b'Ken is president and CEO of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. Previously, he served nearly 20 years as a pastor and six years with a Fortune 500 company. Ken uses a handson approach to caring for the complex needs of homeless and hungry people. He has been blessed with three children. You can reach him at ken.craft@hopeofthevalley.org.has been amazing. Tiny home resi-wear his backpack to protect his valu-dents are grateful to have a roof overables, identified him as being home-their heads and a place to call home.less. He said nobody would look him We remind residentsLast month alone we were able to movein the eyes. Now, he takes a shower 24 people from interim housing to per- each day, has clean clothes, and does-that the tiny home is notmanent housing. We remind residentsnt need to take his backpack with their forever home;that the tiny home is not their foreverhim when leaving the communityhome; rather its a stepping stone to gethe can leave it locked in his tiny rather its a steppingthem back into permanent housing. home. Once again, he feels human, people look him in the eye, and hestone to get them backThe difference it makesis confidently able to apply for jobs.into permanent housing.A s I was leaving one of theAt the end of 2020, Hope of the tiny home sites last week, aValley had nine shelters and 507 resident stopped me, lookedbeds. At the end of 2021thanks to me in the eye, and thanked me. Hea public-private partnership with the told me that since living in the tinycity of Los Angeles and Pallet Shel-home community, he felt humanters, Hope of the Valley will have 15 again. I asked him to explain. He toldshelters and more than 1,300 beds, me that living on the streets and in with several other projects in the an encampment was hard and madeworks. Along with providing the best him feel invisible, unworthy, and un- social services possible, we are able human. Not having access to showersto tangibly demonstrate Gods love to or clean clothes, and always having tothose in need of His amazing grace. \x03 Photos courtesy of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission26 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG JULY/AUGUST 2021'