One Volunteer, One Person, One Year: The Radical Simplicity of Ending Homelessness
- Catherine Huckaby
- Sep 12
- 9 min read
When Hudson Janz pulled up to that stop sign in 2020, exhausted from a global pandemic that had upended everyone's plans, he asked God a simple question: "Who do you want me to help next?" The answer came immediately—literally. A sign on the corner read, "HELP."
"I was like, well...that's a sign from the Lord. Literally and figuratively, it's a sign! I signed up for our local homeless shelter the next day as a temporary employee, and I've been in homeless services ever since."
What started as a temporary job during the COVID-19 pandemic, making $16 an hour has evolved into Hudson's life mission: solving homelessness in his Colorado community.
The lessons he's learned along the way challenges everything we think we know about who becomes homeless, why they stay that way, and what it really takes to help.
The Unexpected Path to Purpose
Raised as a pastor's kid who experienced poverty firsthand when his family moved to an inner-city school, Hudson learned early on that life rarely follows a planned script. After graduating college in two years and learning that his younger brother had signed up for an 11-month mission trip across 11 countries, he decided to join too.
He admits,
"Out of jealousy, I signed up for it. All my classmates at Boulder were just entering their junior year and I had just graduated. I had two years until they would catch up to me and thought, what am I going to do?"
That mission experience—traveling from Mongolia to China, Kazakhstan to Ethiopia—taught him something crucial about community engagement that would later shape his approach to homeless services. He explains:
"We would show up to the local missionary to give them a sabbatical... Going across the globe, that was great, but I decided I wanted to be a missionary to our own folks at home."
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world and brought him back to Colorado three months early, he was ready to apply that local focus in ways he never expected.
Breaking Down Myths About Homelessness
One of the most powerful aspects of Hudson's work as a Homelessness Resolution Case Manager is how he challenges misconceptions that prevent effective community engagement with homeless populations. Having worked directly with hundreds of individuals experiencing homelessness, he's seen firsthand how wrong our assumptions often are.
"Misconceptions would be that they're all drug addicts, and they all choose to be there. It's probably the top two that we hear all the time," Hudson explains.
"I would say that the average age of somebody who becomes homeless is typically in their 40s to 50s... a lot of them did not think they would become homeless. At one time, they had a middle-class life, a family, a job, a retirement fund and two cars."
He describes what he calls "the falling staircase” a series of life events that can push anyone toward homelessness:
"50% of marriages end in divorce. You start with double income, then you go down to single income... And then suddenly you have a car engine problem. You've got to buy a new car, so now you're $6,000 in debt... And then you're 55 years old and you can't get a job because who's going to hire you?"
His most striking example involves a man who worked as a roofer engineer for the Denver Nuggets, making $290,000 a year. After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident with a semi-truck,
"His whole profession was climbing on rafters... he had six cars, lost them all, had a high-rise downtown, lost it all…and then he ended up in a homeless shelter."
Five Other Harmful Myths About Homelessness
Here's just a few of the misconceptions he feels most damage our community's ability to effectively address homelessness:
1. All homeless people are drug addicts who chose their situation
Reality: Most people become homeless in their 40s-50s after a series of life events, and substance abuse often develops as a coping mechanism afterward.
2. Throwing money at the problem helps
Reality: "Save your money and donate it to us so that we can pay staff," Hudson tells well-meaning groups who want to distribute supplies outside shelters.
3. All homeless people need the same type of help
Reality: Someone who was an engineer needs different support than someone who's been on the streets for years.
4. Homeless people won't accept help when offered
Reality: Many barriers exist, like not being able to bring pets to shelters or navigating complex systems.
5. Professional services alone can solve the problem
Reality: "Case managers don't have the time to do the relational rapport... for our clients not to be looked at as a case number, but as a human."
The Power of One-to-One Relationships
Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of Hudson's approach is his emphasis on individual relationships over mass volunteer efforts. While many churches and community groups focus on feeding large numbers of people, he advocates for a different model entirely.
"What I really need is for 15 people to step up and say, I want to be an advocate for one homeless person... every Thursday, I'm going to buy him lunch, and just want to hear his story. I'm just going to talk to him, and be an advocate for him."
This approach addresses what he sees as the missing element in homeless services: "To be treated like a human, there's a spiritual aspect that we're missing because case managers are already overworked on time and on energy... All you've got to do is just be a friend with one homeless person for a year."
The impact of this approach goes beyond practical help:
"That's usually where transformation happens—when somebody else is believing in me just like our parents... Same thing with people experiencing homelessness—if nobody believes that they can get out of homelessness, why would they try?"
Practical Community Engagement That Actually Works
His insights extend beyond homelessness to community engagement in general. His experience reveals how often our desire to help misses the mark because we assume we know what people need. He explains,
"Just because you think you know what people need, it's usually not what is going to make the biggest impact."
For churches specifically, he suggests moving beyond traditional outreach events:
"Could you maybe come and be a part of what we’re already doing to help. It is so hard because that's the difference I think between true engagement and... checking a box."
One successful example he shares was when his team hosted a Super Bowl party in a church sanctuary: "Would homeless guys want to watch football? Why wouldn't they? We invited them to a Super Bowl party, without adding a homeless tag to them. Period. We just hung out!"
Building Skills for Effective Community Work
For those considering careers in community engagement or homeless services, he emphasizes adaptability and research skills over formal credentials:
"Are you one of those people that are willing to go and figure it out? You must be that person!"
He also stresses the importance of understanding boundaries and having realistic expectations: "I would hate going to a room with 500 other dudes snoring and sleeping and fighting... if we could buy a motel room for everybody every single week, man, that'd be amazing... but I think you have to know your boundaries."
