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18 OUR YUCAIPA | MARCH 2016 In a day and age when a good deed isn't real until it's gone viral, and self-promotion is thinly disguised as charity, there are still some people in town who are true angels. Yucaipa angels. Two of those angels are Mari Winter and Carrie Ellison. 2 Way Street Winter, 39, has just founded 2 Way Street, a Yucaipa based program designed to get local homeless people steady work, a little cash, and perhaps more importantly, structure, self-pride, and friendship. Winter estimates we have 150 people without homes in Yucaipa. They may not be visible all the time, but she knows where they are, listens to their stories, and goes about helping them in a very personal way. Winter moved to Yucaipa last September and said she immediately noticed the homeless in town. A retired college volleyball player and coach, Winter knows a little something about motivating people and quickly became an advocate for those in the local homeless community. She took the time to talk to them and more importantly, listen to their stories. In time she was shown the places they live, and is very careful not to betray their confidence. She works with each of them individually, and since September has helped seven individuals off the street and into housing. She began the 2 Way Street program in February. Program volunteers and homeless people started cleaning up Yucaipa's Uptown, and are hoping their right-on-the-boulevard visibility, along with their catchy blue vests, will begin to cultivate interest in town. The crew meets every Monday from 10 am to noon, picking up garbage, weeding planters, and beautifying the town, all on a volunteer basis. Winter and her crew provide lunch, and more importantly, companionship. "The homeless were really my first friends in town," said Winter. "As I got to know them, I found they were just like the rest of us. They all had stories, and for one reason or another, weren't able to handle life's challenges like the rest of us and ended up homeless. They were always very kind, and never asked me for anything." In an attempt to help the homeless, police often give them a booklet with phone numbers of agencies who are supposed to help them find shelter and temporary housing. However, as Winter began to call the various organizations herself, she found that either the numbers were disconnected, there was no one there to help, or the person answering the phone was rude and unhelpful, sometimes even hanging up on her. "It's harder than people think to get a job or find housing," Winter points out. "The seven people that I've helped navigate to homes took months and months of phone calls and slammed doors. It's a complicated process for me, an educated and motivated adult. Can you imagine trying to navigate the process without any resources or support? Even for the most motivated homeless person, it sometimes takes a least a year to get off the street." So she started trying to help them, one by one. One of her favorites was Kelly. Kelly was from Yucaipa and had raised four kids here. He had an addiction problem and soon found himself on the street. Winter made rounds of phone calls to social service agencies until she got him into a rehab center in Murrieta she found through Facebook. "They just happened to have a bed available and had open enrollment," said Winter. "It worked out perfectly." He began to reconcile with his wife, and is currently planning to move back in with her when he completes the program. Another success story is Randy. Randy is a veteran who is now in his own home, thanks to the Yucaipa Police Department. Winter was on a ride along with Deputy Chris Bertetto last year when Randy was to be taken to permanent housing through the Homeless Outreach Psychiatric Evaluation (HOPE) Program. Sitting on the curb waiting to be picked up, Randy began to shake at the thought of leaving Yucaipa. Winter was able to draw on their friendship to get him through it. "I just sat down by him and listened to his concerns. It's scary for them to be driven to a new area, where they don't know anybody," Winter said. "I told him that being scared of change is normal. To just take it one day at a time and told him that he can always come back to Yucaipa if he needs to." Randy now has his own place and is doing well, she said. She also helped place a veteran couple into a condo in Apple Valley, and has helped others look for homes through programs, and has even reunited some with family members. It takes a while, she said, but it's worth it. Winter recalled a night in November when it was raining, and she was worrying about her homeless friends outside in the cold. Permanently disabled from back pain, Winter was having a flare up and was flat in bed and had not seen her new friends for several days. "One homeless friend called me and asked if I was okay. When I told her I hadn't been around because I was not feeling well she said something that changed my life. She said 'we all have some change. If we put it all together I bet we could get you some medicine.' Here I was, lying in my warm bed on a rainy night, and they were rallying to help me. I knew right then I had to do something bigger." The next day, Winter said she and her wife Alycia were in the yard raking leaves when the idea hit her. This is something a homeless person could do. So they went out right then and bought rakes, garbage bags, and gardening supplies to begin the 2 Way Street program. Now it's time for the town to help. "We're asking businesses and residents to give us work, whether it be for just a few hours at a time, or on a regular basis," said Winter. "The work helps change the homeless mentality. It gives them hope, and lets them know they are worth something." Potential "employers" have the peace of mind of motivated, on time help, said Winter. Even better, pay is completely optional. Winter personally keeps a work history on each volunteer, noting the times they show up on jobs, if they are intoxicated or high, and how hard they work at the task before them. She also accompanies them to each job. "I've always rooted for the underdog. But the homeless here have really touched me. Just because they don't have a roof over their heads doesn't mean they are scary criminals or drug addicts. I've never once felt endangered or scared. All deserve respect and to be treated like human beings. I hope here in Yucaipa we are doing that," Winter said. For more information, updates, and project dates, or to contact Winter, join her Facebook group "The Faces of Yucaipa." Yucaipa Angels Carrie Ellison's house is overflowing with clothes. But she's no fashionista. The 59-year-old mother and grandmother rather unintentionally started a community clothes closet, where anyone is welcome to come get needed Yucaipa Angels By Natalie Palmer