b'Photo courtesy of Helping Up MissionIn 2011, God led Austin Bonds toAs Austin put it, Theres all kindspursuit of solutions for people outside, start Metro Relief, a mobile outreachof rumors out there about the shel- doing whatever it takes. We get to to individuals experiencing homeless- ters. We want to go out and talk toknow people and get a heart for them, ness in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.people. For everyone thats ready,but we have to keep going back to get Metro Relief staff and volunteerswere willing to help them get off theothers who need help. began parking the organizations busstreets; offer them a good solution.Austin has done mobile outreach at homeless hotspots and offeringEach person we meet has a differ- ministry for 16 years. In starting food, socks, hygiene kits, and prayerent reason theyre on the street. TheresMetro Relief, he combined what he to those they encountered. As theya lot of mentally ill; we found a missing returned week after week, trust andperson; some people have been kicked relationships developed.out. Were going to the people because People were starting to paysometimes theyre so stubborn. attention to social justice in the earlySome ministries object that Metro 2000s, Austin said, and the food- Relief simply feeds people and enables truck idea was just starting to takethem to stay outside. However, while off in Texas around the mid-2000s.the ministry staff do feed all of the Dallas is the fourth-largest metroplex150 to 200 people they meet eachin the U.S., and a large number oftime they go out, theyre able to get 5 people live on the streets.percent of those people off the streets Rather than being a shelter orfor good. They have conversations another type of resource, Metrowith 75 percent of them, pray for half Relief points people to a variety ofof them, and help about 25 percent in resources within and even beyondother significant ways.the city. The staffs goals are to breakYearly, were meeting a bunch of down peoples stereotypes aboutnew people, Austin said. We help 250 places they could go to get help andof them off the streetwhich means direct them to shelters whose entrytheyve been placed in housing for criteria they meet. 90 days or more. We have a relentless 32 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG JULY/AUGUST 2023'