Randle Loeb, vice president of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, shared his experiences with homelessness last week in Lindsey Auditorium and thanked the student body for their contribution to Project Homeless Connect.
Approximately 100 DU students attended the presentation, which was followed by the film “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The presentation was one of the events leading up to DU’s co-sponsorship of Project Homeless Connect on April 20. The other sponsors of the one-day event to provide services to Denver’s homeless are the city of Denver and Mile High United Way.
Jamie Van Leeuwen, project manager for Denver’s Road Home, an initiative to end homelessness in Denver, introduced Loeb. Van Leeuwen thanked the more than 500 student volunteers from DU who have already signed up to help at the April 20 event.
Loeb began his brief presentation by recalling a definitive point in his life, when he lay on a hospital bed on the eve of Sept. 11, 2001 after attempting to commit suicide. Loeb had been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been homeless off and on for 10 years.
Loeb wondered how thousands of innocent people could die in the terrorist attacks, yet he was somehow still alive. He decided to reassert himself as a productive citizen after that experience.
“Since that time, I have been working hard to try and do something to make people aware that no matter where you are from, you can stumble and fall and still raise up with the help of those people who don’t give up on you,” said Loeb.
Loeb’s interests have always been creative writing and teaching. He was born in Philadelphia to middle-class parents in a typical family household. He graduated from Bank Street College of New York City with a master’s of science degree in education. Loeb also attended the Iliff School of Theology and graduated in 1981 with a master’s of divinity degree.
When Loeb was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he was unable to continue his career as a teacher or to maintain a place of his own. He often slept in gardens, on porches or in garages. Loeb stated that he was full of self-loathing and “little by little, forgot that [he] came from a middle class family and that [he] used to sleep in a bed.”
“I felt as though I was a burden to everyone, my family, friends to society, to those who cared about me and my life was worthless,” Loeb said.
Since his cathartic experience on Sept. 11, 2001, Loeb has worked to help end homelessness. He is currently the vice president of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, which has received $10.3 million in grants from the federal government this year to end homelessness in the Denver community.
Loeb stressed the importance of the students’ civic responsibility to reach out to others who are less fortunate than us.
Loeb is grateful to the DU students who have agreed to volunteer in Project Homeless Connect, and he believes that this contribution will aid in lessening the impact of poverty in the Denver area.
“You are providing a bridge of hope, a circle of care and understanding… this experience is cathartic for the person experiencing homelessness. He or she begins to see how we are alike and that anyone can and does lose their identity through unforeseen circumstances,” Loeb said.
Loeb stated that he has received abundant personal gratification from the contribution of student volunteers.
“My life has been enriched by these moments of understanding and I am sure that those who take advantage of this opportunity will all be affected always by their connection to this event,” Loeb sad.
Loeb was the February 2007 winner of the 9 Who Care Award, presented by 9News. He has written various pieces of poetry and other forms of prose relating to his experiences with homelessness, and is planning to publish a book of his work.
Project Manager for Denver’s Road Home Van Leeuwen stated that there are 4,400 homeless men, women and children in Denver on any given day, however, he believes that an end to homelessness is in the near future.
“The city will absolutely end homelessness within ten years, it is realistic and we cannot thank [the DU community] enough for [its] contribution to the cause,” said Van Leeuwen.
Project Homeless Connect will be held on Friday, April 20 at Gates Field House in the Ritchie Center. To find out more about Project Homeless Connect, or to volunteer, visit http://www.du.edu/phc4.
