ABOUT THE BOOK
Over the past 20 years, Bruce Deel has helped over 20,000 people in the most dangerous zip code of Atlanta escape the cycle of homelessness, joblessness, and drug abuse. In these powerful true stories about the men and women who fell through the cracks in our social services system, he shows the power of radical trust to change lives.
When Deel took over The Mission Church in 1997, he had orders to shut it down. Its neighborhood has the highest crime rate per capita in Georgia, the highest rate of incarceration, the highest homeless population per capita, a less than 50 percent high school graduation rate, and a 40 percent unemployment rate.
After preaching that Sunday, Bruce was approached by a woman he didn't know. "I've been hooking and stripping for 14 years," she said, "Can you help me?" Soon 17 people, in addition to the Deels, had moved in the old church -- pregnant girls, single mothers and their children, upstairs; and two or three single men in the basement. Bruce began going before judges to speak up for drug addicts and vandals, offering to supervise them as an alternative to jail.
Today, City of Refuge has a 200,000 square foot campus in the same zip code. It is a one-stop-shop for transitional housing, on-site medical and mental health care, childcare, and vocational training, including accredited intensives in auto tech, culinary arts, and coding. While most social services focus on one pain point and leave the burden on the poor to find the crosstown bus that'll serve their other needs, Deel argues that bringing someone out of homelessness requires treating all of their needs simultaneously.
This book shows how to break the cycle of poverty once and for all. It provides a moving window into the lives of the ex-cons, drug addicts, human trafficking survivors, and displaced individuals who've come through the City of Refuge program. Heartfelt, deeply personal, and inspiring, Trust First will break down your assumptions about whether anyone is ever truly a lost cause. Bruce will donate a portion of his proceeds from Trust First to the charitable organization City of Refuge
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Bruce’s story shows us the incredible power trust plays in being a catalyst for change and serves as a reminder that everybody deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Inspirational!”
- Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller and author of Everybody Matters
“Trust First inspired me beyond words. Through his nonprofit and his relentless love for the people he serves, Bruce models what a life lived for others looks like. With passionate storytelling and a posture of humility, Bruce reminds us that ‘there’s no expiration date on our commitment to people.’ Stirring, personal, and challenging, this book will win your heart and inspire action.”
- Dan T. Cathy, chairman & CEO, Chick-fil-A, Inc.
"Through an intimate and powerful account of a twenty-year journey, Bruce Deel affirms that radical trust is a critical investment needed to humanize the fight against poverty and injustice—trusting people to do their best, and then stepping away to allow transformation to unfold. He illustrates how we have to re-think binary notions of success and failure, thereby ensuring that individual dignity and freedom remain intact.”
- Michelle Nunn, CEO of humanitarian aid organization CARE USA
“Trust First is an amazing story of the power of the true servant leadership. Practicing radical trust can transform not just those in our care, but, over time, ourselves. A beautifully written, insightful, and unforgettable book.”
- Doug Parker, chairman & CEO of American Airlines
"This book will debunk all your excuses for why you don't trust those around you. Secretly, we're not sure about others—their fundamental goodness, their motivations, and their ability to keep their word—and compounded cynicism holds us back from being great and doing great things. Bruce Deel will convince you that you can trust—even in the toughest environments."
- L. David Marquet, author of Turn the Ship Around!
