Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Colorado Mayor Sleeps at Homeless Shelter Every Week

Mike Coffman, a U.S. military veteran who held many government offices, and is the current mayor of Aurora, Colorado, spent a week in homeless encampments to learn from the inhabitants. As mayor, he didn’t talk about it, or hire consultants to study it; he went to see and listen to people first hand. As “Homeless Mike,” he slept “covered with a tarp as temperatures dipped into the teens.” “His experience on the street led the mayor to help found the non-profit Advanced Pathways. The incentive-based program includes a 600-person transitional housing facility.” People can move from shelter, to transitional housing, to full-time jobs helping them “achieve the highest level of self-sufficiency they are capable of reaching.” The mayor continues to visit once a week, getting to know them while they get to know him, to openly talk about their challenges and future.

Be The Change

Be open to an opportunity to see and hear first-hand about a problem or situation in your community in order to better understand. Listen for a possibility to serve.