- Video shows Hope the Mission, the non-profit organization behind the Tiny Home Village project, as two members spend 40 hours living in the Kern River.
- Rowan Vansleve and Krissy Delapinia share their experience in hopes of increasing awareness of those experiencing homelessness.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
No food, no shelter, and no resources.
Rowan Vansleve, president of Hope the Mission, said, “This isn’t just one crisis. It’s a mental health crisis, it’s a drug epidemic, it’s a housing shortage converging around a homeless crisis.”
Hope the Mission, a non-profit, is the organization behind the tiny home village project.
But before they opened their doors, two volunteers, Vansleve and Krissy Delapinia, social media manager wanted to experience first-hand what people dealing with homelessness go through.
“We got our wallets taken from us, only $5 to spend in 40 hours,” said Delapinia. “And my number one concern as soon as we got on the streets was– where am I gonna feel most safe?”
It was only 40 hours, but it was an eye-opener.
“One thing that I know for sure from this experience is no one can get sober on the streets. You have to be stable and safe to get sober,” said Vansleve. “We have people dying in our streets. The only way out of this is when our government does great things and nonprofits in the private sector can partner with you all to bring people inside.”
This experience only reflects a portion of what people dealing with homelessness endure.
“We were visitors to trauma and tragedy. We truly don’t understand what it’s like to be unsheltered. We knew it was gonna end. We knew the finite point when it ends,” said Vansleve.
Especially with local and national elections in mind, Hope the Mission reminds the community to look out for each other.
“If America is this great country that I joined, because I believe in this country where anyone can make it,” said Vansleve. “There are some people who are languishing at the bottom who need shelter, and shelter first.”
Hope the Mission plans to bring in its first residents on March 12, 2024. They will also host “Hope on Hart Street Tours” on March 8 and March 9.
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