Where Community Is Always First!

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 29, 2023 / Regions Bank

Foto: Accesswire

Top Right / PHOTO CREDIT: Leonid_Furmansky

By Kim Borges

At first glance, Tuesday's open mic night where Jeff Vestal plays drums might resemble any other neighborhood establishment.

But look deeper and you'll quickly discover it's in a community that's anything but ordinary.

"This place is absolutely blessed by God," said Vestal, a Navy veteran. "I was homeless off and on for 35 years, and you see hard stuff. You have to watch your back."

For three years now, others have been watching Vestal's back at "this place," otherwise known as Community First! Village (CFV), in Austin, Texas.

He counts Regions Bank associates Myke Roeschlein and Norman Witcher among them.

"My good friend, Myke - my banker - started teaching a monthly financial education class over a year ago," said Vestal. "I've been here since the first class. Myke and Norman are my brothers from another mother."

Myke Roeschlein, manager of Regions' Hutto branch, remembers that first class - and Vestal - vividly.

"We had 10 people attend and I could tell several had reservations going in," Roeschlein recalled. "But the second Jeff came in, he literally had his arms wide open. He asked questions and told me how much he appreciated the class. Right off the bat, that's what I noticed."

The two struck up a friendship from a shared experience.

"I'm just a person who made it out of some really difficult times," said Roeschlein. "When I was growing up, my mom had struggles with addiction. We slept in tents, parks, homeless shelters and in battered women's shelters. There wasn't really a time growing up when I had a stable place to be."

"Myke could relate to me," added Vestal of their instant bond. "That's the thing about being homeless. You can tell if somebody is for real."

Dispelling the Myths: "It's About Being Vulnerable Enough to Be Educated"

Vestal's three-decade experience with homelessness is unfortunately common. Something else that's common? Lingering misperceptions about the 580,000 Americans experiencing homelessness in 2020.

Alan Graham, founder and CEO of nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which established Community First! Village, is working to address chronic homelessness while also dispelling its many myths.

"The greatest misconceptions people still have about people experiencing homelessness is that they're lazy, they chose this lifestyle, are drug addicts or are mentally ill," Graham said. "Living on the streets is nowhere near lazy, it's hard work."

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