The Vision for Solving Homelessness
His current role involves an ambitious goal: completely solving homelessness in his community. With just two people on the city's homelessness team, Hudson is asking for a million dollars over the next four years to expand their transitional housing program.
"This last year we've helped house about 100 people... about 60 of them went through this program, and there's about 40 still in the program. 12 have gone back to being homeless. With a million dollars we could redo that program... and get a volunteer program up and running with advocates."
His five-year vision?
"I would love to be writing a book about how we solved homelessness... I really do believe that in two or three years, we're either going to figure this out, or that this can be solved."
Modern Challenges Require Creative Solutions
Hudson's work also highlights how rapidly changing technology creates new barriers for people experiencing homelessness.
"That average age is 45 years old. People are used to applying for jobs in person with your resume. They have no idea how to apply online. No clue."
He's started teaching basic computer skills: "I just started literally last week a four-hour 'how to use Google Drive' class for clients... if I could build that program where in like 10 days, I'm going to get you computer literate with a volunteer."
This extends to job interviews too:
"One time I was doing mock interviews and I asked someone, 'Why should I give you this job versus the other person that's applying? And he said, 'I don't know, let me interview him and then I'll let you know, should you pick me or him?'"
The Ripple Effect of Local Service
His is a story of how global experiences can inform local impact. The time Hudson spent serving across multiple countries and cultures gave him a unique ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds experiencing homelessness:
"I learned suburb culture, then I learned inner city culture, then I learned upper class culture, and then I went overseas... I could speak to almost everybody in the homeless realm, whether you're a refugee, whether you're a widow, whether you're from the inner city, whether you're from the suburbs."
But the real transformation happened when he recognized that sustainable change comes from deep, local engagement rather than short-term mission work or surface-level volunteerism.
The Radical Simplicity of One-to-One Change
Hudson's approach to ending homelessness cuts through every complex system and million-dollar program with a straightforward formula: one volunteer, one person, one year. This isn't about doing less—it's about doing what actually works.
"If I had 15 people say, hey, I don't want to volunteer for 300 homeless people, but I want to be an advocate for one homeless person... every Thursday, I'm going to buy him lunch, and then I just want to hear his story, and I'm just going to talk to him, and I'm going to be an advocate for him."
Do the math: if every church, neighborhood group, or civic organization found just 15 people willing to commit to this model, entire communities could flip their approach to homelessness.
Think about what one year of consistent friendship could accomplish. While case managers juggle 60 people on their caseloads, burning out from crushing workloads, a single volunteer advocate could provide what the system can't:
"To be treated like a human, there's a spiritual aspect that we're missing because case managers are already overworked on time and on energy spent. But all I need to do is be a friend of a homeless person."
The impact goes beyond the individual relationship. That volunteer learns the real barriers their friend faces—not the assumptions about drug addiction or laziness, but the reality of being 55 and unemployable, or needing basic computer skills to apply for work online. They become educated advocates who can speak to misconceptions in their own communities.
Hudson's vision for solving homelessness in his city isn't just about the million dollars he's asking city leadership for. It's about pairing every person in transitional housing with a volunteer advocate who commits to walking alongside them for a full year. "But what I would do with a million dollars is redo that program... and get a volunteer program going where they each need an advocate from some local church."
This model recognizes something important: transformation happens in relationship, not in programs.
"That's usually where transformation changes is that somebody else is believing in me just like our parents... Same thing with people experiencing homelessness—if nobody believes that they can get out of homelessness, why would they try to get out of homelessness?"
For those who feel overwhelmed by the scale of community problems, Hudson offers a different perspective: "You're just touching it a little bit, changing a little bit." But touching one life completely, consistently, for 365 days—that's not small at all.
The beauty of this approach is how doable it is. You don't need special training, advanced degrees, or significant financial resources. You need Thursday afternoons and the willingness to listen to someone's story. You need the patience to teach Google Drive basics or practice job interview skills. You need the commitment to show up when it's inconvenient, boring, or frustrating.
Hudson's journey from jealous sibling to global missionary to local homeless advocate shows us that the most powerful community engagement happens when we stop trying to save the world and start befriending our neighbors. One volunteer. One person. One year. Change everything by changing one thing.
The question isn't whether your community has the resources to end homelessness. Hudson is attempting it with a two-person team and a million-dollar request. The question is whether your community has 15 people willing to commit to 15 relationships. The math is straightforward. The impact is real. The time is now.
Organizations and Resources Mentioned
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, founded in 1876, known for selective admissions, innovation, and a student-centered culture. It enrolls over 32,000 undergraduates on a 600-acre campus, offering diverse academic programs and research in a city environment.
The 11-Month Mission Program, or The World Race, is a Christian mission trip for adults aged 21-30, spanning 11 months across multiple countries with a focus on service, discipleship, and adventure. Participants engage in monthly ministries, experiencing cultural immersion and personal growth through faith-based activities.
Young Life is a Christian youth ministry building relationships with adolescents to introduce Jesus and support faith growth via camps, clubs, and mentoring.
The City of Arvada is a home rule municipality in Jefferson and Adams counties, Colorado, with about 124,000 residents as a Denver suburb. It provides extensive parks (96% of residents within a half-mile), community services, and infrastructure for quality living. Arvada focuses on sustainable growth, public facilities, and resident engagement via alerts and reporting.
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) serves as the state's liaison to local communities, offering financial aid, technical support, and resources for housing, taxation, and development.
"When Helping Hurts" by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert provides a biblical framework for poverty alleviation, teaching effective help without harm or dependency. It tackles spiritual and material poverty, promoting sustainable, Christ-centered approaches over common charity pitfalls.
