Another Face in the Crowd: One Homeless Man’s Path to Redemption
By Swathi Rao, 11th grade, Plano West Senior High
In the blur of Dallas’ crowded streets, Ty is just another face. However, what people do not see is a formerly homeless, newly anointed church leader and rap artist whose mother struggled to provide for him, whose father went to prison, and whose friends have become the anonymous casualties of gang violence and substance abuse. These days, he’s been given a new lease on life. He gives back to the community and provides hope for homeless adults struggling to find jobs.
Ty has been rapping for as long as he can remember, long before he earned his first paycheck singing for Ruckus Records, traveling to Portland, New York, Boston. But the study of music, as something practiced rather than spontaneous — this is new. He changed the tune of his song to lines that share a positive message.
“Music can be powerful weapon in a positive or negative way,” Ty said.
The dark nature of his fame as he became addicted to drugs and joined gangs, which led to several rehab centers and jails from his late teens to his early thirties. There’s one date he’ll never forget: October 8, 2010. It’s the day he believes he was rescued from the streets by God and began volunteering at the local shelter.
Ty is just one example that homelessness can happen to anyone. He was born into wealth, had strong relationships, a high-paying job and a nice home in an affluent suburb. Nearly all of Ty’s life has unfolded in Dallas, where he recognizes former classmates as he attended the same churches, shopped at the same grocery stores and spent his time in similar spots as the homeless have.
These days, he feels most comfortable in the company of the faceless nomads underneath the decrepit, dilapidated bridge. It is a place where plastic bags line the makeshift tents and rats run amok, where feces and vomit pollute sidewalks, where drunkards have roamed and weary alcoholics seek refuge from the frigid weather. When he walks under the bridge, and the music starts, he sings whatever he is feeling.
“ I have more fun doing that than I did in arenas [of] 6000 people” he said. “The meaning of it is so much more [because] it’s not about me it’s about how can i help others.”
In the span of Ty’s life, his city has been reborn. The skyline soars with luxury apartments, beacons of a new gilded age. Freshly paved bike lanes connect commuters to high-tech jobs, passing through upgraded parks while posh retail has spread from Uptown to the city’s other boroughs. In the shadows of this renovation it is Ty’s population who have been left behind. The ranks of the poor have risen.
“23% of Dallas living in unsheltered homelessness with 4,140 total people on any one night”, according to Metro Dallas Homelessness Alliance. Their traditional anchors — affordable housing and jobs that pay a living wage — have weakened significantly.
Ty describes this divide as “anything South of I-30 is low while anything North is high income.” He feels that the “lack of concern” is the biggest problem faced by residents as they walk past rows of decrepit tents to cover their status of one of the tenth wealthiest cities in the United States.
He would also like to see more funding allocated to his shelter as they have reached maximum occupancy nearly every day with minimal beds to assign. According to Audit of Homeless Response System Effectiveness, “The City is not spending grant money timely, returning 9.7 percent, in unspent grant funds to the Federal government.”
Ty works with several caseworkers to provide for residents as the weekend manager. His responsibility is primarily to ensure that “400 people have a safe place to sleep, eat and shower.”
“You have 400 people, 400 different personalities and 400 stories,” Ty said. “Everyone has a different problem so [the ability] to be able to take each individual and listen to their story so that therefore we can try to give them the best opportunity to get out of the situation they are in.”
In particular, he recounts a Sherry, who was riddled with drugs and alcohol when she attended his recovery classes. He was able play a part in her gradual transformation which revealed an intelligent and articulate woman who currently works as a manager of a local Walmart.
“You see good things,you see bad things,you see great things and you see sad things, but you have to continue to be here in order to help”, Ty said.
Currently, Dallas has a variety of programs in place to aid its many homeless 82% of which are unemployed parents who need to provide for their families.
From Metrocare’s mental health services to Vogel Alcove’s family support systems to CitySquare’s job postings, the targeted homeless populations still struggle in finding appropriate work and supporting their respective families. Ty serves as a beacon of hope for them as he responds
“ The best part of my job is watching a person come in and see the brokenness, the desperation maybe some of the decisions that they have made and notice the hopelessness in their eyes,” Ty said. “And you get a chance to watch them find hope again which is always encouraging to me.”
