Changing the face of homelessness

"It was a cold and blustery Wednesday morning on February 9, 1972. The high temperature that day struggled to reach twenty-three degrees, and the relentless winds offered no retreat. It was on this very day that I was brought into the world. I have heard that I was born breech. I came into this world shoulder first. My umbilical cord was wrapped around my shoulder and my neck. When the nurses untangled me, I was still a shade of blue. I have never found out why, but I was born with no middle name. There were four people at the hospital that day. They were eagerly awaiting my arrival. One of these four people was my grandpa. When he saw me for the first time, he said, “Look at our brand new baby blue jay!” And just like that, I had my middle name. Little did I know then, the significance of this very name would later play a profound role in shaping my life's path. My grandparents were present that day because they had lovingly agreed to help raise me. My mother and father, of c...

A little science mixed with a little homelessness. Here's a little science mixed with some of my outside of the box thinking. When a human body becomes cold your brain instantly goes to work. Our brains release neurochemicals, neurotransmitters and hormones. The reason our brains do this is to help the body regulate the cold. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter acting as a hormone causing your body's flight or fight response to cold. Epinephrine is released as a stress reducer. A significant release of dopamine which is a pleasure chemical occurs. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and is also released. Endorphins that are meant to reduce pain produced when you are cold. Your brain releases these chemicals to help relieve the body from the ankle symptoms of cold stress.  The same chemicals that are released are very similar to the chemicals that cause you to feel happy, reduce stress and feel an overall sense of comfort. An individual experiencing homelessne...

"I wondered my whole life why I was given the mostly female name of Tracy. I would get made fun of in school for having such a name. It bothered me so much because of being made fun of that my teachers started to call me T.J. to help curb the bullying. This happened pretty much all throughout grade school. "Some of my early classmates would get to know me as T.J. Some who have moved away probably never even got to know my real name. "My grandpa told me a story. I am not sure if it was one of his tall tales or if it could possibly be the truth. "He told me that one night he was driving along the Platte River through a town called Tracy. He told me that he was very hungry and that he had hit a bullfrog on the highway with his car. He took this bullfrog into a local diner in the town of Tracy. "He was wondering if someone in that diner could cook the bullfrog for him. He told me as the cook came from the kitchen into the diner that he fell in love at first sight. ...

  "As I mentioned at the beginning, it was on that Wednesday afternoon in 1972 that I made my first appearance in this world. Beginning this new life, my first breath was taken as an incomplete baby. I was born with the name Tracy Gillespie. There was a man in that room awaiting my arrival. As soon as he laid eyes on me, the first words he ever spoke to me were, "Look at my new Baby Blue Jay!" That comment completed who I was to be known as. This man gave me my very first gift. He gave me my middle name. I became Tracy Jay Gillespie. This gift came from a man whom I would learn to love deeply, the man for whom I would have immense respect, the only man I would ever look up to – the man I would soon be calling my Grandpa. When I was born, I was breech. I was told that I came out shoulder first, and the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. I was blue when I was born, and that's why Grandpa called me a Baby Blue Jay. Not only was I born without a fully completed n...

 1.) This first list is how some people like to address people who are experiencing homelessness.  Vagrants. Destitute. Itinerant. Outcasts. Vagabonds. Vagrants. Pillagers. Beach combers. Bums. Hobos. Beggars. Floater. Alms person. Gutter sleepers. Indigents. Bag man or lady. Dumpster divers. Winos. Street people. Backpackers. Loosers. Tree people. Invisible. Shadow creepers. 2.) This next list is who most of the people experiencing homelessness really are.  We are assaulted. We are abused.          We are neglected.   We are molested. We are raped. We are mistreated. We are left out. We are spit on. We are forgotten.  We are given away. We are Fathers. We are Mothers. We are left to die. We are hungry. We are cold. We are suffering. We are mentally ill.    We have trauma. We are ashamed. We are afraid. We are Veterans. We are addicted. We are alcoholics. We are Humans.  3.) This final list is how society makes a lot ...

  St. Joseph man proposes a bill that would allow a national hotline to operate like 911. One St. Joseph man is finding ways to enhance a national resource. Tracy Gillespie, a mental health and homeless advocate in St. Joseph encountered an issue when he was trying to use the 988 hotline for a personal mental health issue. "I needed some help," said Gillespie. "My phone was deactivated because, you know, I was late on a bill, so I thought, well man, 988, you know, they can assist me." Because Gillespie's phone was deactivated for a short while, 988 wasn't a resource he could utilize, however 911 was accessible. From that point on, Gillespie realized he wanted to make the 988 hotline operate like 911. "I just emailed all the senators, the legislators, the representatives, congressmen, the governor," said Gillespie. "All of them have responded with positive responses. You know, they had no idea that 988 did not operate like 911." In an emai...

  My name is Tracy Jay Gillespie. I live in St Joseph, Missouri. I am a mental health and homeless advocate. I've been working with individuals who are struggling for the past 6 years. I myself have struggled with mental health and homelessness. There are many resources available in my community to assist individuals in need. The mental health crisis hotline 988 is a great resource to utilize if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. With my lived experience, I have seen first hand a mental Health crisis turn into an emergency. I recently reached out to utilize this resource for myself. I was not having a mental Health crisis. However, I was quickly approaching one. I knew I needed someone to talk to about what I was experiencing. My phone had been deactivated due to late payment. I live a little over a mile away from my mental health treatment center. With no service plan on my phone I had no way to reach out to anyone. It was my understanding that the 988 clinician would...