SAN ANTONIO – The average age of a homeless person in San Antonio is nine years old.
That’s one reason helping homeless families get back on their feet is so crucial.
"Oh, there's a little bird on the giraffe,” a volunteer at SAMMinistries says while reading to a child.
Adults helping homeless children read the ABC’s and count the 1, 2, 3’s.
"How many animals has Portley been so far?" the volunteer asks. "One, two three, four,” the child responds.
Here’s a vocabulary lesson: they’re not teachers. They’re realtors.
"What are -- what are realtors?" five-year-old Maddie asks.
They’re people like Lynn Knapik, who sells homes for a living.
"Helping people, that's probably why most of us do what we do,” she says.
Outside of the office, members of the San Antonio Board of Realtors work with families at the SAMMinistries Transitional Living and Learning Center.
"They're out there selling homes, and they're helping an organization for people who don't have homes,” Navarra Williams with SAMMinistries says.
It’s an interesting combination. By showing kids how to love reading, they’re actually helping the entire family.
“We focus a lot on education because that's usually one of the issues why the family is homeless,” Williams says.
Down the hall in the computer lab, realtors are helping parents with school and job applications.
"It's awesome that they're helping out because there are a lot of us that don't know about computers,” homeless mother Lucille Castro says.
It’s an experience that reminds the realtors why every home they sell means more than a paycheck.
"Once you come and realize how many children don't have a home, it helps you want to make sure kids have that special place,” Knapik says.
The San Antonio Board of Realtors is hosting an ice cream social to raise money for the homeless children at SAMMinistries. It’s on August 2 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 5922 Blanco Road.
