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HURT. FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, ONE OF THE CITY’S NEWEST PROGRAMS HAS BEEN HARD AT WORK GETTING THOSE IN NEED OF A SECOND CHANCE BACK ON THEIR FEET. SINCE IT LAUNCHED EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE HEART PROGRAM HAS BEEN GETTING THE UNHOUSED POPULATION RESOURCES THEY NEED TO THRIVE IN HOPES OF ULTIMATELY GETTING A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS. �������� 13 JARVIS ROBERTSON, YOU GOT AN UPDATE ON WHERE THE GROUP STANDS RIGHT NOW. HOW’S IT LOOKING? WELL, THE FOLKS AT URBAN ALCHEMY TELL ME THAT THE WORK IS GOING FINE, BUT THERE’S MORE THAT CAN BE DONE. FINDING STABLE HOUSING CAN BE HARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT MAY SEEM LIKE THERE AREN’T MANY OPTIONS. HOWEVER, THIS TYPE OF WORK IS REWARDING FOR THE HEART PRACTITIONERS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE’S A DEEPLY PERSONAL CONNECTION. I WAS HOMELESS FOR A YEAR AND A HALF. PRECIOUS HOWARD HITS THE STREETS OF BIRMINGHAM EVERY DAY WITH THE URBAN ALCHEMY HEART TEAM, HELPING THE UNHOUSED. IT’S HER PERSONAL STORY THAT MAKES HER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SO UNIQUE. I WENT FROM PILLOW TO POST, AND I LITERALLY JUST HAD TO MAKE A WAY, LIKE I JUST HAD TO FIGURE OUT A WAY. SUBSTANCE ABUSE. A TWO AND A HALF YEAR STINT IN PRISON AND HOMELESSNESS WAS HER LIFE. BUT THINGS ARE LOOKING UP. AND HOW LONG AGO DID YOU FIND A STABLE HOUSING? NOT EVEN THREE MONTHS AGO. AND SHE’S BEEN WORKING WITH URBAN ALCHEMY FOR SIX MONTHS. HEART STARTED ITS MISSION IN BIRMINGHAM AT THE END OF LAST YEAR. THEY GAVE US A BREAKDOWN OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING SO FAR, 11 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MOVED INTO HOUSING AND SIX PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONNECTED TO JOBS OR PARTICIPATED IN TRAINING PROGRAMS. THE BIRMINGHAM HEART DIRECTOR, ARTIE GILBERT, SAYS MANY OF THE HOMELESS PEOPLE THEY ENCOUNTER HAVE A WARMTH TO THEIR PERSONALITY. THEY’RE NOT SO MENTALLY DISTURBED TO WHERE THEY INITIALLY JUST WANT TO ATTACK YOU, ATTACK YOU. THERE ARE MORE SO THAT IF YOU MAKE EYE CONTACT AND IF YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THEM AND YOU ASK THEM, HOW ARE THEY DOING, MAYBE HAVE A BOTTLE OF WATER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEY WON’T DENY YOU. IN ADDITION TO HOUSING AND JOB SERVICES, THEY’VE ALSO PROVIDED OVER 1500 RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY LIKE HYGIENE KITS, FOOD OUTREACH, CARE AND TRANSPORTATION. I ASKED GILBERT WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES OF DOING THIS KIND OF WORK IN THE MAGIC CITY? NOT HAVING AS MUCH AS AN AVENUE THAT WE WOULD LIKE, LIKE MORE SHELTERS, POSSIBLY MORE TINY HOMES WHERE WE CAN GET PEOPLE. ONCE WE GET THEM TO BUY IN, TO WANT TO MAKE THAT TRANSFORMATION. WHILE THE TEAM UNDERSTANDS THAT NOT EVERY HOMELESS PERSON WILL ACCEPT OR APPRECIATE THEIR HELP. HOWARD DOESN’T SHY AWAY FROM TAKING THIS JOB SERIOUSLY. I LOVE MY JOB LIFE AND I LOVE MY MY CLIENTS. I REALLY DO. OUR GUESTS, OUR PEOPLE, THOSE ARE OUR PEOPLE. NOW, FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM, ALONG WITH PARTNERSHIPS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, ARE NEEDED TO HELP URBAN ALCHEMY ADDRESS THE HOMELESS CONCERNS. THE HEART TEA