Riddle Me This: What do DOGE, a homeless senior in Colorado Springs and a federal prisoner from Atlanta have in common?

They're all reasons that Second Heaven Strategies LLC can help you help your clients. Many nonprofits and government agencies have either already lost funding or are at risk of losing funding due to the bulldozing efforts by DOGE to demolish "wasteful" spending on behalf of the federal government. Whether you think this endeavor is long overdue or you've lost your mind over this exercise doesn't matter. You might have to pivot.

Meet Lee. Lee was a homeless senior in Colorado Springs when I met him in 2020. My husband, Darryl Glenn, is a former elected official so I thought I knew the extent of complex systems and endless bureaucracy that hamstrings many people, particularly the poor and marginalized. I was wrong. I learned the true nature of the beast through Lee.

Despite the existence of DHS; Homeless Outreach; housing, homeless and other nonprofits; and other government agencies, Darryl and I took things into our own hands to make sure Lee didn't fall through the cracks. We located places for him to live and moved him multiple times. I attended court and probation meetings with him. We found a better Medicare program that covered all his meds and included a grocery subsidy and nursing home/rehab care. We took him to the hospital countless times and cared for his dog while he was there. I took him to Walmart weekly and still do. And much more. We basically grafted him into our family.

Today, Lee pays for space in the basement of a beautiful home with a wonderful homeowner and he's safe and cared for. I am designated as his emergency contact at the hospital and as his Power Of Attorney. Most people he's in contact with contact me if they need anything, including first responders and his former probation officer.

Meet Terry. Terry was a federal prisoner for 30 years and he's from Atlanta. A couple of years ago, Darryl and I spoke at two federal prisons in Florence encouraging inmates to avoid relying on government subsidies when they got out. Six months later, Terry contacted us because he was eligible for early release after serving 30 years of his 60 year sentence. We communicated with him throughout the process; wrote a letter to the federal judge in Atlanta and exchanged calls and emails with his public defender. On the day of his release, I coordinated with the warden the logistics to send him back to Atlanta so that he could change his parole to Denver. I met Terry at the airport where the prison dropped him off. I brought him a phone, some money, and wisdom about how to navigate his layover in Dallas by himself without having a breakdown. I learned that the bureaucracy in the federal government as it relates to criminal justice, incarceration and reentry is far worse than anyone can fathom.

Today, just one year later, Terry lives in Denver and has a good paying job that he enjoys. He has a lease on a small apartment with no cosigner and he purchased a used car. He did this with no government subsidy but rather a bit of help from his family and Darryl and me. Terry finally met his son that was born the year he was put away, and the two of them, along with a friend spent last Thanksgiving with our extended family.

Over the past several years, Darryl and I have helped a multitude of people in a variety of ways from taking them into our home temporarily, buying a car, negotiating move-out bills that exceeded the damage deposit to pro se family court and other court coaching and much more.

We recently decided to build a business utilizing our professional backgrounds and experience with the mission of keeping people from falling through the cracks while moving them from Point A to Point B. That business is Second Heaven Strategies LLC. We believe our timing is divine thanks to DOGE. With budget cuts and more people than ever needing services, Darryl and I can come alongside nonprofits and government agencies that need extra support for their clients.

Check out our website and let us know how we can help.