Restorers: A Water Street Podcast

Living out of a car or van is a distinct reality for many individuals and families experiencing homelessness. What are some of the reasons for this, and what does that reality look like? We investigate these issues and more in this unique episode.

In this episode of The Restorers Podcast, Jack Crowley and Ron Gibson talk about what it means to be “doubled up” — staying with friends, family, or acquaintances because there’s nowhere else to go.Through raw clips from Water Street guests, they explore the generosity, pain, and complexity behind this hidden form of homelessness.

When it comes to homelessness, many people in the church want to help — but if we are honest, sometimes not knowing what to do leads us to look away.In this episode, Water Street Mission's President Jack Crowley and local pastor Rick Rutter reflect on the church’s role in responding to homelessness by reacting to honest and raw clips from guests.

In this episode, Jack Crowley, President of Water Street Mission, sits down with Ron Gibson, Senior Life Coach, to listen to the voices of people staying at Water Street.  These individuals share what they wish people in Lancaster understood about homelessness. As they reflect on these honest and personal insights, Jack and Ron explore the realities behind common assumptions and invite listeners into a deeper understanding of their neighbors’ experiences. 

More older adults are losing their housing than ever before — many for the first time in their 60s or 70s. After a lifetime of work, stability can unravel quickly through rising rents, health challenges, the loss of a spouse, or income that simply can’t keep up.In this episode, we explore the unique barriers seniors face when navigating homelessness: the difficulty of asking for help after decades of independence, the physical toll of instability, and the systems that aren’t always designed with aging in mind.Through real stories and honest conversation, we ask what’s driving this growing trend — and what it looks like to respond with dignity, community, and care.

 “Do people want to live on the street?”  It’s a question we hear often—and one that deserves a more honest answer. In this episode, Jack Crowley and Ron Gibson react to what our guests actually say about life on the streets, the myths we believe, and what compassion really requires of us. 

"Poverty is a deep, deep problem and should have deep, deep solutions to it."Tune in as Princeton Sociologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond and Water Street's President Jack Crowley discuss poverty, homelessness and root issues, and what gives them hope.

Nationally, there were over 34,000 unaccompanied youth that were counted as homeless during the national count last year. That means we're seeing 18, 19, 20 year-olds living on the streets, living in abandoned buildings, living in cars, living in places not fit for human habitation.Tune in to the Restorers Podcast as Lisa Greener, Executive Director of Community Basics, and Jack Crowley, Water Street Mission President, discuss the issue and talks about a local project, "Manor Youth House", designed to help youth experiencing homelessness in Lancaster, PA.

The growing scarcity of affordable housing is a pressing issue in Lancaster County. Low vacancy rates along with rental rates jumping significantly in the last couple of years, we know solutions to the affordable housing crisis are not going to come easy and we're not going to build our way out of it overnight. Tune in as Shelby Nauman, CEO of Tenfold, and Jack Crowley, Water Street Mission's President, discuss how we can think in new ways when it comes to advocating and even creating affordable housing at all levels. 

 "211 is like the 911 for health & human services, and above and beyond, over half of our calls are housing related right now," Kate Zimmerman says. "And if you're in this critical place with your housing needs, there are other things that are going wrong as well." Tune in as we hear from Kate Zimmerman, President and CEO of United Way of Lancaster County, and Jack Crowley, President, Water Street Mission, discuss the affordable housing crisis in Lancaster.  

 As a father, I can tell you, "I longed to be restored to my son," John says.  After his son got caught up in the opioid epidemic and nearly lost his life, John Roberts started R3 Recovery House in Lancaster to offer sober living spaces where individuals can recover from addiction and be restored while discovering their God-given abilities. Tune in to our latest episode as we hear from John Roberts, R3 Recovery House, and Jack Crowley, President of Water Street Mission, discuss the state of drug addiction and recovery in Lancaster, PA. 

