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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSuburban poverty has its unique challenges and hardships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSuburbs are built for commuting,\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grant explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The assumption is that everyone in suburbia has access to a car, which is simply not true. Wilson County, Grant pointed out, lacks a Social Security office \u2014 you have to drive a significant distance to the nearest office in Gallatin. The other assumption is that social services are not needed for suburban residents. And, of course, there is a strong stigma or outright disbelief that poverty does not exist in the suburbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are three ways, Grant explained, how people become homeless. One, sadly, is addiction to alcohol and harder substances. The second one is untreated mental illness. The third is plain bad luck \u2014 the loss of a job or an expensive medical issue. When one lives paycheck-to-paycheck, even one of those factors can lead to a catastrophic outcome where a person or family ends up living in their car. And these are common suburban issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This last category \u2014 bad luck \u2014 is easier than others for Compassionate Hands to help. It\u2019s a more stable sector of the population, with some means of support, and not usually afflicted by addiction or mental instability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want to get them into housing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other clients are given aid to travel out of state and back to their homes, where a family or job awaits. And others are placed in rehab programs. About 10% of Compassionate Hands\u2019 guests need access to living arrangements for older adults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we can get them Medicare, they can usually get into that program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Grant and Compassionate Hands are waging an uphill battle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe obstacles are so high, and the individual resources are so low.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n People have suffered a mental health crisis, have lost their housing, have been ousted from their families \u2014 the cases are wrenching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard work,\u201d he conceded, \u201cwith very few wins.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n About half of the shelter guests grew up in Wilson County. Compassionate Hands, among other things, is an effort to aid friends, neighbors, and ex-schoolmates. This keeps Grant and his staff going, all of it undergirded by a strong faith that combats falling into despair or succumbing to a sense of futility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Suburban poverty \u2014 and so much of poverty in general \u2014 is hidden or shaded from view. Grant and Compassionate Hands have taken on an enormous task, but a task that\u2019s badly needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne reason Compassionate Hands has succeeded,\u201d he concluded, \u201cis that our shelter has a really sweet spirit, even though the work is really hard. The guests will say, \u2018You guys really care.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n And that, in essence, is what it\u2019s all about. GN <\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JOHN GRANT was one of the founders of Compassionate Hands, a homeless ministry that began in 2013. While no longer executive director, he is still a vital force behind this outreach.\u00a0 Since the beginning, the mandate of Compassionate Hands has been that \u201cnobody freezes to death in Wilson County.\u201d That means providing day shelter during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":22550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/04\/DSC00436-1024x683.jpg\")
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