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Local rescue org rallies to help SA homeless teen and dog
“It’s hard, you know sleeping outside, getting eaten up by ants, spiders, getting stung by a bee,” said Samuel Haymon.
SAN ANTONIO — Homelessness can happen to anyone. According to a survey from the personal finance website, Bankrate, Nearly one-third of U.S. workers say they are living paycheck to paycheck and have no money for savings after paying their monthly bills.
19-year-old Samuel Haymon describes how he’s been feeling the last few weeks, after losing his job and becoming homeless with his dog Mordex.
“Hopeless, helpless.” said Haymon.
Harmon lived in an apartment with his mother, stepfather and brother and was the only one working. Unable to pay rent, the family was evicted.
“I had to move out everything and I had lost everything.” said Haymon.
Samuel now had to figure out how to care for Mordex, who he has raised since Mordex was a puppy. Samuel says he went door to door asking for help.
“I asked people if someone can buy and food and stuff, because he was a main priority for me to take care of.” said Haymon.
Samuel’s mother moved into a shelter in Dallas. Samuel and his brother went to Haven for Hope. Both were offered beds, but Mordex couldn’t come with him. Instead, Samuel chose to stay on the streets with Mordex.
“I took care of him. Only me, no one else. So we grew up together. He’s my son.” said Haymon.
Samuel says he found himself sleeping on a bench at the Wonderland of the America’s Mall.
“It’s hard, you know, sleeping outside getting eaten up by ants, spiders, getting stung by a bee.” said Haymon.
A few workers at a nearby health clinic saw Samuel and Mordex, and wanted to help them. Their story was posted on Facebook.
That’s where Candida Campos, with Bee Pawsitive Husky Rescue came across the post and wanted to help.
“I’ve had friends and I’ve been in spots that I’ve needed help myself, and I had that guardian angel helping me,” said Campos.
Guardian angels in the community are now rallying behind Samuel and Mordex. A GoFundMe was set up, which has raised nearly $3,000 so far.
Someone is also letting Samuel use a camper that Campos setup on her land. Mordex had to go with a foster for about a week, while Samuel was getting situated.
Over the weekend, they were reunited.
“I’ve been thinking about him every day, wondering how he’s doing,” said Haymon.
Campos also helped Samuel find a new job at the Tractor Supply in Floresville, where he will start on Monday.
Samuel says he’s been overwhelmed with joy for all the support, but he could still use a helping hand, and Mordex needs a helping paw.
“Everybody needs a helping hand,” said Campos.
“I need help getting everything back,” said Haymon.
If you would like to help you can donate to the GoFundMe by clicking here. If you have any donations such as clothing you would like to donate you can contact Bee Pawsitive Husky Rescue on their Facebook page by clicking here.
There is also an Amazon wish list that has been created to help Samuel and Mordex.
Bee Pawsitive Husky Rescue is also looking for someone willing to donate their time to install an RV Hookup.
They are also accepting donations for an RV, as they say the camper that Samuel and Mordex are living in is a temporary solution.
Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities is offering to help those living outside its doors.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities has long helped people experiencing homelessness and other problems.
Now, the nonprofit’s outreach team is ramping up efforts to reach people living in an encampment right outside its men’s campus in St. Paul.
The encampment is located northwest of the building off of North John Street and University Avenue East. At least a couple dozen tents are stationed right next to a fence along UGMTC’s property line.
Community Relations Director Sarah Peterka says tents have been springing up for around a year-and-a-half now.
“It ebbs and flows based on the folks who kinda are leading the encampment,” Peterka said. “Weather also plays a factor in it.”
This month, UGMTC received an email from an individual concerned about the encampment, writing, “There is a recurring crisis of a tent city … No one feels safe going to and from the Mission. Please never stop and resolve the issue.”
Peterka made sure to respond.
“[The encampment is] not on our property, so we don’t have the ability to remove those folks or move them on,” she told KARE 11 on Wednesday. “It is Saint Paul public property.”
She went on to say UGMTC is in contact with the city and its Homeless Assistance Response Team.
