February 2025 Newsletter

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A Ripple Effect

When a single event causes spreading results, there is a ripple effect.

For Ralph, unexpected changes in the economy impacted his employment and housing. It brought him to the Mission, which further influenced his life. He was working in a customer service call center when the pandemic caused some employees to lose their jobs. Ralph needed a new position in the scramble of layoffs. He took a lessor one, until landing a higher paying job at a subcontractor to an international corporation.

Then, the larger firm had to temporarily shut production down to fix a design flaw. Not only were some of their employees laid off, the ripple effect spread to their subcontractors. Then in a chain reaction, that included not being able to pay his rent, Ralph became homeless.

He moved in with a cousin, then to the Mission. He worked odd jobs for a couple of months before finding steady full-time employment. Three months later, he is moving into a one-bedroom apartment in Roseburg. The unsubsidized rent is $800 per month, and he waited three weeks from application to move in.

Without those life changing events, he never would have benefited from his Mission experience. Ralph said, “It’s good, if someone comes in here with the right attitude. It can really help, if you take small steps every day. It saved me a lot of money on food. I met a lot of different, interesting people. It has been beneficial, created resilience, adaptability, and patience. In Chapel, I got to hear a few different perspectives, some in music, some in talking. It makes me stop and think about my mind-set. Tomorrow, I can better align myself with what I heard tonight and have a more humble spirit.”