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Speak Up Magazine gives a voice to the streets—it is written
by and about those who have experienced homelessness.
It is sold by vulnerably-housed street vendors who become
micro-business owners, develop a passion for inspired
entrepreneurship and get back on their feet financially.
Matt Shaw
Editor In Chief
Maria Valdivieso
Art Director
Editorial Team
Harry Griffin, Kaitlyn Tokay, Hayley Pierpont,
Leah Burnett, Peggi Knowe, Nate Casey
Speak Up Magazine
501 Hawthorne Ln,
Charlotte, NC 28204
Ph: 704 – 980 – 9885
For additional information about the production of this magazine, including design notes,
printing details, photo and illustrations credits, visit speakupmag.org/hope.
We’d love to hear your feedback: magazine@speakupmag.org.
Speak Up Magazine is a 501(c)3 non-profit and is supported by donations of readers such
as yourself. To donate, visit speakupmag.org.
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THE ROAD FROM
SUFFERING TO HOPE
by Austin Kistner
My mother had me when she that I saw just how valuable hope
was a teenager, and my father could be.
decided that raising a child was
not a part of his plan. While my My childhood wasn’t easy, but I
mom worked three minimum-wage was happy. I had my mom, and
jobs to provide food and shelter that’s all that mattered.
for us, money was always in short
supply. The first time I realized that Until one day, my mother went
my life was different than that of to the doctor and everything
my friends was in kindergarten. changed.
I couldn’t believe that other kids
ate three meals every day all week We couldn’t afford health
long. I thought dinner was only insurance, so when my mom
supposed to be eaten a few times was diagnosed with MS, it was a
a week. I also soon realized that death sentence. Not even a year
only having two outfits to wear later, she passed away.
to school was not normal. I didn’t
know that our constant moving and The next few years of my life were
living in new places was actually a awful. I went to the edge of the
result of our being evicted. abyss; I experienced more pain
than a young heart should bear.
Any time something went wrong But as the years passed, and
for us, I was immediately told, despite having faced a tragedy no
“Don’t worry and never give up one should have to face, a hope
hope.” I was reminded of the grew within me.
words of an ancient missionary
named Paul, that “suffering I began to have hope that better
builds perseverance, which builds things were coming. That hope
character, which builds hope.” that motivated me to work day
Honestly, I wasn’t really convinced after day in school. That hope
this was true; and at the time, it motivated me on the athletic
didn’t exactly help to make my field. That hope motivated me
situation any better. It was only when I worked to support my
when I experienced true suffering grandparents and myself.
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The hope itself never changed my situation. Hope is the little whisper in the back of my
What it did do though was provide the spark mind telling me to give it one more chance
that kept me going in order to scratch and because I am worth it, that I wasn’t made to
claw my way out of the abyss. I put in long live in defeat and despair.
hours and worked and still carried grief with
me, but it was hope that got me out of bed I finally realized what the Apostle Paul was
when I was exhausted after working a double talking about. True hope, the kind bigger than
and my bank account was still in the red. It is me, provides strength in times of weakness.
hope that still drives me to create a better life While tragedy may strike, this hope will not
for myself and my loved ones when it would disappoint. This type of hope allows us to
be so much easier to quit. more than just get by…it gives us a chance to
thrive even in life’s hardest times.
Drawing by Jeremiah, age 5
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by Ruth Hsieh SW
Hope to me is like a seed in a potted plant.
It starts with a seed, and then the rain comes
downshowering the seed with life giving
water. After that, the sun comes out to
nurture the sprouting plant with vitamins for
photosynthesis. The sun’s radiance penetrates
the soil to give vitamins and minerals so
that the plant can produce marvelous fruits,
vegetables and beautiful botanical flowers.
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Truly effective outreaches offer a synergistic
solution to multiple needs. Homelessness is
most often focused on as a human problem,
but it also impacts the animal community,
specifically dogs. How many times have you
seen videos or heard advertisements for dogs
needing a home safe from hunger and abuse?
It is a serious need.
What is a way to address both of these issues
at the same time while also offering the human
participants a therapeutic value and motivation
toward self-improvement? The answer: a
tiny-house community for the homeless with
rescued canine companions.
