Hearts & Minds - Information for ChangeSM Three Extraordinary Individuals An inside look at Ronny

Ronny is a wise, 61-year-old African-American male, born and raised in New York City. He loves gospel music. When asked who is his favorite singer, he replied, "I have no preference, I love them all." He also enjoys reading the Bible and science fiction novels. Ronny’s heroes are "Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Ossie Davis - the people of rights."

Ronny had a good childhood and good parents. "I grew up in the Bronx, came here about 1958. I was in P.S. 2 in 1955. It was nice, not much to do. There was a church around the corner and we used to hang out by the stoop."

I asked him what activities he did with his parents. "Mostly, when I was young, my father took us to the circus and to the zoo. I miss him because he passed away. Both my parents passed away, and this took a lot out of me." Ronny keeps his parents dearly in his heart and he will never forget them.

Ronny’s wisdom shined through his warm smile and gentleness. We both shared a common goal for humanity—communication. We agreed that people must understand themselves before they can understand others. We need good information before we can communicate.

Ronny strongly preached the need for communication in his family. When asked about growing up and what led him to become homeless, he replied, "I went to school until 9th grade, and I worked after. I worked all my life. It's a long story of how I became homeless. Family started drifting. My family never [came] together." Ronny’s major concern is that his family is not unified like it should be. "Only time we came together was during the funeral. I asked them, 'Why don't we come together?' We never communicate."

Ronny had the solution, but would others hear it? His answers were, "I need to say what is inside here, to bring it out," he said, pointing to his heart, "We are family. Let's communicate. Let's sit down and talk. Say what you have to say when you are with the person."

At this moment the tape recorder was the only thing recording, because my pen stopped moving. There I was, sitting with a man who had been through a whole mess of things, and I, in an emotional trance, followed his every word. I, too, have had problems with my family and communication. I shared Ronny's frustration, and I agreed with him when he spoke about communication. I thanked Ronny for sharing his story and advice. He smiled and thanked me for listening as he walked out the door.

Being homeless is not an easy task, but it is something a person can learn from, and that is what these three individuals did. Richard will soon be back on his feet. Fosco will eventually get there with his dedication to life. Ronny is like a father figure ready to reach out to those who need advice. This is proof that homelessness is not the end of everything. But it was a lesson that none of these three gentlemen will ever forget.

Final Thoughts
I left the New York City Rescue Mission with a smile on my face. I was glad to have met these three extraordinary men, for they have shown me a world that I have never seen up close. This was a truly amazing experience.

The New York City Rescue Mission helped these men and is helping many more. For more information about this organization, you can visit its website at www.nycrescue.org. We also have links to many more groups that work on homelessness.

Back to Part 1: An inside look at Richard

Back to Part 2: An inside look at Fosco

Summary article on homelessness

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