Vanessa Tyus

Homeless advocate Vanessa Tyus relocated back to her hometown, Jacksonville, Ill., to help her community tackle its homeless situation by setting up a shelter.

Shortly after arriving in Jacksonville, Tyus began researching the homeless population in her community and helping place individuals in short-term housing while she worked tirelessly to get the shelter up and running for the community.

On one occasion, Tyus had been working with a homeless man throughout the day to locate food and short-term housing. Upon returning home from assisting the man, Tyus discovered her home had caught fire, and in just minutes she was homeless herself.

Tyus recovered from the incident and her passion for homeless advocacy continues. She has dedicated her life to providing relief, compassion and hope to homeless men, women and families. Additionally, Tyus operates the Missions department at her local church serving the homeless population with vouchers for food, clothing, hotel, gasoline, and water and electric bills.