Why tiny houses? Most homeless people
desire safe, peaceful shelter. Many have a lot
of “life challenges” to deal with. Having their
own space allows them the opportunity to
regroup and refresh. The homeless desire the
basic necessities. Nothing extravagant, just a
place to call home and get some sleep without
harassment. A tiny home is an affordable end.
Place that tiny home in a community centered
around a place of worship, a community food
garden, and a park, and Viola! a giant stride
toward a city’s renewal.
In 2015, Catherine Mingoya wrote Building
Together. Tiny House Villages for the
Homeless: A Comparative Case Study. In her
case study, Mingoya focuses on Dignity Village
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TINY HOUSES AND
By Leah Burnett FURRY FRIENDS
in Portland Oregon, “…ultimately, the tiny In her article titled 4 Reasons Why the
house village provides a level of safety and Homeless Benefit from Pet Ownership,
security that can be helpful for those looking Betheny Green states, “When a homeless
to stabilize. The more than 600,000 Americans person has a pet to take care of, it provides
sleeping on the streets shouldn’t have to them with a sense of purpose. It can lift their
wait for the toppling of the current system of spirits…You need to walk your dog, play with
expensive housing to receive basic care.” your dog and ensure they sleep and eat.
Having that routine, that ‘someone’ to care
Along with a tiny-house community, we could for and who cares for [you] can make you feel
incorporate a homeless dog for each resident. ‘normal’.”
Caring for a rescue dog invokes responsibility
and contribution to the society at large. It Another way residents could contribute to their
creates a sense of belonging and participation own community is by maintaining a community
for someone who has otherwise been an food garden as well as a fenced dog park.
outcast of that society. Community upkeep would be required of each
resident. It would community involvement
Dogs have many healing qualities. They can and create a self-sustaining environment with
lower our blood pressure, protect us from positive social interactions.
harm, provide longevity, cure loneliness, instill
purpose, remove depression, detect disease A tiny-house community for homeless adults
and be selfless companions. and rescued canines provides loving homes
for the dogs as well as health, emotional and
Homeless people often deal with loneliness, spiritual benefits for the human participants.
depression and an absence of purpose.
Homeless dogs are all too ready to be used
as healing vessels. It seems that homeless
people and homeless dogs need each other.
Homeless people and their dogs need
food, shelter and community to be fulfilled.
Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude the
following formula: Homeless people +
homeless dogs + tiny-house communities =
life-giving solutions to a city’s homelessness
crisis.
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DEFERRED HOPE
by Peggi Knowe
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree
of life.”
Statistics show that “hope deferred” does Speak Up who still have hope that life will get
indeed make the heart sick. Homeless people better. I see the hope in their eyes, and I know
have more chronic illnesses than any other that they will make it. Most of the folks who
segment of society. They cannot easily get walk through our door seem to have a deep
medical care, and recovery is difficult. faith in God. I believe that is the root of their
hope. It’s a pleasure to talk to them, pray with
How does someone continue to have hope them, and help them get on their feet again.
while living in a shelter with 300 men or I love their smiles and bright eyes when we
freezing on a park bench and wondering when offer them a job, dignity, and a chance to get
they will be told to leave? Every day is an ahead. I witness the seed of hope becoming
intense struggle for them to find a place to a tree of life. It makes me feel hopeful for my
shower, eat, sleep, or to find a job. And yet own life. I more greatly appreciate my bed, a
through all of this, there is a tangible hope. I roof over my head, food in my belly and a hot
know because I’ve seen it. Deferred hope does shower.
not mean NO hope.
I’ve learned that no matter how hard life can
I am amazed when I see homeless people at get, there is always hope.
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Give Me
by Bill McIlmail SW
Give me the strength
To fight this affliction.
Give me the strength
To beat this addiction.
Give me the strength
To carry on.
Give me the strength
When my strength is gone.
Give me the might
To get through this low tide.
Give me the might
To get on with my life.
Give me the power
To fight off all foes.
Give me the power
When my power goes.
Give me the power
To do what you would do.
Give me the power
To tell all that is true.
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by Kaitlyn TokayHope Through a Bed
The last month or so, I have been volunteering started sharing her story with me. She had
at a local nonprofit that provides a bed for recently moved to the south. They had been
those in need during the winter months. here for a couple of months, and things had
There are a lot of people who pass through gone south with the family member that she
those doors, some of whom are temporarily moved in with, so she chose to go to a shelter.
homeless and some participants who will be “I failed as a parent,” she said. “My kids are so
on the streets for a lifetime. scared, and I don’t know what to do. Hannah
loves kindergarten, and she is missing school.
