NPR’s All Things Considered broadcasts the story of how a homeless advocate, who is himself homeless, uses high tech to tell the story of what it is like on the streets and how people can help:
Homeless advocate Eric Sheptock uses technology to get his message
out. Though he’s homeless himself, he keeps a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Sheptock, who lives in Washington, D.C., says he wants to educate the public about what he and many others like him are up against.
He spends a lot of time in the city’s public libraries, where he gets free access to a computer. There he can check his e-mail account and write his blog – called On the Clock with Eric Sheptock – which has so far attracted hundreds of readers. He recently wrote about his concern that the homeless shelter he now lives in is in danger of closing.
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Every Sunday, Sheptock and several other homeless people sing in the choir at the Church of the Epiphany, an Episcopal church in downtown D.C. that ministers to the poor. The rector, Randolph Charles, says Sheptock is an active parishioner.
“Talk about authenticity. Talk about speaking with authority,” Charles says. “For someone homeless to advocate for the needs of the homeless, that is so important. And actually, seldom does that happen.” He says Sheptock has clearly found his mission in life
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Listen to the story on NPR.
More on Sheptock here.