ATLANTA — When the temperatures drop below freezing, Rev. Siegfried White is spending his time on the streets of Atlanta, doing what he's been doing for the last decade.
Rev. White has helped thousands of unhoused people find warmth over the last few years. Whether it's driving them to warming shelters or simply letting them sit in his van, he said he does this on his own time because he doesn't want history to repeat itself.
“Back in 2014, on Campbelltown Road in Atlanta, Georgia. I noticed a homeless man always sitting outside the liquor store and people were just passing him by. He would be out there overnight as well. One morning in December, I got the news that this homeless person had died. From there, I said…. 'I’m going to do everything I can to make sure homeless people don’t freeze,'" White explained.
The good Samaritan said he also knows what their lives are like and empathizes with their journey.
“I used to be homeless also. I used to stay in the different shelters of Atlanta... that time period was about two years," White added.
His days and nights aren't easy, dealing with extreme weather, difficult conversations, and sometimes difficult people, but he said he's doing the Lord's work.
"This is what I've been called to do," White said.
In a used van that he purchased from a community partner, he navigates the day's challenges, and he never loses faith in people.
“That’s why we’re here," White said when explaining what motivates him.
Rev. White has become a familiar face for many of the unhoused population that live near the Gateway Center, as that is where you can find his van most often.
He said as long as he's living, he'll continue to do this work.