Each person has a different story of why they However, I will do my best to get them out of
are there. Some of them use this service only this situation. I have hope that we will be out
during the winter during the coldest months, of this soon.”
and they sleep on the streets once the weather
turns warmer. Every street story is so different, I then asked Hannah what she was studying
and I come away a different person each and in school. “Famous people” she blurted out.
every time that I spend the night. “You know…like Harriet Tubman.” “What did
she do?” I asked. “She hid some people in
A month or two ago, I met a woman who was a train and freed the slaves.” “Who else?” I
spending the night there with her four small asked. “President Obama” she said. “And who
children. The oldest, Hannah, was a vibrant is he?” “You know, the president,” Hannah
six year old, followed by a 3-, 2- and 1-year- said matter of factly (I mean, who was I to not
old. Although the light had been off in the know the president? Duh.) After naming some
shared common room where the overnight more of Hannah’s heroes (Abe Lincoln, who
guests stayed; there was quiet crying from chopped down a tree, Martin Luther King, who
most of the kids as they shared one mattress. gave a speech, and Nelson Mandela), Hannah
Thankfully, I had brought my laptop. I got all had exhausted her brain power for the night
the kids out of bed, and we started watching and went back to watching TV.
some movies. Hannah told me that she was
scared and that this was her first night in a Hannah’s mom told me later on that night that
shelter. “Is every shelter like this?” she asked. she had hope that she would make peace with
“Do they all have nice people that watch her family members so that she would have a
Netflix with you?” I hope, my dearest Hannah, place to stay with her kids. As for Hannah, she
that every homeless shelter volunteer will has the optimism of a six-year-old and is sure
watch Netflix with you and your siblings. that she is going to change the world, just like
the role models that she is learning about at
The mother came over a little while later and school.
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by Bill Shaw
It is a spring day in North America. A wind here is where it all begins. Here the sun heats
blows from the southwest. Everyone is outside, the earth and gathers the oceans, sending
looking outside—or trying to look. There is a them aloft in huge clouds that travel south and
small child at a windowsill watching a squirrel. north in vast currents of wind. Here the soggy
A college student gazes at someone playing wet air fuels the rising spring and the rain it
Frisbee from her class window. A jogger jogs, brings to those who run and jog. Here in the
a homeowner checks the flaking paint and Philippines near the equator and here in North
wonders if it might be a good time to sharpen America, the weather patterns are linked and
the scraper. A boy shovels the basketball court shared.
of rotten ice. A homeless man walks the street
and considers leaving the city shelter. Three Here and there are two peoples, one
girls, two are twins, ride bikes in a drive around damp and deliberate, one energized, one
disappearing puddles. One man cleans his recovering, one still resting, one one color,
grill; a young woman washes her car. Someone one another, but all on one earth, with one
rakes, though it is too early for that. It is sun, and one God, though they may not know
spring…but not everywhere. that yet. These two peoples share what they
cannot control and sometimes share what they
In another place on the other side of the can.
globe, the equator heat is thick and heavy
and the air close to saturation, dripping in the In the warm place, the sound of dynamite
sun. A man stretches his palm and watches shakes the evening air as fishermen clean
the water pool like magic. He sits on a stool out the Leyte Gulf—the coral breaking and
with his shirt tucked above his belly trying to shattering—to feed families. In another, the
stay cool. Spring does not come here, has bins of household garbage—much of it food—
never come here, and the change it brings, collect on every sidewalk waiting for a truck
the energy it discharges, never happens. Here to come and hide it far away. In one place,
the pace is slow and ponderous. No one jogs. cyanide is squirted among the reefs. The coral
A homeless man sleeps on some cardboard, dies and small fish are gathered. In another
just as warm as he was yesterday and the place, tropical life float in PetSmart aquariums.
yesterdays before them. He doesn’t like the
rain. I was here not long ago, in this other The earth is a land of neighbors. In today’s
place, the warm place. world, they are closer and more connected
than ever before. Listening, caring, praying,
There is a different drive here. A different force respecting, understanding, speaking for those
than a winter retreating back to the far north who cannot speak for themselves.
