One organization that is trying to make a difference for homeless teens – an estimated 2,500 in San Diego, according to the Regional Task Force on the Homeless – is the San Diego Street Angels. Started in 2006, the volunteer-based organization currently walks San Diego streets four days a month handing out backpacks of survival supplies as well as encouragement.
“Our primary goal is to show young people living on the streets that there are people who care about them, and who are willing to help them in any way we can,” explains Darin Dew, current director of the program. “Along with showing love and compassion, we give practical things like toiletries, food, water and, most importantly, resources that can help them to get off the streets.”
San Diego Street Angels, whose name actually refers to the people they serve on the streets, is an outreach program; rather than setting up a location and waiting for people to come to them, its volunteers go out onto the streets to find affected individuals.
Says Dew, “Each outing involves distributing supplies, serving a meal, giving clothing, passing out resources and lending a listening ear. The resources we give include information on housing, medical care, food services, counseling, STD/STI information, jobs and other information to help someone get back on his or her feet, get healthy and get off the streets.”
Socks, said Dew, are the No. 1 requested supply item. While Street Angels started as an outreach ministry of Missiongathering church, and many of the participants come from that church, there are also volunteers from elsewhere.
“We’ve had people walk up to us at Ocean Beach and ask about what we do, and decide to help,” Dew said. “A few weeks ago two teenagers walked by and asked what we did. Two weeks later they showed up with a basket full of sandwiches for us to pass out.”
One example is Grace church in North Park which teamed-up with the group for an outing a few months ago. Volunteers provide practical, physical and emotional help to both the teens and in support of the program.
Bryan Smith, one of a number of gay volunteers with San Diego Street Angels, says, “As a volunteer, I help by buying supplies and help stock the wagon we use to bring on the outings. Also, much of the time we use my SUV to transport the wagon to our outreach locations.”
“Many of us can also relate to judgment and non-acceptance from organized religion,” Dew adds. “We give to anyone in need, regardless of their background or beliefs. We simply present ourselves as a group of friends reaching out to help. We don’t push an agenda or ask for anything before we give. For us, it wouldn’t be true giving if we expected something in return, or had a hidden agenda.”
“To me Street Angels is about loving and caring for others less fortunate than myself,” Smith continued. “Being involved in the program is also important as a gay person as it can bring an empathetic perspective to the task.
“As LGBT volunteers, we know what it’s like to be marginalized, so I think many of us can relate to the feeling of being on the outside like the people we serve living on the streets.”
Also, for gay members of San Diego Street Angels, being involved in non-gay community programs is important. Says Smith, “For me it shows society that gays are normal loving people that really care about the community they live in. It is important to me to be involved in both gay and straight charitable activities; giving back and paying things forward just feels good.”
As more resources and funding reaches San Diego Street Angels, future plans will include expanding the number of monthly street outings and even providing a home for young homeless people.
And as with all charitable programs, funding and donations are always needed.
“We are entirely donations-based,” Dew said. “Most of our donations come in the form of in-kind donations, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, socks, sleeping bags, for example. We also have folks who contribute financially, which allows us to do the purchasing at discount stores like the Dollar Tree. Many of us have inspired family members to donate regularly. For example, I have a cousin in Pennsylvania who sends care packages of supplies every month. I believe our volunteers and donors feel more connected when they can give directly and see first-hand how it benefits the people we serve.”
Donations can come in all shapes and sizes, both in person and online.
Dew says, “We have people ship boxes to the church, drop them off throughout the week, bring them on Sunday, or contribute online. A couple at our church is getting married this month. Instead of a traditional wedding registry, they asked the wedding guests to give to Street Angels. We’ve also had people organize fundraisers at their business.
“We also rely heavily on corporate support. Even if it’s a one-time donation, small and large businesses alike help to make our efforts possible. Our business cards, for example, were donated by a small business in Encinitas that regularly supports us.”
However, it is not always a one-way street. The volunteers get something out of the process as well.
“Our volunteers get as much out of the experience as the people we serve. So to me the group really serves two audiences: the young people living on the streets, and the volunteers who are transformed by the experience,” Dew said.
Smith continued, “I do this because I love to see how much people appreciate what we do for them and that they know that there are people in this world that do care and love them and want to help try and make life a little better.”
San Diego Street Angels is online at streetangelsministry.com.
