Amen House offers more than three hots and a cot

Big Ray Perry has gone from stepping over homeless people on the streets of Manhattan to sharing his house with them.

The former motorcycle gang member said he is the least likely person walking on the planet to be running a men’s shelter. As unlikely as it may seem, Perry is helping to restore dignity and changing lives in rented houses in Oak Orchard.

Many of those who end up with Perry are just out of prison with nowhere to go. “It’s not just a bed and food,” he said. “We work on them on the inside as well as the outside, because many are still in jail in their head. We have to change their on-street behavior, or they will remain on the streets forever.”

What he uses is a Christian-based, no-nonsense approach. Those who don’t toe the line are asked to leave. Those who stay are required to find a job, pay modest rent, help with chores and participate in Bible classes.

Perry said he offers solace to those who have fallen through the cracks.

Finding work is top priority

“We work really hard to help them find jobs,” said Freddy, who arrived at Amen House four months ago. “We spell jobs here with capital letters.”

In addition to helping Perry teach weekly Bible classes, the former graduate-equivalency diploma teacher also provides English, history and mathematics lessons to residents. Freddy - only first names are used at Amen House - said he was a graduate of George Washington University and has lived in most of the major cities along the East Coast.

The lines in his face tell the story of the tough roads he has traveled during his life.

“I’ve been searching for a place like this,” he said. “My goal is to stay here awhile and move on to another mission. I’ll always be working for the Lord.”

Perry said Freddy has progressed quicker than most to become a helper in the ministry. “He’s special. The cream always rises to the top,” Perry said.

Residents also volunteer at the Christian Store House, help the nearby Indian River Volunteer Fire Co. with parking during special events and put on a monthly dinner at Community Church of Oak Orchard.

Operating on a shoestring

Perry operates his ministry on a shoestring with no taxpayer money. Those who stay in a house are required to pay rent ranging from $100 to $400 per month. He also receives some donations to help with expenses. He said residents living in Oak Orchard support his ministry whenever they can.

It costs $2,600 to run his main shelter each month. “Believe me, we are operating hand to mouth here,” he said. “Sometimes I’m not sure where the money is going to come from to pay the bills.”

He said the electric bill is always a little behind. “So far the lights have remained on; God provides,” he said. Transportation is also a problem. The ministry’s car has broken down, and there is not enough money available for repairs. They are currently using a car of a resident who can no longer drive.

He said that’s only one example of how things seem to work out. “Christ has opened so many doors at Amen House,” he said.

His first Amen House was nothing more than a old travel trailer, but now he offers two rented houses and he is looking for a third house. He currently is housing more than 20 men, but there is a need for much more space.

Although “amen” has another meaning, Perry uses the acronym A Meaningful Existence Now to describe his ministry. Perry said he served six months in prison, but he got away with a lot during his life. All that changed when he turned his life over to the Lord. He can also relate to those who knock on his door because he was homeless.

“I made some really bad decisions and ended up sleeping in alleyways and eating at soup kitchens,” he said. At this low point in his life, he received the same kind of help he is giving today. “Someone extended the love of God to me and planted a seed,” he said. That seed took nearly 30 years to grow.

Ministry continues to expand

Perry was tired of living in big cities and was looking for a rural area to live. He ended up in the Cape Region five years ago, working at Mountaire near Millsboro. During a motorcycle ride, he discovered Oak Orchard and was immediately taken with the small hamlet.

He said his life changed when he met a homeless person in Oak Orchard and decided he would no longer step over homeless people. It wasn’t long before he was helping the homeless and eventually quit his full-time job to open his first Amen House.

“We have helped a lot of people get back on the path to life,” Perry said. “We have people who have gone on to start businesses of their own and those who are productive members of society who attend church,” he said. “This is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Perry has learned a lot over the past four years. He can usually spot a drifter from someone who really wants help. “We get a lot of those who are looking for three hots and a cot, but that’s not what we are about,” he said. “Some who come through the door don’t make it.”

His ministry has also become an unofficial stop for Delaware State Police troopers who run across homeless people on routine patrols. “They used to spend hours on these cases, but now they let me do the work for them,” Perry said.

He said he provides a hot meal, hot shower, washes their clothes and allows them to spend the night. The next morning he makes an evaluation and gets them to the proper agency. He also opens the doors to the homeless during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. His doors were open this Christmas holiday weekend to anyone needing a place to sleep and a meal.

Reaching out

Perry also spends time doing outreach work in an effort to get people headed on the right track. Recently, he met with a homeless man living in a tent in a wooded area near Rehoboth Beach. The man, known as Dave, had been at Amen House before, but he would not quit drinking and was asked to leave.

Perry said he feared Dave would end up throwing a rock through a window, wait for the police and end up in prison to escape the cold, winter weather. “He’ll get out in the spring and go back to his tent life,” Perry said. But Perry is not giving up on Dave; he will venture out in the cold another time to check on him.

He is also cochairman of the homeless advocacy group called Talented Address-less People for Affordable Transitional Housing.

Perry said the ultimate goal is to get the men out of the shelter to be on their own. “You know the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, well I’m the village,” he said.

For more information phone 302-236-4922 or send a message to amenofoakorchard@live.com. Donations can be sent to Amen Ministries, 32693 Oak Orchard Road, Millsboro, DE 19966