One Story

Serving those who served

You may run into Frederick Sherman at the Royal Palm Campus. He's an usher, and he attends the singles Bible study. He served in the Air Force. He's a poet.

Here's what you don't know: Not all that long ago, Frederick Sherman was homeless, living in a shanty tent in the woods, surviving on food from shelters. His only possessions were the clothes on his back.

Dr. Casimiro "Cassie" Hampton-Crockett (pictured here with Frederick), also worships at Royal Palm. In her work she has seen dozens of these men come through her office door; they are hungry, hurting, homeless. And every last one of them is a veteran of the United States military.

Some of them served in Vietnam or Korea. Some of them are just back from Iraq and Afghanistan. Some never saw a day of combat. But they all need a home and food and clothing and medical care, and they all need to learn that they are loved.

They need help - our help

The numbers are staggering. In the United States, one-third of all homeless adults are veterans. In Palm Beach County alone, there are at least 1,400 homeless veterans, says Cassie, an organizational management psychologist and administrative director of Faith-Hope-Love-Charity Inc., a Lake Worth-based organization that serves the needs of homeless veterans.

The group has reached out to more than 1,000 men since its inception in May of 2000. The organization runs Stand-Down House, a residential facility with a number of satellite locations in central Palm Beach County.

Initially, the emphasis is on meeting the men's most basic needs - food, clothing, shelter, medical care and emotional counseling. But after that 30-day stabilization period, the men are invited to open their lives to God, attending the church of their choice.

For more and more of them, that church is Christ Fellowship. It started with a group of three men, and now there are more than a dozen, so many that the organization struggles to find the men transportation to all the church events they want to attend.

Following a strong example

"Spirituality becomes more and more important to a man at this time," says Roy Foster, one of the organization's founders. He knows what he's talking about; he's a veteran, and was once homeless himself. "They are looking to see consistency over time. As they follow Christ, they begin to internalize what that principle is. As they see how we live, they in turn begin to trust, which is critical. We show them how it's done."

Frederick confirms that he is a new man - God's new man: "The hope and promise for my life are greater than I can imagine. The angels in my life today are very real, very godly and very human at Christ Fellowship."

Cassie Crockett agrees. At Christ Fellowship, she says, the men feel the love of the Lord through the loving embrace of the people around them. In Frederick's case, "he felt that someone was there to help him along the way, and if he happened to fall, they would not be critical. Christ Fellowship plays an extraordinary role in reiterating the things that we are telling the men."

Eagle's Wings: A special small group

The members of Cassie's small group have come alongside her to care for the men as well, first through prayer and then through active involvement with the men and the organization. The group has named itself "Eagle's Wings," and its members are even serving as event planners for the organization's first fund-raising banquet.

Through our prayers and gifts, we can begin to repay a debt to men who served our country. Think of Frederick Sherman. "He was homeless, without employment, separated from family, had a history of incarceration, was very hostile and guarded," says Roy. "Now he can not only see who he is, but who he is in Christ. It plays a major role in his transformation. Now you can see a smiling person, a confident person."

To learn more about Faith-Love-Hope-Charity Inc., please e-mail or call 561-968-1612, ext. 13. Click to learn about joining or hosting a small group.