If you were to ask someone what it was like to experience homelessness, you probably wouldn't expect a positive response. But when we sat down with some of our guests in the residential program at Water Street, that's exactly what we heard. Tune in to our latest episode as we hear from guests at Water Street, President Jack Crowley and Director of Guest Education, Teresa Martin. 

Stepping through the doors of Water Street's shelter for the first time, what does that feel like? In this episode of the Restorers Podcast,  we'll hear about the experiences and challenges of coming to a shelter and what building trust looks like. Tune in as we hear from guests of Water Street Mission, Director of Life Coach Ministry Lillie Otte, and President Jack Crowley. 

As the largest service provider to men and women experiencing homelessness in Lancaster, we often hear the question, "what do I do when I meet someone experiencing homelessness?" Do I give money, food, or other supplies? And how does one know what to say in these situations?In this episode, we hear thoughts and reflections from guests of Water Street, Life Coach Supervisor John Rushemeza, and Water Street Mission President Jack Crowley.

What is it like to live on the streets, particularly in a small city like Lancaster, PA? In this episode, we'll hear firsthand accounts from guests of Water Street Mission, who know what it's like to live in this "whole other world." We examine their challenges and take a look at what advantages, if any, exist for them.  And then we ask, what does it all mean for us, their neighbors? 

Without people you trust, life can lead you down some challenging roads. Today's episode centers on the story of a former Water Street guest who found himself exactly where he didn't want to be, in large part because of the people around him. But it also looks at how the right kind of relationships made all the difference - adding up to one incredible testimony. 

Work is often touted as the solution to homelessness, but is that really the case? Today we're going to hear the story of a guest who fell into a negative cyclical pattern, linked strongly to his work life. We'll examine what role that played in leading him into homelessness, and then hear how a transformed view of self can lead to a more healed individual overall. 

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt stuck? Where you didn't know how to get out? In our latest episode, we explore one woman's story of feeling trapped and ending up without a home. But we also share how she made it out of that spider's web.  

For our final episode of season 1, we decided to change up our routine, and address some of your frequently asked questions!This episode once again features Jack Crowley, President of Water Street Mission in Lancaster, PA, alongside Ron Gilbert, a Senior Life Coach at Water Street, answering the questions we get most often. 

Many have preconceived notions of what chapel or spiritual care looks like at missions across the country. Some think we’re holding food and shelter ransom in return for going to classes or chapel or delivering harsh sermons where pastors are coming down on people who are already struggling with overwhelming guilt and anxiety.  At the end of the day, the reality is quite different.  We are opening up space for hope, healing, and exploration of what a transformation relationship with Christ may look like.  In this episode, we hear from Jason Storbakken, Chapel Director for the Bowery Mission in NYC, and Water Street’s own Director of Spiritual Care, Jeff McLain, as they discuss the ins and outs of how they help those coming off the streets find their way to God and in turn find who they were really mean to be.

Life Skills include many topics, like cooking and maintaining a house, balancing your checkbook, or navigating transportation.In this episode, we'll look more deeply at one key life skill: Finances.Jack Crowley sits down with Eugene Norris, Lead Trainer of the Chalmers Institute, and Ruth Reyes Vega, a Step Up Coach here at Water Street Mission to take a closer look! 

We all know how it feels to be alone and conversely, to be connected.  In this episode we examine the struggles of going at it alone and how important a supportive community -- family, friends, churches, social service organizations, and school districts --are to those experiencing poverty and homelessness.We sit down with Steve Brubaker, Counseling Pastor at Grace Community Church of Willow Valley, and Janet Allen, our Life Coach Supervisor who focuses primarily on families, to discuss the need and the impact of community supports.

This month’s podcast episode hits another hot button topic: Homelessness and jobs! We hear it a lot, “why don’t they just get a job?” If only it were so simple!On this episode of the Restorers Podcast, Vanessa Philbert, CEO of the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County explains what that means on a macro-level throughout Lancaster. And then, Joe Larkin, one of our Step-Up Coaches who does career training at Water Street, gets into the nitty-gritty of what that really looks like for our guests. Even more, this episode is full of success stories and powerful examples of how God can use jobs to give purpose and renewed spirits to our neighbors! 

