Kelowna’s Gospel Mission is sharing one of it’s success stories, Grandpa Lloyd.
In a video, outreach worker JoAnne McKenzie shares the two and a half year journey she has gone on with Lloyd to transition him from living on the streets of Kelowna and into housing.
Grandpa Lloyd's Success Story from Kelowna's Gospel Mission on Vimeo.
In 2017 during a an early morning route McKenzie found Lloyd, who she described as willing to sign a consent form for her to work on his behalf. When he was 66 years-old he lost his job and his home and began living on the streets behind the Laurel Packing House.
He would buy spam from the dollar store and would sometimes have lunch at the Gospel Mission, McKenzie says she would also sometimes bring him food in the mornings.
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Since working with Lloyd, the Gospel Mission was able to help him file his back taxes, replace his destroyed photo I.D. and birth certificate, receive free dental work, new glasses and helped him receive his guaranteed income supplement that was retro-paid two years and resulted in a $13,000 pay out.
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“It’s so much easier to have somebody who cares about you. All of the people on the streets, they don’t care about anyone but themselves. The Gospel Mission has done so much,” said Lloyd in the video.
“I have got a beautiful place now, it’s very nice private, its everything I need, I don’t have to share with anybody it’s a nice clean private home,” said Lloyd. “If it wasn’t for JoAnne and the Gospel Mission I probably would still be on the street “
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