Rocky Jones grew up in south Dallas, has 4 kids and a bunch of grandkids (still trying to get a handle on this). He’s estranged from his family for past behavior that included alcohol and a bad temper. He’s since gotten clean and sober and as he’s aged, he’s gotten much more peaceful and loves interacting with people every day. While sitting on a park bench, he’ll reach out to anyone and everyone walking or driving by with windows down. He’s 62 and when he got out of jail 18 months ago began a journey of living on the streets of Dallas.
We meet
We met Rocky on the street in downtown Dallas, near the ATT Discovery District about a year ago. Julia’s first interaction reminded her of something my dad would say when he called out to her, “Is that speed walking you’re doing over there?” She stopped and chatted with him for a bit and that was the beginning of our journey with Rocky (pictured with the crazy shirt and good looking A&M hat).
Throughout the year, we’ve had a chance to see his heart towards us and others. One great example is when we brought two cinnamon rolls down for he and Stanley (pictured on the right), and as we were handing them out, another homeless woman walked to us and asked for food. Without missing a beat, he handed her his roll and said “Take half of this one”.
But my favorite Rocky story is about Golden Corral. As my birthday approached (September), he got more and more vocal about taking me to Golden Corral. He had just successfully worked with his case worker at The Bridge to get his social security checks coming in, and had a new bank account setup, so for the first time in years, he had some money. So, on the Saturday morning before my birthday, we stopped by and we asked if he was ready to go!? He was filled with joy as he threw all his stuff in my car and we hauled off to the Arlington Golden Corral for brunch. When we got there, he beat me to the register and insisted on paying for us. Amazing morning.
We’ve since worked with him to get his TX ID, and been nudging him to get his drivers’ license. We also helped get him his fork-lift certificaction, so he’s now able to apply for a whole new category of warehouse jobs.
Status today
We hadn’t been able to find Rocky for about 10 days and had begun to worry about his condition. Then on December 23, I received a call from Dr Singh at Baylor Scott & White hospital.
Rocky had been admitted a week or so earlier for complications related to untreated diabetes. They got him hydrated and began to get his blood sugar under control—while trying to map out a plan for his other health conditions, including prostate cancer and latent Tuberculosis. Unfortunately not much progress was made, and he was discharged just after Christmas.
Then, on the 29th, we got a call from the Stew Pot who had found Rocky back on the street, disoriented and unsure what to do next. We picked him up and took him to Parkland that afternoon.
We were praying for clarity about what to do next as we headed to Parkland to pick him up. We found him wandering around the Parkland lobby that next day. Parkland saw him, kept him overnight, then discharged him without much progress.
Dallas Life!
On the morning of the 30th, we picked Rocky up, went to Market Diner for some grits and after a number of calls and texts with Jason at OurCalling (huge thanks Jason), we ended up visiting Austin Street shelter and Dallas Life. While both are amazing places, we felt Dallas Life was a better fit for Rocky.
Our arrival and check in with Dallas Life was perfection. We had a great intro call with Vicky, a fantastic volunteer that got us acquinted with Dallas Life and what to expect. Then we checked-in with Ms Wilson who was a complete rock-star. She greeted Rocky with the perfect mix of tough love and genuine love for him as a human. She made him feel welcome and safe—something that he has been missing for years. When we saw Rocky on Sunday we asked him about his new home, he paused and said, “It is very peaceful.”
We are forever grateful for the Dallas Life team and for Rocky’s new home.