and men and women chasing it, like soldiers
chasing a routed foe. Here the people worry It is spring, a bird sings, a fish jumps, hope
about food to eat and worms in their children’s abounds.
bellies. That is drive enough. But that isn’t all;
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THE
STRENGTH
OF HOPE
by Nate Casey
G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “To love means You see, hope is not putting a smile on your
loving the unlovable. To forgive means face during the good times. A single mother
pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means who continues day after day to wake up early,
believing the unbelievable. Hope means take care of her children, and work three
hoping when everything seems hopeless.” part-time jobs reveals hope. A soldier who
returns from his second tour reveals hope. A
Hope is an interesting virtue. When skies are son or daughter who works throughout high
clear and weather is nice, when all is well and school to help pay the rent, but still dreams of
good in this world, hope comes easily. But a college lecture hall, reveals hope. A father
here is a question: do we really take the time battling cancer to walk his daughter down the
to reflect on the strength and meaning of hope aisle reveals hope. Hope is powerful beyond
during those good times? Chesterton also measure, beyond circumstance. Hope takes
wrote, “One sees great things from the valley, the extra step when there seems to be no road
only small things from the peak.” When we ahead. Hope places one foot in front of the
are at the top of the mountain, we begin to other.
look down on everything. We feel invincible,
perhaps all-powerful, the master of our own So tell me, where is the grace in forgiving the
fate. From our perspective, things seem forgivable? Where may I find the mystery in
distant and small. However, when we are on believing the believable? Finally, where is the
the valley’s rough floor, we see things up close strength in hoping for what we already have?
and personal. In life, when we are walking Hope is not a golden ticket, yes. It is not
through that valley, we learn the most about always sunshine and rainbows. Many times, it
ourselves. Hard times reveal who we really is a fight. It is gritty and messy. However, the
are. At the same time, hard times reveal the greatest things in life are worth sacrificing for,
strength of our hope — hope that is built upon and for that they are worth hoping for.
faith and endurance through struggle.
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A LETTER
FROM ME
TO ME
by Harry Griffin
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Dear Harry,
I’m writing to you because I feel as though I have a certain authority to speak into your life.
How can you give hope to homeless people? Imagine this: the bottom falls out in your life,
perhaps slowly over time or even in an instant, and you are suddenly on the street. What do you
know to do?
The face of homelessness these days is the folks you see at street corners with their cardboard
signs. “Please Help…Homeless.” That’s where the majority of us see homeless people today. To
the average folks it happens to, that might be their first or even last resort to getting the help
they need.
Think about this too, do you like your job? Your life situation? Maybe it’s hectic, sure. Business
meetings. Never a spare moment. Maybe you are tired. Your friends and relatives wear you out.
But even on the best day, if you really think about it, aren’t you cared for? Loved? Appreciated?
Admittedly, you don’t make much money. You only work part-time. You get paid by the hour. You
enjoy the job, but it seems to never be enough. If you really think about it though, you always
have enough money for a hot meal at a restaurant. For a tank of gas. For a haircut. A new shirt.
Despite punching the clock, despite that sometimes you would much rather not be there, the
truth is, it is easy and accessible and available, and there are people who open doors for you
every day that you do not even think of.
The challenge today is this: you need to put homeless people at the centers of your life, just as
you are at the centers of others’ lives. You have it easy. Somehow, you must reach those folks on
the corners with those cardboard signs. They’re hopeless. Why else would they be out there?
You’ve let them down. Deeply and profoundly, you have let them down. Can you agree that you
need to pick them back up and set them on their feet?
Today, you need to do more than hand them a five-dollar bill out your car window, do more than
buy them a burger and fries or a soda, do more than let them cut your grass or dig a ditch in
your yard. Remember, it is easy for you. You know that it is easy if you really think about it. You
would not have done it if it hadn’t been easy. Your road has been paved in gold. This is what you
need to do for homeless people: you need to give them hope. You can do this!
