NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The special reports on Homelessness: A Problem for Everyone struck a chord. After we aired the story of Anita Richey, a homeless woman living in Portland, we received a number of messages. News 2 spoke with an expert about the best ways to help the homeless.

“We didn’t ask for this life. It chose us. No one chooses to be homeless,” Richey said.

When Richey’s story aired, many viewers sent News 2 emails with heartfelt messages.

• One email: “I read the news article about the lady named Anita who lives in a tent in Portland, TN and wanted to contact her to get more information.”
• In a second email, the viewer wrote, “We have a shower and a washer and dryer that the community can use.“
• A third emailer wrote: ‘I have to admit that I was very touched by your story, because there was a long period in my own life when I was just hanging on.

“Even a short period of time on the streets would make it very difficult to live as you and I would call it,” said Steven Young, founder and executive director of Home Street Home Ministries.

Young is an expert on homelessness. The founder of Home Street Home Ministries in Nashville, he himself escaped homelessness after five years on the streets and even wrote a book called From Chains to Change: One Man’s Journey from God Hater to God Follower.

He said the first step to helping someone off the streets is friendship. “They have to have trust. And we have to earn that trust, and we have to earn that respect.”

His outreach team looks at each person as an individual and tailors assistance accordingly, whether it’s a place to live, food, clothing or a job.

Like Richey, Young said many homeless people don’t end up on the streets because of drug or alcohol addiction; it’s money, or the lack thereof.

“It’s the number one cause of homelessness. It all comes down to… We live in a money, money, money world. And if you don’t have the money, you’re stuck,” Young said.

Richey feels stuck now, but she’s still hopeful. And Young said holding on to hope is key to escaping homelessness, but acceptance is dangerous.

“Once they get that acceptance, it’s 10 times harder to turn them around and get them going the other way,” Young said.

After our story aired, a nonprofit in Portland contacted us and said they had just installed a shower, washer and dryer for the homeless community.