EASLEY — Many in Pickens County reach out to help others who are less fortunate, but Pastor Tracy Gantt of New Deliverance Baptist Church in Easley is in a unique position as he and First Lady Sunshine Gantt use their ministry in an attempt to bring a homeless shelter to Easley and Pickens County.
Pastor Gantt grew up in nearby Anderson, but unlike many others, he spent his time at Haven of Rest, homeless, learning firsthand what the plight of a transient life, not by choice, means. Since that time he has worked to grow his ministry in the hopes of helping others who suffer from the same plight.
Speaking from experience, he knows most of those on the streets are not there by choice and only want an opportunity to improve their lives.
“These are not people just on drugs, although there are some who are living that way. About 50 percent of them have children and have jobs and work and they are just trying to better their lives,” Pastor Gantt said. “The question is, how can you give 100 percent when, at the end of the day, you have to go somewhere with no heat and no water and can’t get on your feet? That’s what we are dealing with with most of these folks in Pickens County. People who are trying to get out of the position they are in and can’t even shower or shave for work or job interview.”
While the Gantts are pushing for a homeless shelter for Pickens County, one of the only counties in the state to be without such a facility, it’s hard to ignore where Pastor Gantt came from and the direction he is heading locally.
“I graduated from Haven of Rest in Anderson. I’ve been homeless, hungry, out in the cold and freezing weather,” Gantt said. “God delivered me and I want to help deliver others out of the same situation. We’re just looking for help to make it happen.”
Pastor Gantt had issues of his own and even served some time for his trouble, but, based on what the people with Haven of Rest in Anderson have to say, it was a blessing that prepared him for the very fight he is engaged in now. During his time at Haven, Gantt worked in the Thrift Store as part of his program, making an impression on Gayle McKinley, manager of the store before, during and after Gantt’s time there.
In a letter, McKinley spoke of Gantt’s time with her and Haven, citing the fact many men in his position never complete their program and soon disappear, but with Pastor Gantt, it was different.
“When Tracy left the Haven, he said he was going to do his time and then he would be back to finish the program. Honestly, we hear this from men quite often. Rarely does a man complete his sentence and then come back to finish the program,” Mckinley wrote. “It was a great day for me when I saw Tracy Gantt walk back into the Haven and then graduate the program. You see, God had continued to work in his life in prison. He didn’t go and just serve his time. He used that time to gain a deeper understanding into what God intended for his life’s work.”
Now Gantt and wife Sunshine are doing what they can to help others benefit from his experience and offer others an opportunity to better their lives by providing a homeless shelter for Pickens County residents who need a hand up.
They just need a building.
“We can provide clothes, food, and basics we just don’t anywhere for people to go when it’s cold, or even during the summer when the temperatures are hot,” Gantt said. “There are two kinds of homeless and one is by choice, and then there’s not a lot you can do. We want to help the community focus on those who want to do better, to have a second chance. There are a lot of organizations, including our church, who try to provide food, but there’s just nowhere for people to go when they need shelter and that has to be fixed.”
First Lady Sunshine Gantt recognizes there are organizations working toward the same goal but wonders what is to be done in the meantime and spoke of the members of Gantt’s congregation as an example of the future being too far into the future.
“We’ve reached out to people, including local government, and the answer is there’s something in the works for the future, but we need a solution in the interim. A fixed shelter will help so many, but right now there isn’t a solution available,” Sunshine Gantt said. “What’s motivating us in this area is our congregation. There are those who have addictions and are homeless, we see it every time we open the doors. That’s the force pushing us so hard, seeing them and realizing there are some who are there to get out of the cold or because they need something to eat, and we never turn anyone away.”
As has been discussed by other organizations in Pickens County, the issue of homelessness is a hidden issue as those who indeed have no shelter are out of sight and out of mind. But just because4 those in need are out of sight, does not mean they are not seen.
“About half of the people have nowhere to go, but the problem goes beyond that. The other half have jobs and actually have a roof over their heads but can’t afford electricity or to pay a gas bill for their heat, yet they show up faithfully to church,” Pastor Gantt said. “We try to give biscuits to everyone and have the heat on for them. For many of them, that’s the only heat they have that day, so we try to have the doors open and something to eat at least three times a week.”
According to Gantt, speaking from experience, if nothing is done, some will eventually turn to crime to survive.
“If we don’t do something now there are a percentage who will turn to breaking into houses and crime to feed themselves or their families because there is nowhere left to turn,” he said. “I got a phone call recently about a break-in at our church. The officer showed me the two kids, and that’s what they were, who had broken in. They weren’t looking to steal, they were looking for food.”
Despite everything, the Gantts say they are prepared for the work involved in maintaining a shelter and the supplies and volunteers needed.
“We have people to cook, people to help, lots of volunteers who are ready to go to work to help these people. We can get the food and blankets and clothing needed. We know how much work this is and what is involved,” Gantt said. “What we need is a building. There has to be someone in the area with a location that would work and that’s what we are after, a building to get people out of the cold.”