Shoes Needed for Job Given to Homeless Man by Hesperia Business Owner

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 15th, 2016

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VICTORVILLE – For the hundreds of thousands of homeless men, women and children in the United States and the tens of thousands who are chronically homeless sometimes all one needs is a push in the right direction.

High Desert Homeless Services Inc. works hard to provide the stability and push that these people need in order to obtain and sustain self-sufficiency. At times the task is daunting, the high costs to provide this for up to 55 clients is not easy.

Homeless shelters all work differently, some provide long-term assistance, some provide short-term, while others provide a bed on a night-to-night basis. High Desert Homeless Services provides not only shelter for 30-90 days but food, education, support and the resources needed to help give every client the opportunity to find a job and a permanent place to live.

The shelter receives welcomed clothing, shoe, and other donations but sometimes there is an item that is needed that the shelter does not have on hand. On June 13, 2016, a client received a job offer at a local Market, he excitedly accepted the offer but was required to purchase a certain type of shoe.

As many know, a person without a home that is seeking employment does not usually have access to enough money to make these required purchases. High Desert Homeless Services operates on an extremely tight budget much of the funds coming from fundraising. Working with other organizations including nonprofits, city, and San Bernardino County some relief is offered to make the basic bills tight but possible to keep up with.

The shelter was in a rut, of course, those affiliated with the shelter could help but many of those people also live on very strict budgets and are not always able to. That is when High Desert Homeless Services Inc. reached out to the community and the businesses in the community asking for either used shoes in the client’s size or help to purchase new shoes.

Local Business Owner,Azmi Alsanam of Simple Auto Sales located at 17085 Bear Valley Road in Hesperia saw this post and responded, “I got it” on Wednesday, June 15th. Those who know Mr. Alsanam know that this is in the normal calm, cool and collected, “Azmi” fashion when handling many community needs, often time those of the homeless shelter.

A shelter representative picked up the funds for the shoes from Mr. Alsanam, who provided enough for the shoes and several pairs of socks. The client will now be proud going to his new place of employment with his new shoes and socks on. This and other donations help clients on the path to a stable home and future.

If anyone would like to help the shelter, there are many needs. You can donate items which first go to the client needs and anything not directly beneficial to the clients at that time will go to assist in funding shelter needs. Anyone interested in helping the shelter in their mission can attend yard sales, visit the High Desert Homeless Service Thrift and Gift thrift store located at 15626 6th Street in Victorville, by attending fundraising events or by donating funds.

A High Desert Homeless Services Inc. representative said that even a small monthly contribution by local businesses and individuals can make a big difference in helping the shelter management take their mind off of trying to make ends meet so they can give their undivided attention to the clients.

Any donations can be brought into or sent to the shelter located at 14049 Amargosa Rd. Victorville Ca, 92392. Credit card donations can be made to the shelter website or called into the shelter during regular business hours at (760)245-5991.

The Homeless shelter is also currently in need of shelter vehicles , interior upgrades (bunk beds, commercial pharmaceutical cabinets, and commercial kitchen equipment), and volunteers with professional expertise (flooring, commercial printing, automotive repair, etc.). If you can help please contact Shelly or Jimmy at (760)245-5991.