John found a house to live in and call his own. When John speaks of his new home, his voice brims with the same fervor he uses to describe the painting he created with his dad. He loves the gleaming hardwood floors and the sun that pours in when he opens his blinds in the morning. He loves the washer and dryer in the basement and the stove that he cleans with precision everyday.

John says that living on the street wears you down. “All the doors are closed, all the avenues shut. There is just no place else to go.” But John is a man with hope. He is an early-riser who greets the day with a cup of tea and a mission. “Having a home makes all the difference in the world. I have plans and dreams, and now that I have a home, they’re within reach. I can step out of my door and take on life because I have a door to step back into.

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