“We wanna work with the city,” Peterka said, “and make sure everyone that happens to be outside is safe and has resources that they need – and – we wanna be able to swing our doors open and say, ‘Come in and have a meal and learn more about what we’re doing.'”
Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities is a Christian nonprofit that started helping people in 1902. With more than a century of services, the organization did not hesitate to offer help to those living right outside its doors today.
Peterka says an outreach team as well as chaplains have been visiting the encampment weekly, and some people receive the help.
“A handful of folks leave the encampment and come to our emergency services program and into our transitional housing program as well,” Peterka said. “So, sometimes it does work. Sometimes it works to have that invitation or hot meals, a shower, some clean clothes, a safe place to put your head under a roof which is a little safer than being outside.”
“There are a lot of folks who are shelter-adverse out in the encampments,” Peterka said.
The email wasn’t the nonprofit’s first complaint over the last year-and-a-half, as it’s also heard from several nearby businesses.
“Every so often, we receive some kind of comment or concern about the John Street encampment,” Peterka said. “This one complaint actually helped us get together with the city of Saint Paul and the HART team, and we’re working on a comprehensive plan.”
Peterka says in the next week or so, UGMTC plans to meet with the city and its HART team to work out the details of their comprehensive plan.
The nonprofit is also looking ahead to its annual Thanksgiving Day meal, asking the community to help stock its kitchen shelves by Monday, Sept. 30. UGMTC served and distributed 220,868 nutritious meals throughout 2023.
MPD says the homicide occurred near Bloomington Avenue and East 25th Street.
MINNEAPOLIS — Police are investigating a homicide Wednesday evening in south Minneapolis.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, the homicide occurred near Bloomington Avenue and East 25th Street.
No other information has been released.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Economists say the rate cut will have positive and negative affects on American consumers.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The financial world is buzzing after the Fed announced plans to cut the federal interest rate by 0.5%.
The stock market reacted immediately after the announcement was made Wednesday afternoon, with many indexes jumping initially and then ending the day negative.
Economists say the rate cut will send shockwaves throughout the entire economy, but how will the rate cut affect the average American consumer?
Let’s start with credit cards.
University of Saint Thomas Economics Professor Tyler Schipper says the rate cut will have a significant impact on credit card interest rates.
“There are a couple of places where you’ll see the impact relatively early and one of those places will be with credit cards,” Schipper explains.
“Borrowers will see a lower rate on their bill very quickly, maybe a billing cycle or two, that you’ll actually start to see those credit card interest rates come down.”
It’s unclear how significant the interest rate cuts on credit cards will be, but Schipper says it’s very possible they will be close to matching the 0.5% cut on the federal rate.
“A half-percent drop may not seem like a big deal for some people, but if you have a lot of credit card debt, that can have a big impact on your ability to get on top of it,” Schipper says.
The Fed’s rate cut will also have an impact on auto loans.
Professor Schipper says there is a weaker correlation between the federal rate and the interest rates on car loans, but he suspects car buyers should see some relief in the coming months.
“Car loans are tricky,” Schipper says.
“My best guess would be they are responsive, but not as responsive as those credit card rates.”
The rate cut will also affect the housing market.
Schipper says mortgage rates were already going down heading into the Fed’s meeting this week, and we could see another drop slowly over the next few months.
But the immediate impact could be a rush of homebuyers coming back into the market.
“Because people have been sitting on the sideline for so long that they feel like it’s now time to start searching. So there very well might be a psychological effect to this,” Schipper says.
It’s not all good news for consumers.
Schipper says savers will see lower returns on their savings accounts, bonds and CDs, which could affect seniors who are depending on those higher returns to maintain their retirement.
“A lot of those interest rates that were rewarding savers are going to start to come down,” Schipper says.
“Where people might want to store their extra dollars is going to change again as these interest rates come down.”
The Fed will meet two more times before the end of the year, and many economists believe we could see another rate cut, maybe even two rate cuts, by the end of the year.
So, some good news for borrowers, but for savers, those high returns are going to come back down to a normal level.
