Homeless Advocate From Texas Ron Hall’s Life Changing Friendship Changed Many Lives – Influenced Others To Similar Actions

Homeless Advocate From Texas Ron Hall’s Life Changing Friendship Changed Many Lives

Editor’s note: Our latest must-see movie review is for No Address, which is a poignant journey into the many ways people can fall into homelessness without intending to.  In particular, a large portion of the homeless are foster kids who aged out of the system, such as this movie’s main character, or veterans who have found it difficult if not impossible to reintegrate into society.  

Staten Islander News sat down with Ron Hall. Ron is an international art dealer from Fort Worth, Texas, whose life was completely changed when his wife had a dream of a homeless man she felt was destined to change their lives. Through his wisdom and compassion, he would go on to then change the lives of many others due to his friendship with Ron. The homeless man was Denver, and Ron’s bestselling book and later movie were based on this experience.

The two would join together to co author two additional books, and Denver wrote his own book for kids, titled Everybody Can Help Somebody. In addition to being homeless, he was a former share cropper on land where his family had been slaves. After emancipation, nothing changed much except that he was free and could leave when he wanted to. He worked the fields every day, but he was not paid in money.  He could go the the Man’s store and buy groceries on credit, and he had a house to live in with no running water or electricity.  He didn’t like working for the plantation owner for no money, so he hopped on a freight train and wound up in Fort Worth with no education, no ability to read or write, no money, and no birth certificate. He started living on the streets and eating at the local mission.

His life completely changed when he met Debbie, Ron’s late wife. She would not give up on him, and before she died she told him that he was destined to be used by God for great things. This couldn’t have been more true.

With his book royalties, as Ron details, he helped friends, neighbors, strangers to build their lives. If it was helping them build a house, buying them a car, or helping in so many ways, Denver did it all. So much so that he was named Philanthropist of the Year, and he had dinner with the president and first Lady at the White House. This was George W. Bush.

He and Ron lived together for ten years, and they influenced many people to see the homeless as real people with dignity who should be treated with respect and kindness. He understood charity in a way that few people do. He also created artworks and sold them as well during his lifetime. Denver became wealthy before he died ten years after this story started. And Ron continues to honor his memory and Debbie’s now that they’re both gone.

Ron built a homeless mission and runs the Same Kind Of Different foundation. With his time, he is also working to bring the Eetz app, an app where homeless and low income people can learn of free food that would go to waste that they can pick up at a certain time. This is even better than what Islanders have now, which is an app that offers nearly wasted food at a steep discount, but it’s not free.

Perhaps most important to know is that homeless people need your help. You can bless them with a gift of money or a meal. You can help them get into the shelter system, which can sometimes lead to stable housing. But most important is to just see them. Make eye contact. Ask them to tell you their story. So often they are ignored that they start to feel like they’re invisible. Reminding them of their humanity can sometimes help remind them of who they are, and they can sometimes find their way back.

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In one of his books, he details a story of a woman who read his book, and she decided to bless two homeless men with $20 each. For one of them, that $20 was the springboard to a completely turned around life. He reunited with his family, got a job, and got married – all as a result of that $20. Ron has many such stories and shared some with us during the interview, which can be viewed above.  He has helped many homeless people himself, and he is happy to know that his book and Debbie’s life have helped so many others with its ripple effect of kindness in motion.

Banner Image: Ron Hall and Same Kind of Different As Me movie poster. Image Credit – Staten Islander News