‘A dream come true’: Turlock homeless man gets trailer home after years on the streets
After living on and off the streets of Turlock the past nine years, 62-year-old Keith Kain recently received a fifth-wheel trailer he can call home.
The Turlock Gospel Mission this month bought the trailer for Kain, who is working as a security guard and can now prepare for retirement.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Kain said, explaining how he could not afford an apartment and only made enough to occasionally rent motel rooms.
Instead of waking up in bushes or showering at a car wash, Kain said he likes being able to keep himself looking presentable the most. He can shave in the trailer’s bathroom and there is also plenty of space for his dog Batman, a bluetick hound.
Kain is the second chronically homeless person to receive a trailer from the Turlock Gospel Mission in the last year and a half, said Executive Director Christian Curby. The mission spent general fund money for Kain’s trailer after receiving a donated RV the first time. With the lower costs associated with renting lots at mobile home parks and utilities such as propane tanks, Curby said, owning a trailer is a more affordable option for long-term housing.
By March, Curby said, the non-profit organization’s staff hopes to get Kain to a point where he can pay for his own rent, utilities, insurance and food. For now, Kain and his trailer stay at a winter shelter the mission runs in Manteca. Kain started working as a security guard for the shelter about a month ago, after he asked Curby for help in bringing stability to his life.
“We really respect where he’s at,” Curby said. “We believe that he’s ready to do the things that are necessary to stay sheltered.”
Turlock nonprofit leaders describe man’s drive
For almost two years, Kain said, he has stayed sober after struggling with methamphetamine and alcohol addiction. He broke his neck at age 25 because he was drinking, Kain said, and once had a friend die in his arms from methamphetamine abuse. Exhausted from the stress of being homeless, Kain said he resolved to live a more relaxed life.
“Now all the sudden when I’m clean and sober, God has given me all these things,” Kain said. “It beats me up to think that I could’ve done this a long time ago and thank God I’m not lying in a grave somewhere.”
Over the five years Curby has known Kain, Curby said they developed mutual trust, respect and accountability. Kain is willing to be vulnerable and ask for help, Curby said, and has always put in the work to access resources.
The 62-year-old also looked out for others in the homeless encampment he lived in, Curby said, ensuring they had what they needed and connecting them to the Turlock Gospel Mission.
Maris Sturtevant, operations manager for the United Samaritans Foundation, similarly described Kain as industrious and energetic about doing something, even while he was using drugs. Kain has worked jobs off and on since they met nine years ago, Sturtevant said, and also took apart and recycled large objects. Working at Foster Farms for two years did not allow him to save enough money to get an apartment, though, Kain said.
Sturtevant said Kain deserves the opportunity the mission gave him with the trailer.
“I’m really glad that happened for him,” Sturtevant said. “I think he is a really good guy and been out there too long on the street.”
As the Turlock Gospel Mission helps him line up another job and training with a Turlock-based security company, Kain said he feels grateful. His Social Security retirement benefits will kick in next spring, and Kain said he looks forward to being able to retire in his trailer.
“If it wasn’t for the Gospel Mission, it probably would take me another 10 years to even get to where I’m going to own something myself,” Kain said.
This story was originally published December 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
