“Homeless” In Our Midst: To Help or Not to Help?
I received an SMS and a call around 3.30pm today (14/5/2025) from a guy claiming to be “homeless” — said he was cheated, had no money left, and was swatting flies and hope outside Econsave, Taman Daya, JB.
At first, I had my doubts — macam biasa lah. Few calls, few SMSes, some checking here and there. But something in my heart said, “Don’t ignore this one.”
I activated our usual network — NGOs, volunteers, nearby contacts… all scouted around. Still nothing.
Around 6.00pm, as I was about to end work, one of our dedicated volunteers finally tracked them down! I rushed straight there.
And there they were — a 39-year-old man and his 28-year-old partner, looking exhausted, lost, and hungry.
I took them for a meal at a restaurant along Jalan Sagu, Taman Daya, JB. The way they makan — slowly, with deep appreciation — it broke something inside me. You could tell… they hadn’t eaten properly in days.
He’s from Kuching, she’s from Samarahan, both from Sarawak.
Over dinner, they opened up. Cheated. Stranded in JB. No money. No jobs. They’ve been sleeping at a playground near the flats in Jalan Sagu, Taman Daya, JB, and hanging around Econsave during the day, hoping for anything.
Well… today, hope found them.
We checked them into a budget hotel nearby, gave them RM200, bought them bread and bananas, and ensured they had what they needed to just breathe a little easier.
Then I did something small… but it meant the world to them.
I gave them my power bank and charger cable — so their handphones wouldn’t die again.
They were surprised, touched, and delighted.
Just being able to keep their phones alive gave them a sense of connection to the world again.
A quick call to a good friend, and just like that — job secured at a factory in Senai, complete with accommodation. They’ll be picked up tomorrow morning.
Another case handled. Another spark of hope reignited.
Oh — and they told us they found us via our website!
That alone made us proud. People in need are actually finding us.
After dinner, they showed us their “home” — a children’s playground across the restaurant in Jalan Sagu.
They told us how they bathed at the nearby Shell station, struggled to charge their phones, had no data most of the time, and how people just looked past them when they needed food or help.
But tonight?
Hotel ✅
Clean bath ✅
Charged phones ✅
Topped-up data ✅
Peaceful sleep ✅
New hope for tomorrow ✅
We may have played just a small part, but maybe… just maybe, it’s the turning point in their lives.
Is this our business?
Absolutely YES.
For us volunteers, this is our core business — to serve, to care, to act with compassion.
> “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
This moment? It will never come again.
So, if you can help — even with something small — do it now.
#ServeWithLove
#YSJBCares
#JalanSaguTamanDayaJB
#FromTheStreetsToHope
#HumanityFirst
#NoOneLeftBehind
#PowerBankOfHope
#MakingItHappen
#CoreBusinessOfLove
#GiveHopeGiveLife