He and dozens of other volunteers braved a brutally cold winter night recently for the Point In Time survey. It’s one tool being used by Denver officials as they work to solve the problem of homelessness.

Randle says that the count is about more than numbers—it’s remembering that every homeless person counts. “They are citizens,” Randle explains. “They are not just passing through.”

“We must listen to those people, if we really want to find out what’ going on,” he continued.

Randle says no on chooses to be homeless. “You don’t think you’re going to have a mental illness. You don’t think you’re going to have a breakdown. You don’t think you’re going to lose your house or job or your family, your friends, your connections, the network that sustains you. But it happens.”

He knows from personal experience. Only a few years ago, he was living on the streets. He lost nearly everything while battling bipolar disorder. “All of us, whether we like to admit it or not, go through these periods and then we go on a hero’s journey to reclaim our lives. When I came to that point, it was tragic and almost fatal. It almost ended my life, but it also began it.”

It wasn’t until after a suicide attempt and September 11th, that Randle’s life changed. He finally found some stability and a place to call home when St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, offered him a position as a sexton.

He was eventually appointed to the Mayor’s Commission to End Homelessness, and now uses his experiences to advocate for the homeless. “Randle comes to the table. He brings the voice of the homeless people to the table. It’s refreshing, I think to have that voice there,” said homeless advocate Susan Vaho.

Doug Wayland with Colorado’s Coalition for the Homeless agreed, saying it’s essential to have the homeless perspective in policy debates. “Policy frequently deals with numbers. They’re cold hard facts. You’re not really talking about the true experiences of homelessness. Randle is able to reflect on his own experience and his own experiences of being homeless. He’s able to put a face on those numbers. He’s able to passionately express views as a person who has experienced homelessness.”

Randle strongly believes that it’s possible to end homelessness “I’ll I’m doing is saying let’s use arithmetic. Let’s look at it as if it’s a simple problem for us to solve, instead of something that’s rocket science.”

Please join 9NEWS in congratulating Randle Loeb, the 9Who Care Award winner for February 2007.