Steve and his 81-year-old mother Ruthann have been living in a tent under a bridge in Bethlehem since November due to a series of unfortunate circumstances.
Steve’s a military veteran who says he lost his job due to having problems walking and falling down to later find out he had blood clots in his legs which resulted in vascular bypass surgery. And his mom’s only income is social security and she could no longer afford to pay the rent.
"It's crazy," says Steve. "You're cold. It's damp. You can't build fires. You don't want people that you don't know coming and then you got to be afraid to leave sometimes because you don't know what's going to happen. You come back and everything's gone. I mean, it happens to everybody, all kinds of people that we've met out there and they've lost their jobs, had to take care of their kids, things that have happened, got laid off. There's a number of things and it's just crazy. And there's only so much help that’s out there."
But Steve and Ruthann finally found help. New Bethany Ministries partnered with Comfort Suites to help people off the streets and into hotel rooms during COVID-19, thanks to a grant from the City of Bethlehem.
Steve and Ruthann say receiving help from New Bethany Ministries has been a Godsend. They're grateful to have a bed, a shower and access to food. And another thing, hope.
"We kind of see light at the end of the tunnel," says Ruthann. "I'm just waiting for it to open up wide."
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