HOPEFUL: Finding faith in the community that gave back to a man still facing financial and health struggles

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Imagine living paycheck to paycheck for most of your life; now imagine missing just one payday.

For Robert “Rob” Mommaerts, that’s exactly what he was going through before he lost his vision.

“Even while I was working at those places, I was a member of the homeless population,” expressed independent journalist and author Rob Mommaerts.

Now picture yourself making friends with those people you meet on the street throughout your experience of being homeless and working enough to put food on your lap.

“My co-workers didn’t know that, and I felt personally terrible having to ask one of my friends, ‘Hey, you can’t sit at this table; this is for our guests; you know, I get it, but this is business; it sucks,” shared Mommaerts.

On top of dealing with the constant fear of not making enough money to take care of himself, addiction eventually got the better of him.

“I slipped up; I don’t really know how to go into too much detail about that. I ended up losing my place due to my own bad decisions, and right before I was down to my last dollar, I ended up having a seizure and losing my vision,” shared Mommaerts.

That began a spiral. His financial stability was gone, leading him back to the place where he once only used to warm up food, now showing him faith and healing.

“I came here to the Hope Center, and a gentleman here shared his struggle with alcoholism, and I count that as one of my five moments that just really shook me, and it happened here,” explained Mommaerts.

From losing his vision to regaining his faith at the Hope Center, the support system that opened up for him was crucial in shaping him into the person he is now.

“It opened a lot of different doors; the resources and the staff here have been absolutely phenomenally supportive; they’ve been my cheerleaders, my rocks, and my family,” expressed Mommaerts.

That family is now to be scattered at a time when it’s needed the most.

“I do not intend to be houseless; I am because I have to be. I have no other options at this moment, and as of December 9, my options are that much smaller,” explained Mommaerts.

Mommaerts has been working on getting his journalism career going. He had one article published in the Native Sun News. The community of faith he was able to find at the Hope Center is one he will miss and fight for however long it takes.

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