These Heartwarming New Year’s Resolutions Will Have You Holding Back the Tears

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. With Thanksgiving, Christmas and now even the new year behind us, are you still thinking about new year’s resolutions? You know, stuff like resolving to be a better person, changing jobs, quitting smoking, eating less and exercising more, or some other personal goal you hope to achieve in the upcoming … Read More

Winter: The Enemy of Homeless People Nationwide.

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc.   Winter is hard on those who do have a house and a nice, safe and warm place we can call home. But how about for those who have nothing other than the streets? Can you imagine spending the nights outside, justclutching onto a pillow or blanket? I’d be miserable, … Read More

The Homeless Share Touching Thoughts about Christmas.

By Jeremy Reynalds P O Box 27693 Alb., NM 87125 It was chilly early evening in Albuquerque, and close to sunset – not a time to be out walking the streets of Albuquerque lugging heavy backpacks. However, that was exactly where my wife Elma and I saw three guys. Two put their luggage on the ground, while another gave his … Read More

Why Do They Send all Those Requests for Money?

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. It’s that time of year when your mailbox fills up quickly with holiday solicitations from charities-both local and national-all asking for your donation. I know, because Joy Junction contributes to your mailbox infusion. While we mail all of our regular donors monthly, during the holiday season we make an extra … Read More

What’s So Special About 1440?

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. All the partisan political sniping, pious pontification and nastiness that’s still being unleashed over social media does nothing except take away time and valuable creativity from the 1440 minutes available daily that we have to make a difference in the lives of the needy. If we spend the discretionary portion … Read More

Being Homeless is Tough But You Can Help

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. There’s probably not a day that passes when you don’t see a homeless person, or a panhandler who is possibly homeless, in Albuquerque. Here’s a shocking statistic. In 2016 the estimated average life expectancy in the U.S. is 79 years old and a 2014 article pointed out that the normal … Read More

The Never Dull Life of a Mailbox Missionary

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. While we didn’t start off that way, many of us who stay working for non- profits very long turn into mailbox missionaries – which can be conveniently shortened to the letters MBM. But what, you may ask, is an MBM? Well, a MBM was once defined as someone who goes … Read More

Homeless Address Whether City Should Provide More Help for the Chronic Homeless, Substance Abusers Or Those Who Have Just Gotten Out of Jail. Some Surprising Answers

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Tel: 505 400 7145 Tel: 505 400 7145 There are a number of people in our community dubbed by city of Albuquerque officials and others as “chronically homeless.” Chronic homelessness could be non technically defined as people making excessive use of emergency medical services, and being in and out of … Read More

Missing but Not Always Missed

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. A well known but controversial country song contains these lyrics, “He was a missing person who nobody missed at all.” That started me thinking about America’s missing homeless, and whether anyone misses them. The answer seemed pretty obvious on at least a couple of Facebook pages  that I checked out. … Read More

Homeless Man’s Valentine’s Day Wish to Study the Bible With His Wife , Give Her Roses and Take Her to Eat at Burger King.

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Flowers, candy and cards mark Valentine’s Day, and while crassly commercial and criticized by some, isn’t a day of kindness and love (however superficial) better than more politics, especially in this day of seemingly never ending partisan rancor? Just in case you’re curious, Valentine’s Day as we know it today … Read More

City Residents Concerned About Poor Decision Making and Laziness Being Contributory Factors to Homelessness. Shelter Gets Shocking Emails about the Homeless.

by Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. A new survey carried out for Joy Junction by NM Research and Polling, revealed that 54 percent of residents believe poor decision making and laziness are factors that contribute to homelessness. That’s a potential problem in a city where we have an ever increasingly serious hunger and homelessness problem. At … Read More

No More Inmates or I’m Done Volunteering.

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. The marginally measured invective attacked my soul like rusty nails on a chalkboard. The email was from one of the many wonderful volunteers at our recent community wide Thanksgiving dinner at the Albuquerque Convention Center. It was attended by 1,400 plus hungry and homeless people, and hundreds of volunteers who … Read More

Working Full Time, Living in Poverty and Giving to the Homeless

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. There’s a belief among some that people who work full time don’t usually live in poverty. But is it true? We asked some of our Joy Junction guests, and also posed the question on our Facebook page. It drew expected, but also some surprising and heated answers. So what is … Read More

Some Albuquerque Homeless Realize That Whoever Wins on Nov. 8, the Sun Will Still Shine on Nov. 9 and Jesus Will Still be Lord. Do You?

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Election coverage is dominating the news cycle. While one candidate calls his opponent a nasty woman and she fires back that he’s a puppet of (Russian President ) Vladimir Putin, millions go hungry and their plight is practically dismissed by most American media as viewers complain but revel in the … Read More

Joy Junction: 48 Hours

By Jeremy Reynalds,Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Serving on the front lines of Joy Junction, they are often appreciated, but sometimes cussed at and threatened. However, they keep on working because they care for the homeless and hungry, and love Jesus. They are our resident services supervisors at Joy Junction. Here’s a look at a recent 48 hours … Read More

From Coke, Meth and Alcohol Addiction to Joy Junction Chaplain

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Joy Junction Chaplain Marcos Atwood is a firm believer in the power and importance of prayer. On a recent Monday morning he started the day by praying with guests and staff – a tradition his predecessor and mentor former Chaplain Gene Shiplet initiated. Then he helped a married couple whose … Read More

The Homeless Have Mixed Emotions About the Holidays

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. While for many of us the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays will be a great time of celebration with family and friends, that is often not the case for the homeless. We asked a few of our Joy Junction guests how they feel about the holidays. One woman said the … Read More

Bashing the Poor, Hungry and Homeless

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. Insults and demeaning statements can be a major part of what it means to be homeless, hungry and obviously needy. A recent article in the British Daily Mail  said that “welfare addicts” are costing Australians billions of dollars. According to one study, the annual price tag for welfare here in … Read More

New Mexico’s Largest Homeless Shelter Avoids Typical Barriers to Access

News Release from Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. info@joyjunction.org ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Joy Junction, New Mexico’s largest emergency homeless shelter, is celebrating 30-plus years of implementing accessible methods of support for  homeless individuals and families by providing food, shelter, pastoral counseling and even longer-term transitional housing. In 1986, Dr. Jeremy Reynalds, founder of Joy Junction, set out … Read More

“Let’s Do Lunch. You Buy!”

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. The sign is very clear. Held by a plaintive looking middle-aged man it reads, “Let’s do lunch. U-buy.” Would you? I would for sure. I’m never without $5.00 fast food gift cards in my car, which I offer to those who ask. They’re always gratefully received. I also offer my Joy … Read More

Grateful Hearts Even in a Difficult Time

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. It’s never easy being homeless. It’s probably one of the most stressful times in your life, and while we try to do the best we can for those staying with us at Joy Junction, we wanted to see what they thought. With that in mind, we asked a few of … Read More

A Peek Behind the Scenes at Joy Junction-Celebrating Its 30th Anniversary

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Joy Junction Inc. How many times do we think of our trash collector, or perhaps the janitor at the office who works late evenings disposing of the trash we’ve generated in the day? As a rule, I’m guessing probably not too often. However, that would all change if they went on strike, right? … Read More