Just a few days ago, I posted about an extravagant homeless project in L.A. The Midnight Mission recently completed a new $17 million facility, which seems like a lot of money that may have been better spent on programs to rehabilitate than on a building.

Well, today I got a comment straight from the horses mouth. To be honest, I’m flattered that my little blog got the attention of someone in direct connection with the mission. The comment was so well articulated and addressed nearly every point of my post that I had to give it its own place. The following was posted by Justin Wisniewski, who gave his email address as volunteer@midnightmission.org. If he’s a fake, at least he’s a good one. Hats off, Justin.

There are many problems inherent in this article.

First and foremost, The Midnight Mission is a privately funded organization and does not receive your tax dollars for its operation.

Secondly, The Midnight Mission is not a SHELTER. It’s a transitional housing program that uses a drug and alcohol recovery program, counseling, education, training, and job placement to build a bridge back to self sufficiency for those individuals in need. People don’t just get to walk in and get a free ride, they have to sign up for the program which usually runs anywhere from 18 – 24 months.

The “Hair Salon” is nothing more than a three chair barber shop that is actually run by individuals living in The Midnight Mission’s recovery program.

The “Movies” are a large communal day room where a projector shows various movies, TV shows, or current events on a white wall. The room is more of a respite center to get out of the rain, heat, cold, or just the dog eat dog environment of the streets.

And if you’ve ever seen an individual coming off the streets who has been addicted to drugs or alcohol, you know that they are in desperate need of physical recovery. The Gym offers a place for a person to get that need. If you think you can complain about it, remember that even the YMCA was new once, and those were free centers for individuals to use.

Before passing judgment on an organization you may know very little about, please take the time to research what The Midnight Mission stands for, and try coming down to the center to volunteer for the day. It will change your opinions and open you to a true plight on our streets.

In fact, I have “seen an individual coming off the streets who has been addicted to drugs or alcohol”, many of them, some of whom became regular acquaintances. If it were not for my experience at Faith City Mission in Amarillo, and a few other unrelated instances, I would not be so hard on the homeless system.

In fact, I did do some research on the story before I posted (I always do), but all I was able to find were more references to detracting stories. I apologize that I did not dig a bit deeper. But, the funny thing is that your rebuttal made all of my points valid. Any venture that proposes to help those in need must help them help themselves. And, if you what you say is true, Midnight Mission does just that. Once again, hats off.