Rowan Vansleve and Ken Craft have served the unhoused through the nonprofit Hope the Mission for a decade and a half, offering meals, shelter, and job training in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles.
Now, they are on a venture to raise nationwide awareness about the plight of the homeless by pedaling their way across the U.S. in a 3,500-mile-long bike ride from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.
Although LA is considered the “homeless capital of the United States,” a dubious honor that until last year belonged to New York City, Vansleve and Craft want to bring attention to the fact that it is a social challenge facing many other towns and cities.
“Homelessness is not an LA or California problem, it’s a national issue,” said Craft, founder and CEO of Hope the Mission. The bike ride is dubbed “Cycle to the Capitol. Understanding homelessness from coast to coast.”
Vansleve and Craft started their long journey Tuesday morning with a festive send-off in North Hills at the Hope the Mission headquarters with a planned route that will take them across the Southwest all the way to Texas and then turn north towards the nation’s capital.
Along the way, they will be making stops to spotlight those without a home and the programs serving them in major cities. The cycling duo will collect stories for a documentary about their cycling effort in places like Phoenix, Amarillo, Oklahoma, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. They plan to explore what is working and not working in those areas of the country by engaging with those on the ground.
The “Cycle to the Capitol” effort also hopes to serve as a fundraiser for a new sobriety shelter for women. “We have to address addiction” to more effectively help homeless females suffering from addiction, said Vansleve, the nonprofit’s president. The goal is to raise $350,000 specifically for the women’s shelter and an additional $350,000 for services. Those wishing to help can sponsor a mile with $100, which can be done on the nonprofit’s website. The pair also hope that the private sector will contribute funds to their cause.
Once in Washington, D.C., Vansleve and Craft plan to meet with congressmen and senators not just from California but also from other states. They also want to meet with Housing and Urban Development officials. “We don’t have just a homeless problem in our country, we have a national housing shortage,” said Vansleve, adding that both issues are related.
To make it to the Capitol, the leaders of Hope the Mission plan to take a day at a time. “We’ll get up early and start cycling in the sunlight around 6 or 6:30 a.m. until 12 noon or 1 p.m.,” said Craft. “Our goal is to pedal 70 to 90 miles a day.” Being on the road will not get them a break from work. “We have a nonprofit to run,” adds Craft. They will do that from affordable motels where they will also rest until the following morning.
And rest they will need. Vansleve and Craft are not experienced bike riders. But both have been practicing for months. It might also help them that this is not their first cycling effort for homelessness awareness.
Last summer they rode their bicycles 350 miles from LA to Sacramento to support Senate Bill 4, known as the Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act, which streamlines the building process for churches and some colleges. Also last year the advocate duo ran from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to raise awareness about homelessness in Nevada and California.
On any occasion, they put themselves in the shoes of those who are the working homeless. Craft and Vansleve lived in an old car while trying to hold down a job.
“We have come a long way as an agency [Hope the Mission] but we have a long way to go,” says Craft. “We’ll do what we can to draw attention to this crisis. It’s easy to look at it for a moment and then look away and forget about it.”
Vansleve said, “The tragedy of homelessness requests all of our attention.” He added, “God forbid that we have an earthquake that left 70,000 homeless because of red-tagged buildings. I know we would mobilize the National Guard and the Red Cross to make sure everyone is safe. Yet, more than 70,000 homeless people languish in the streets every day and our government only recently paid more attention.” He added, “As a community, we must do everything possible to bring these people inside [homes].”
Hope the Mission is billed as the nation’s largest rescue mission, providing services to combat poverty, hunger and homelessness. The mission includes more than 30 facilities and 2,700 shelter beds.
For more information on “Cycle to the Capitol” visit https://hopethemission.org.