This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg//JW.2ADI/2218.1 Message Board Post: Paper: Tri-Valley Herald (Pleasanton, CA) Deceased: Don Brown: County mourns homeless advocate Date: August 29, 2004 Don Brown acted as an angel of mercy to thousands of homeless people living in encampments throughout Contra Costa County. Brown, who served as director of homeless services for the nonprofit Phoenix Programs Inc., died of cancer Wednesday. He was 54. Homeless advocates throughout the county remembered him last week for his unwavering dedication to the people living on the edges of society. Cynthia Belon, director of Contra Costa County's Homeless Program, credited Brown for launching the outreach efforts to the encampments just a few years ago. The county joined forces with Phoenix Programs and other nonprofit groups to seek out homeless people living under bridges and in encampments and help them find housing. "We identified 3,800 people we had not connected with before the project started," Belon said. "Prior to that, they were left outside as the invisible population of Contra Costa." A Stockton resident, Brown was responsible for building Phoenix's three multi-service centers into "one-stop shops" that offer meals, laundry facilities, showers, a mailing address and substance abuse support for homeless people, Belon said. As a counselor, Brown had a remarkable ability to connect with people living on the streets and to gain their trust. "He'd been on the other side of the fence," said Michael Barrington, president of Phoenix Programs. Brown was born Dec. 24, 1949, in Monterey Park. At age 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, volunteering for two tours of duty in Vietnam. After returning form the war, Brown spent 15 years riding with a band he euphemistically referred to as " a group of motorcycle enthusiasts." Ultimately, Brown decided to leave that life behind him and never looked back. He overcame a substance abuse problem and lost nearly 200 pounds before volunteering for one of Phoenix's crisis programs in Southern California. Michael Barrington, the chief executive officer and president of Phoenix, was quickly impressed with Brown's ability to reach troubled people. "He excelled in working with a very difficult Barrington hired Brown as a full-time employee and then offered him the position as director of Phoenix's homeless shelter in Antioch. Brown threw himself into the work. "This is a man who, wherever we went, seven days a week, would have food in the trunk of his car," Barrington said. "He would say, 'Do you think that guy is homeless? Let's check him out.'" After moving to the Bay Area in 1998, Brown returned to school, studying psychology and business management, eventually graduating with a double major from the Union Institute and University in Sacramento. Much of his success leading people out of homelessness stemmed from his strong spirit and his unwillingness to give up on anybody. "His passion was dealing with the worst of the worst," said Shawna Hudson-Strock of Phoenix Programs. "He could see a person's abilities and to encourage them and support them." Alma Lones, who collaborated with Brown on a project in Solano County, recalled that they were able to bring 75 people out of the encampments and into housing in a short period of time. "He'd go to the mat for anybody," Lones said. No matter what the state of a person's circumstances, Brown always would treat them with respect, said his stepson, Jeremy Green. "His favorite quote was, 'I don't know all the answers, but I know what hasn't worked for me,'" Green said. "He was bigger than life itself," Belon said. "No one ever called him Don. Everyone called him Don Brown. He needed a longer name to exemplify who he was." "There's just no way he's going to be able to be replaced." Brown is survived by his wife, Debra Brown, of Stockton; sons, Sam Brown and Donald Brown of Hemet, stepchildren, Amanda Chavez of Stockton, Andrea Chavez of Riverside, Jeremy Green of San Jose, Adam Green of Antioch and James Green of Riverside. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the Full Gospel Church in Concord. Author: Tamara Grippi, STAFF WRITER Section: More Local News (c) 2004 Tri-Valley Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.