PBS NewsHour Feature: Miracle Money SF Pilot
Author, Lei Nguyen | 4/27/2022
Miracle Messages spoke with Zachary Green, an associate producer of NewsHour Weekend's "Dream Team" (as they call themselves), on December 19th, 2021, as part of the ongoing series "Chasing the Dream: Poverty, Opportunity, and Justice in America."
The reporting of Chasing the Dream focuses on inequity. They look at what works to lift people out of poverty and what we may learn for the future.
In this episode, Miracle Messages Money participant Elizabeth Softky shared her experience of losing housing and how grateful she is for Miracle Messages' programs. “In my wildest, ugliest dreams, I never imagined, ever, that I would be in that situation,” she said. Elizabeth is a UCLA graduate, non-profit executive, and former journalist. She became unhoused in 2018 after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis and began chemo treatment that made her unable to work
“The image of who is homeless in the United States is a mirage”, said Kevin F. Adler, Founder, and CEO of Miracle Messages. Joan Scott, who is Elizabeth’s Miracle Friend, agrees with this statement and says “Elizabeth is a perfect example of breaking that stereotype of what some people think of people who are homeless.” The Miracle Money program is paired with Miracle Friends relationships to offer support through weekly check-ins.
After the PBS NewsHour feature went live, we received an influx of interest in the program and volunteers wanting to engage further with us. Volunteers just like Scott are phone buddies with our unhoused neighbors through the Miracle Friends program. Volunteer Case Solvers reconnect individuals with their loved ones through online digital detective work.
You can read the full PBS NewsHour transcript of the conversation, listen to the audio, or watch the youtube video. We will be launching Miracle Money in LA in a few months - you can help support this next pilot by volunteering to be a friend or donating to our Miracle Money program. Help us make a difference in the lives of so many of our unhoused friends.
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