About Pastor Leon:
Pastor Leon Birdd has been serving the Dallas homeless with a Sunday church service with S.O.U.L. Church since 1995, come rain or shine. With a jolly and joyous disposition, his mission is to make everyone, regardless of their circumstances, feel loved and cared for. When visiting his service, you’ll experience his big laugh, his big hugs, the music, and the magical sense of community and belonging he has built for those who attend.
About S.O.U.L Church:
For DFW homeless dealing with physical, mental, or drug issues, S.O.U.L. Church provides a consistent Sunday worship experience in the open field across from Fair Park on 4th Avenue. Moreover, neighbors of any faith attending have the opportunity to participate in the service, enjoy some hot coffee and donuts, have lunch, pick up some fresh clothes (socks, shirts, pants) and even have a shower and get their laundry done in some very impressive mobile units.
During the other days of the week, S.O.U.L. Church distributes over 20,000 lbs. of refrigerated and fresh food to over 40 organizations affecting 15,000 lives each month. The vision is to ensure that no one goes hungry, that no food is wasted, and no one is denied the opportunity or assistance to become self-sufficient. Pastor Leon does this work with his wife Jennifer, a few dedicated staff members, a committed board of directors, and countless volunteers.
Statistics Regarding Homelessness in Dallas:
Each year around the end of January, Housing Forward, with the help of about 1500 volunteers, Dallas conducts a “Point in Time” count to access the number of unhoused neighbors in our city. The count for 2024 took place on Jan 25th and the results are now being analyzed. The 2023 numbers though show we had about 4000 homeless in Dallas and Collin Counties.
Causes of Homelessness:
Mental health issues, family issues (conflicts, domestic violence), poverty (rising from unemployment or low wages), a lack of affordable housing, substance abuse, and lack of healthy support systems are some of the causes homelessness.
How You Can Help:
Homelessness is a complex issue, and we have many organizations in our community partnering to solve this. However, there are many ways YOU can help neighbors experiencing homelessness feel cared for on Sundays with S.O.U.L Church. You can volunteer to:
- Serve morning coffee and pastries
- Help our neighbors pick out new shirts, socks, hats, etc. from the clothes closet
- Serve the after-service lunch
- Help set up/take down the tents, chairs
Folks who have been volunteering with S.O.U.L. for years help drive vans to transport our neighbors from the shelters to the church space in Fair Park, manage the showers and laundry units on site, and help with the audio & music for the weekly service. But the above bulleted list is a great place to start when volunteering.
To get involved call the S.O.U.L. office at (972) 288-7974 or fill out the volunteer form at: https://www.soulchurch.org/volunteer. Note that S.O.U.L is ECFA Accredited and has the 2023 Platinum Seal of Transparency with Candid (formerly GuideStar).