My job involves identifying folks who are homeless, and have enough income to sustain on their own, and then giving them the push that is often needed to get them into their own rental units. Whereas voucher programs subsidize housing for years, our program just helps with deposits and a few months' rent if needed.
Last night was my night to advertise our program at the Overflow Shelter. Overflow is only open if it is 35 degrees or lower outside overnight. It's basically the City's "humane" response to where people can go at night if the shelters are full and if it's too cold to sleep outside. So the population at Overflow is generally (not always) people who stay on the streets regularly.
Overflow was very humbling. It brought me back to my days volunteering at Gateway House, a transitional housing/substance abuse recovery home where our church prepared meals once a month in Lynchburg. This Overflow was in the basement of a church, and looked similar to the shelter pictured on this website, except instead of padded mats, there were Yoga Mats spread out for people to sleep on. Some people had blankets that they spread out over their yoga mats, and it was clear that they carried around these blankets during the day, in order to utilize them at night. They knew the process.
I was reminded last night how important it is to participate in your community. I don't like the phrase "give back" as much, because it implies that the community has nothing to give you, which is not true. The men I met with last night, while none of them were eligible for our program, were all very kind and hopeful. I gave some of them contact information for other programs that may be a good fit for them. Not everyone who's homeless wants to be housed, but most do.
I hope that our children will have many experiences like the ones I have been able to have, both in my job and in my volunteering experiences.
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