Love,
Harry
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by Hayley Pierpont
It was Field Day, and I was in fifth grade. For When I got home, I buried the blue ribbon at
those who have participated in a field day at the back of my desk drawer, feeling a deep
school, you can imagine how this memory shame for not helping poor Joanna. I had
is sketched out in my mind’s eye. A hot day. been more interested in my own happiness
An open plain of grass. Countless cups of than Joanna’s welfare; and worse still, I had
Gatorade and water. At my elementary school, not helped her because I was afraid of the
field days were met with both childish zeal ways she was different from me.
and an odd anxiety to win. As a child, you
don’t recognize that you’re a little concerned Not long after, Joanna was pulled from school
about whether you’ll win that blue ribbon, but for “family reasons,” our teacher explained.
it’s clear in the way you brace yourself at the Though she no longer occupied the desk a
starting line. row back from me, Joanna’s presence still
continued to haunt my life; and I found myself
One of my relay partners was a girl named thinking of her often in the quiet moments
Joanna. Joanna was the kind of girl who that sometimes filter their way into the hustle
didn’t like to dress like a girl, was oddly quiet of our passing days. In the years since, I’ve
and had hair that was always tangled, even developed the conviction that no matter how
on picture day. Joanna was also one of the different the person in front of me, I’ll show
children at my elementary that received free them love and treat them with dignity. For
or reduced lunches, an allowance that was all that, I have Joanna to thank.
too common at a rural public school in East
Tennessee.
In one of our sprint relays, Joanna was running
hard toward me. Her arms were swinging and
I could see the intensity on her face. Suddenly
without warning, she fell, badly skinning her
knees, and out of her hand slipped the baton
I needed to win the race. I ran toward her,
halted, and faced a moment of indecision–
between comforting a crying Joanna and the
baton.
I picked up the baton and ran.
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by Joshua Caldwell SW
I hope to find the right girl for me.
I hope to find a place to live and also to have roommates of my choosing.
I hope that I’ll go on a real vacation and have some real fun.
I hope that I’ll find a third job, so I can support myself and my friends.
I hope for happiness, joy, and peace for my life.
I hope for my family to live well.
I hope that the Carolina Panthers will win next year’s Super Bowl.
My hope is to stay alive and stay well.
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CONTRIBUTORS
Joshua Caldwell Peggy Knowe Kaitlyn Tokay Harry Griffin Austin Kistner
SW
Matt Shaw Nate Casey Ruth Hseih Maria Valdivieso Bill Shaw
SW
Leah Burnett Bill McIlmail Hayley Pierpont
SW
SW Street Writer = Has experienced homelessness
Illustrations by Freepik
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HOPE WORDS SEARCH
P I X W S J L X V R C R E A T I O N D A
E N P E B B P H T J E O E X V N C F E N
C X R E T Q W Y F Q S V C X T V N A E T
R L P K R C H E X Y Z I I X S D E I D I
G E H E V F D F X F O O M V L L Z T Z C
Z P A A C K O F L Q X E M F E L G H R I
O A R L J T E R E A T T A I N M E N T P
Y V C O I Z A U M A O E H Z V X V Q G A
T G E H M Z E T O A T E M B E L I E F T
Z M I R I I A J I Q N W B Z K Q C K N E
J P T S C E S T T O B C A O W W T G Z X
O V U M P O V E I K N W E J S Z O T Y E
U D G R N J M E Q O J Y R P G G R Y E C
R V B S S U B E M F N Y C U H P Y C G U
N M F E Z U U G L E S T E N G T H E N T
E D J A Y V I T Y Y N Q J R E H E B F I
Y G N E J U J T O R J T R T Q R W N O O
N R E S I L I E N C E G E F F O R T Y N
O W Q U E S T B C Y T R I U M P H E U Q
C S U C C E S S R R Y C O N Q U E S T H
STENGTHEN ACHIEVEMENT REALIZATION FEAT
EXECUTION CONQUEST DEED ANTICIPATE
RESILIENCE BELIEF FAITH SUCCESS
PURSUIT OVERCOME PROMISE CREATION
EFFORT ATTAINMENT VICTORY
QUEST EXPECTATION JOURNEY
TRIUMPH REVIVE PERFORMANCE
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To all that drop their pennies on the ground,
There is someone who will find them all around.
It is a faith, a feeling, so free,
To find a pile of dirty brown, beat up, pitiful pennies just for me.
I ask the Lord to help me see them every day,
And there they are all along my way.
It is a wonderful feeling to know, through those pennies,
God’s love He does show.
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