Podcast Summary: The Collage Podcast

Episode: Homeless Women and Their Challenges: Part 2
Host: Feed My Sheep (Jeff – A)
Guest: Nancy Glover (B)
Date: December 3, 2025

Overview

This episode continues a deeply personal and honest exploration of the barriers faced by homeless women, focusing on the real-life case of a woman in crisis aided by Feed My Sheep in Temple, TX. The conversation delves into the complexities, unexpected turns, and emotional challenges encountered when offering support, highlighting both systemic gaps and deeply human needs. Rather than providing tidy resolutions, the discussion centers on persistence, compassion, and the ongoing hope that underpins efforts to help those in crisis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap of the Ongoing Scenario

(00:55 – 04:48)

• Situation: Nancy recounts meeting a woman who was assaulted, traumatized, and abandoned near Feed My Sheep.
• Immediate Response: Team stabilized her, but due to shelter rules (Salvation Army full, Families in Crisis shelter inapplicable due to assault type), the only option became funding a weeklong hotel stay while seeking further solutions.
• Challenge: Scarcity of resources and support for homeless single women in Temple, with many eligibility loopholes.

2. Developing and Attempting a Plan

(04:48 – 10:53)

• Initial Plan: Gradually orient the woman to a potentially safer and stable environment—the farm operated by Feed My Sheep.
• Obstacle: Addiction struggles surfaced; the woman missed key appointments after a promising pre-weekend conversation about visiting the farm and attending a recovery meeting.
• Insight: Addiction and probation obligations created deep fear and anxiety, further complicating recovery.

"This is the thing that's pulled me through so many bad spots. This is the thing that comforts me when nobody else is there. This is the thing that stops hurting. And all I really want to do is stop hurting." — Nancy (18:29)

3. The Weekend: Missed Meetings & Disappearance

(10:53 – 17:54)

• Saturday: No response at her hotel, raising worries of overdose or harm.
• Wellness Check: Room found empty but all possessions left; strong mix of relief, worry, and sadness for Nancy.

"There was part of my brain that is already cognizant of the fact that as soon as you can see in this room, you may see a person who is no longer living, that you cared about." — Jeff (15:54)

4. Complications of Trauma & Addiction

(16:46 – 21:58)

• Deep Trauma: Discussion explores how layers of trauma, abandonment, and self-loathing can make the prospect of giving up an addiction overwhelmingly frightening—even when it’s destructive.
• Self-Sabotage: The team recognizes how receiving care can itself be destabilizing if someone is more accustomed to being let down or left alone.

"Might as well get it over with now. I'm going to let them down. It’s just a matter of time." — Jeff (20:08)

5. Why Persistence Matters

(21:56 – 26:12)

• Continuing the Search: Nancy’s concern for the woman carries her back to the hotel Sunday, even after repeated letdowns.
• Updates: The woman eventually returns, retrieves her belongings, and texts Nancy to clarify she’d been hospitalized for a medical issue.

6. Navigating Uncertainty: Balancing Trust and Safety

(24:56 – 26:12)

• Trust Issues: Even if the woman’s medical claims are true, rural isolation at the farm may pose new dangers without adequate medical access.
• Safety Concerns: If false, it indicates patterns that could bring harm to the community at the farm.

7. Finding a Temporary Solution

(26:12 – 29:39)

• Shelter Placement: Against the odds, a Salvation Army bed opens. While not Nancy’s ideal, it's a safe compromise close to resources and further support.

"We can continue to be here. We're going to continue to show her grace and mercy and invite her to take those next steps when she's ready." — Nancy (35:22)

8. Reflections on the Realities and Limits of Helping

(29:39 – 40:22)

• The Limits of Quick Solutions: Both hosts emphasize that “fixes”—whether housing or treatment alone—cannot resolve trauma so deep and longstanding.
• Treatment Realities: The discussed 25% success rate in substance use treatment reflects underlying issues (trauma, shame, lack of community) often unaddressed.
• Metaphor: The person “lost in a fog” is a potent analogy for the confusion and circuitous progress of those struggling with trauma and addiction.

"It's easy to be the person that's looking at this app going, why didn't you just go straight? It was so easy. But the person who's in the fog, you think they wanted to stay in that? Absolutely not." — Jeff (28:55)

9. Why Not Give Up?

(35:08 – 37:41)

• Hope & Faith: Despite exhaustion, disappointment, and setbacks, Nancy affirms her commitment to keep showing up as an anchor in the woman’s life—breaking cycles of abandonment.

"If we stop, it would be proof that she really is all alone...and there's no God because no God would let her suffer in that alone." — Nancy (36:37)

10. A Profound Encounter on Community

(40:22 – 43:36)

• Another Client’s Story: Nancy visits a mentally ill young woman (YR) after a concerning text. YR, in a state of deep confusion, hugs Nancy and says:

"I know you. You're Nancy. I know you. I don't know who I am." — (42:31)

• This moment underscores the vital importance of connection and being known, even amidst self-lostness.

11. Love as the Core Response

(43:37 – End)

• Both hosts advocate for a persistent, compassionate presence as the most reliable form of help:

"When they open the door, we need to be standing there ready...to just love them." — Nancy (43:31)

• They close with reflections on faith, the difficulty of not being “the answer,” and the resolve to give people hope, reminding listeners that every person matters, regardless of choices or setbacks.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I can't possibly fathom everything that she went through...But what I can understand is how she looks at this addiction as her best friend, as the only thing in the world that she can count on." — Nancy (16:46)

• "People are going to leave me alone. They facilitate decisions...Well then they do things that will make sure that that occurs." — Jeff (47:44)

• "Hope is a good thing. Maybe it's the bestest of things." — Jeff, referencing Shawshank Redemption (48:38)

Important Timestamps

• 00:55 – Episode background & recap of last week's story
• 04:48 – Plan for the farm, emergence of addiction concerns
• 10:53 – Missed meetings and start of disappearance
• 13:29 – Room found empty; Nancy’s emotional reaction
• 16:46 – Trauma, coping, and addiction
• 21:58 – Why keep looking? On not giving up
• 24:56 – Assessing her reasons for leaving (health/addiction)
• 26:28 – Secure Salvation Army shelter spot
• 36:37 – Why persistence matters for those in crisis
• 42:31 – YR’s embrace: “I know you. I don’t know who I am.”
• 43:31 – “When they open the door, we need to be there…to just love them.”

Tone

Empathetic, honest, sometimes raw, grounded in both hard truth and persistent hope. There’s a strong sense of faith-informed perspective, but the conversation avoids clichés, instead offering nuanced, first-person insights into the realities of outreach and support.

Conclusion

This episode offers a textured, real-world perspective on the obstacles faced when supporting homeless women—where trauma, addiction, and systemic limits intersect. The message is clear: solutions are rarely simple, disappointment inevitable, but the ongoing presence of compassionate community is both remedy and hope. The closing call is for listeners to open themselves to persistent kindness in their own communities: “Be there when they open the door.”