In this episode of the Restorers Podcast, we take a closer look at housing!  Of course, when you think of homelessness, it’s natural to think of lack of housing. But what is it actually like to try to get an apartment, while you're experiencing homelessness? In this episode, Jack Crowley chats with Mike McKenna, CEO of Tenfold, to get to the bottom of affordable housing in Lancaster.  Plus, you’ll hear from Water Street’s own Wilsa Voigt, a Case Manager who helps guests find housing in our residential program each day. She’ll break down what barriers guests face while applying for housing, but also point to some of the great housing successes she’s witnessed recently. 

It's clear that physical health and homelessness are linked, but how exactly do they interact?For many, a bad accident or injury can catapult someone into a world of homelessness, and for others, dealing with ongoing poverty and lack of resources can lead to declining health problems. Many tend to focus on symptoms like addiction and recovery, but in fact, more and more homeless neighbors are dealing with a variety of chronic illnesses like diabetes. No matter what, caring for someone's physical health needs is a key part of helping them work their way out of homelessness. In today's episode, Jack Crowley, President of Water Street Mission sits down with Chip Mershon of Penn State Health Cornerstone and our own Jean Benedict, Director of Medical Services and Nurse Care Management at Water Street Health Services to discuss why physical health is so key, and how to support guests in this way. 

What can lead people to be on the street varies from person to person. It can be as personal as a lack of relational equity or encountering a major health event, or it could be more systemic, such as the inability to find affordable housing or clear an eviction record. In this episode, we'll explore those roots and others, and uncover how they lead someone to be on the street. We'll also introduce you to our Whole Person Model, which aims to give those facing poverty and homelessness individualized tools to move out of their current situation and find sustainable restoration. This means not just having the ability to keep a place to live, but the healing of the entire individual, mind, body, and soul, so they can begin to thrive in all areas of life and eventually become a restorer of others. Rick Rutter, Pastor of Crossroads Mennonite Church in Lancaster City, and Colleen Adams, Water Street's VP of Health Services, join us for the conversation.

Typically emergency shelter consists of inviting someone in during the afternoon, giving them a place to stay and a meal, and then releasing them back on the streets the following morning.  We examine this model and how some missions, including ours, are changing to create greater healing and restoration among emergency shelter guests by creating pathways into residential programs (also referred to as res). We'll also look into how collaboration and choice can become powerful mechanisms for life change as someone comes out of homelessness.  Jim Reese, President and CEO of Atlanta Mission, and Luis Rodriguez, Water Street’s Assistant VP of Programs, join us for this profound conversation.

Stabilization is the process of gradually helping someone who is in a state of high alert and panic, to come down and recognize they are in a safe place. This process is highly important to emergency shelters because experiencing homelessness can both aggravate and create mental health issues. In this episode, we take a preliminary look at how to address this complicated issue. Through a conversation with Rebecca Dempsey, a Licensed Mental Health Professional and Psychotherapist with Wellspan Philhaven, we discuss how fight or flight mode impacts our guests. Then, we sit down with Tjwana Reed, Director of Access & Case Management at Water Street Mission, to examine what stabilization looks like in the first 7 days at Water Street.

Connection and relationships often play a key part in both how people fall into homelessness, and in how to help them journey out of it. In today's episode, we'll be talking with Jenn Koppel,  Director of LancoMy Home,  as well as Dan Mesher, the Day Life Coach Supervisor at Water Street Mission, to discover why relationship-driven work is so important, and the role it plays in helping men and women overcome poverty and homelessness. 

When individuals and families come in off the street, there’s a world behind them and a world ahead.   We’ll hear from New York Relief’s Josiah Hakin and a Water Street Life Coach (and former guest) as they discuss the importance of this first interaction.  We dig into what we often see as people come through our doors and how our Access Center is built to meet the needs of that moment.