A Beautiful Thing

How Lisa Brom's own family tragedy and her love of Guideposts inspired her to reach out to homeless men in her community

- By KAYLIN KAUPISH, Editor

Lisa Brom of Monterey, California, had lost her older brother, Steve, to alcoholism and was looking for something to do with her grief and the love she used to give him. “Steve was a really good guy. He tried so hard for so long to stop drinking,” Lisa recalls. “At last, he got sober, but then he had a seizure and died in his sleep.” He had just turned 50.

Lisa was on her way to work one day when she spotted a shuttle bus, one she’d been noticing lately. It stopped in the same spot at the same time every day and picked up a group of men who were homeless. They reminded her of when her brother had stayed at a live-in Salvation Army recovery program.

On the side of the bus were the letters I-HELP and a phone number. “I kept looking at the bus and just felt drawn to it,” she says. “The Holy Spirit told me to delve further.”

Lisa called the number on the bus and learned that I-HELP stands for Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program, a nonprofit that works with Monterey-area faith communities and service organizations to support unhoused people and help them get back on their feet. Local congregations provide nightly lodging and meals, and I-HELP staff and volunteers assist participants with job hunting, housing and life goals.

Lisa talked to her pastor about getting their church involved. “We put it out to our congregation, and a great group of volunteers came together,” she says.