TV Program Helps Homeless Man Learn Skills, Find Sense of Purpose
The program discusses the issues surrounding homelessness, gives voice to the underprivileged and, just as importantly, provides the staff with training that can help them obtain jobs and thrive.
October 16, 2009
As a former prison inmate, Ron Kenebrew had trouble finding a job and ended up homeless. However, thanks to a TV project run by a local pastor, he and other homeless people in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area are regaining a sense of direction in their lives while also learning marketable skills.
Kenebrew is a beneficiary of a program which allows people like him to work on producing and presenting a weekly cable access show titled Voices for Change, according to CNN.
The program discusses the issues surrounding homelessness, gives voice to the underprivileged and, just as importantly, provides the staff with training that can help them obtain jobs and thrive.
In a true survivor spirit Kenebrew told the news source that "wanting to make a success story out of a situation of despair is the engine that drives my mind."
He adds that homelessness can be "a place in despair or ... a slingshot to opportunity," and that it is up to each individual to make a choice.
The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that between 5 and 8 million Americans (2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population) have experienced some form of homelessness. Frequently, mental health issues and substance abuse are contributing factors, so those affected as well as their families and friends may consider crisis counseling and other treatment options, as appropriate.
There are many nonprofit organizations that accept donations to help the homeless, and they include the Homeless Emergency Project. Individuals and families can also access valuable resources through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As a former prison inmate, Ron Kenebrew had trouble finding a job and ended up homeless. However, thanks to a TV project run by a local pastor, he and other homeless people in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area are regaining a sense of direction in their lives while also learning marketable skills.
Kenebrew is a beneficiary of a program which allows people like him to work on producing and presenting a weekly cable access show titled Voices for Change, according to CNN.
The program discusses the issues surrounding homelessness, gives voice to the underprivileged and, just as importantly, provides the staff with training that can help them obtain jobs and thrive.
In a true survivor spirit Kenebrew told the news source that "wanting to make a success story out of a situation of despair is the engine that drives my mind."
He adds that homelessness can be "a place in despair or ... a slingshot to opportunity," and that it is up to each individual to make a choice.
The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that between 5 and 8 million Americans (2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population) have experienced some form of homelessness. Frequently, mental health issues and substance abuse are contributing factors, so those affected as well as their families and friends may consider crisis counseling and other treatment options, as appropriate.
There are many nonprofit organizations that accept donations to help the homeless, and they include the Homeless Emergency Project. Individuals and families can also access valuable resources through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.




