Wheels of Glory is hitting the streets by providing bicycles for the homeless community. The bicycle referral program is the brainchild of bicycle shop owner James Moore, who has partnered with Edwards Street Fellowship, the city of Hattiesburg and others to bring this program to fruition.
Moore has been instrumental in programs such as Wheels of Glory in the past, organizing a Bikes for Work project 10 to 15 years ago, which made bicycles available on a referral basis to the city, Forrest General and University of Southern Mississippi employees.
Moore explained that he constantly had department store bikes come into the shop for repairs. “These weren’t expensive bikes, and in many cases it was going to cost more to fix them than the bike was worth, so customers just told me to dispose of them,” he said.
Instead, Moore kept the bikes and during downtime, when he didn’t have to pay himself for the work to be done, donated the labor to bring the bikes back up to where they were road worthy.
During the last couple of years as Moore noticed an increase in the homeless population in the Hub City, he began looking for an agency he could partner with to try and get some of these bikes distributed to this population.
“As I looked and talked around, Edwards Street Fellowship seemed to be the one that was highly regarded,” he said.
Moore provides the bikes, the mechanics and puts the bikes in road worthy condition, but he didn’t want to be the person who decides “you get a bike” or “you don’t.”
“I’m not in the business of screening people with need,” he said. “One meeting with Ann McCullen at Edwards Street Fellowship convinced me that their agency would be the one to do the screening.”
Prior to kicking the program off, Moore wanted to have a few things in place.
“I didn’t want this to just be a feel-good project that wasn’t sustainable,” he said. “I wanted there to be an endless source of product,” which he has now arranged with Walmart, which calls Moore when they have some of their warranty items start to pile up.
“I wanted them to be safe when they hit the road, so we raised a little money to equip with bikes with lights, front and rear, and they have a lock with them.”
Thanks to the State Department of Rehabilitation, Moore was able to get new bicycle helmets donated, so every road-ready bike that goes out has a bright lime green helmet with it.
Because the bikes are equipped with lights, locks and a helmet, the next thing Moore wanted in place was bike-repair stations.
“I didn’t want these bikes to be used for a week or two, have a flat and wind up in a ditch. I wanted bike recipients to have the ability to be able to do some of the basic mechanics to keep these bikes running.”
That resulted in a partnership with the City of Hattiesburg, William Carey University, the Hattiesburg Zoo, Hattiesburg Convention Center and the Longleaf Trace to install seven bike-repair stations strategically throughout the community.
According to Moore, these repair stations cost about $1,400 each, are bright red and have a place you can hang your bike on. The station has a dozen tools which are attached to it by stainless steel cables and it also comes with a heavy duty indestructible bicycle pump.
“So now if you get one of these bikes and you have a flat, a chain breaks or you need to make some minor adjustments, there are seven places around town where you can do that where the tools are readily available,” he said.
While these repair stations help the bike recipients, they can also be used by all bicycle enthusiasts, which helps make Hattiesburg a more ‘bike friendly’ community,” McCullen said.
According to Moore, it a meeting he and McCullen had with City of Hattiesburg Chief Administrative Officer Ann Jones that really made these repair stations happen.
“Following the city’s purchase – Town Square Park and Chain Park, Jones got on the phone with Rick Taylor, executive director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, who purchased stations for the Visitor’s Center and the Zoo. Private donors of the Longleaf Trace committed for two – one at the Jackson Road Station and another at the Gateway on the Southern Miss campus.
“William Carey called out of the blue, and wanting to make their campus more bike friendly, they purchased the seventh bike repair station,” Moore said.
McCullen said they had planned to write grants to purchase the repair stations, “so it was a great surprise to get them all purchased by others – with all the commitments made within 24 hours of our meeting with Jones,” McCullen said.
Hub City Velo, a local bike club donated $350 toward the safety light kits and locks.
Kim Townsend, who services at the city’s community development/homeless coordinator, said she thinks the program will be a great asset to the low income and homeless community.
“It will cut their travel time tremendously and help with the wear and tear on their feet,” she said. “Trying to get to different agencies and places they need can be difficult at times. I’m thankful this project was able to be brought to life. It’s just getting started so I’m interested to see the benefits. Many homeless neighbors I have talked to ask for bikes, so I hope they will take advantage this opportunity.”
Moore has no idea what the demand for bikes will be. He said of the homeless he is acquainted with, that if walking from an encampment in the woods to wherever you’re looking to get a part-time job, if you have a bike instead of having to walk, it can be a whole lot more efficient.
He does know that a bike is not the solution for everyone.
A couple of years ago Moore gave a bike to a homeless person. “Half the time I saw him around town he would be walking with the bike. “On the third day, he brought it back and said while he appreciated it, it was just too much responsibility and gave it back.
“If the homeless want to take up and go someplace for the day, they really don’t have any place to leave
something of value like that,” Moore said. “But equipping them with locks so they don’t get stolen, and making these easy repair stations available around town, I hope this will be a sustainable project, that will increase their chances of getting a job and make it easy to get around to the services they need, such as Christian Services and Edwards Street.”
Once the bike is given to an individual, it belongs to them and is their responsibility for keeping it up, maintaining it. “They can do what they want with it, but we hope if they no longer need it, they would pass it along to benefit someone else,” Moore said.
McCullen has printed up a nice information sheet for the clients regarding basic bicycle safety rules and Hattiesburg attorney Cary Varnado wrote a release that protects the giving entities from any liability. The release they sign states they are going to use the bike for intended purpose. Moore said that once approved, Edwards Street can give clients a token so they can take a city bus to Moore’s to pick up a bike. “We put a lot of thought into this to make it a seamless operation.”
Moore said those who have received bikes through the program have been very appreciative.
