Ray’s life journey began in Dragoon, Arizona, but abruptly changed when he was
orphaned at the age of nine. After seven years in nine foster homes, he became
a U.S. Marines infantryman at Camp Pendleton in California before being sent to
Vietnam. Upon discharge, he received a plane ticket back to Arizona, but
without family or other support, life spiraled downward and he became homeless.
He traveled the country on his Harley, working as an itinerant laborer.
Various church experiences led him to become an agnostic until connecting with the Brotherhood of Christ in San Francisco where he learned the love of God, not the wrath of God. He “cleaned up his act”, got closer to God, and became an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church.
Following shelter work experiences around the country, including P.M. Operations Manager in Portland, OR, he became Veteran’s Affairs Coordinator for the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco.
Upon arrival in Santa Fe, he was homeless and in poor health until Dr. Gary Harris [Healthcare for the Homeless] intervened. No longer homeless, Ray says it straight; he helps others find their voice and is respected for being a VOICE OF THE HOMELESS. He organized the Homeless Advocacy Project, served on the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force to End Homelessness and joined the Interfaith Community Shelter Group at its beginning.
Various church experiences led him to become an agnostic until connecting with the Brotherhood of Christ in San Francisco where he learned the love of God, not the wrath of God. He “cleaned up his act”, got closer to God, and became an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church.
Following shelter work experiences around the country, including P.M. Operations Manager in Portland, OR, he became Veteran’s Affairs Coordinator for the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco.
Upon arrival in Santa Fe, he was homeless and in poor health until Dr. Gary Harris [Healthcare for the Homeless] intervened. No longer homeless, Ray says it straight; he helps others find their voice and is respected for being a VOICE OF THE HOMELESS. He organized the Homeless Advocacy Project, served on the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force to End Homelessness and joined the Interfaith Community Shelter Group at its beginning.
The Rev. Ray Masterson
Interfaith Community Shelter Group P.O. Box 22653 Santa Fe, NM 87502
Board Bios