Responding with compassion is central to Operation Joy's drop-Ins

Ryan who serves in our Operation Joy project in Ashton-Under-Lyne had great news last week when a gentleman called Darren came into the Drop-In.

Darren has been experiencing homelessness for the last three years, sleeping under canal bridges, sofa surfing and staying in hostels, but having nowhere he could call his home.

Darren had heard about our Ashton Drop-In at Infinity Initiatives café on Wood Street by word of mouth. He called in last Tuesday and told his story to Ryan and the team.

Ryan tells us, “Darren came into us very uncertain, with a low outlook on life. I first prayed for Darren to fetch God into the centre of the conversation, we also prayed for favour. Then he began to tell me his terrible story, how he had battled with addiction for many years and had been clean for over three years but in the process ended up losing his flat.”

Ryan quickly started making calls to other services that he has contacts with. He spoke to the manager of Homes of Hope to see if they had any vacancies and there was one available, Glory to God. Ryan filled in an application form, then this week they have offered Darren a place in the project. Ryan took Darren to his new home and, as you can imagine, it was a very emotional time.

Working closely with the team at Homes of Hope Ryan is going to continue to support Darren in his new home, seeking to empower him to do life on his own. Watch out for a follow up story in a couple of months to see how Darren is getting on.

Please continue to pray for Darren, this is just the start.