Winter Relief Program for the Homeless

Steve Hays is one of the Church coordinators for the Winter Relief Homeless Shelter now taking place at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Annapolis. The shelter is currently hosting twenty-five homeless men, and is staffed by volunteers from both First Presbyterian and St. Anne's Episcopal Church. This is the first of seven journal entries that will be sent out during the week. Steve's email is stevehays@stevehays.net

Wednesday / Day 3 ~ 10:15 PM

Can this really be happening? As the week had been getting off to such a great start, some disturbing news was brought to the forefront today. It appears that one of the guests has been urinating all over the bathrooms. No, not just a little sloppy, but an all out assault. I know not a great topic for cocktail hour discussion, but a part of shelter life. What was surprising to me was the reaction of some of the other guests to this vile act. Sure its maddening, but many guests were livid. They thought this action showed so much disrespect for the Church, for the shelter, for Winter Relief, and they would have none of it. There was finger pointing, and many speculated the culprit to was David the guest with obvious mental issues. Not just because he has mental issues, but because he has some pretty bad habits to begin with, and a disrespectful tone. But David has been with this same shelter group for the past several weeks, and the bad bathroom behavior has just now reared its ugly head. I am sure the issue will get resolved, but in the meantime the guests have banded together to clean the bathrooms, and the entire shelter area a couple of times a day.

Lester, one of the new guests is writing an interesting meditation His many years of incarceration, along with what he considers overwhelming compassion from the Winter Relief Churches has prompted him to write a series of meditations he calls “Voices”. He has used the scripture for the foundation for the meditations. Lester has received good reviews from a few Catholic priests along his shelter travels. This project has developed to the point where he will put these written mediations into audio format. . I promised him I would read his work, and we would meet later in the week to talk about them.

One Vegetarian - 2 No Porks - 1 Gluten Free. Special dietary needs can be a real drag, but our food preparers have all received the message about these issues well in advance, and have prepared some excellent substitute meals for our guests with either food allergies, or food restrictions based on beliefs. Thanks food preparers for going the extra mile.

Dinner was an extra special treat tonight. St. Anne’s and First Presbyterian’s youth got together and prepared dinner. We had 2 grills outside in the back of the Church, grilling what appeared to be a mountain of steaks, and chicken. They threw in some mashed potatoes and all was excellent.

Oliver Sellman responded to my dinner invitation earlier in the day by showing up tomight. Some of you may remember Oliver from last year’s journal writings. Oliver was a guest last year in the shelter. And what a difference a year has made in his life. Last year at this time Oliver was just getting out of jail. Just being released. He had nowhere else to go, so he turned to the shelter. Last year’s journal entry regarding was so right on target:

How the heck can you have been in prison for so long, and still have such a good attitude about life?”

That’s the question I asked Oliver while sitting around one of the dining tables today. He is well spoken, articulate, has a little drawl in his speech, not Southern, kind of hard to distinguish. To the question about his attitude, he gave me an answer, but I can’t tell you what he said.

Sometimes you listen, and you can repeat verbatim. I can’t even paraphrase his words. I wish I had it all recorded. All I can tell you is the “feeling” I get when I talk with him---

Oliver? 5’ 10” 200lbs, dark skinned, shaved head, great smile, running back type athletic look, shoulders the width of our great state of Maryland.

He's been locked up for 15 years, and he’s not that old. Earlier in the week, when I watched him sign his name to the sign-in roster I jokingly said, “so you are Oliver Sellman?” Concerned, he responded, “you’ve heard of me?”

Something inside of me wanted to run, and Google his name to see what he did to get 15 years. But I never ask, it's just not appropriate. If they (our homeless guests) want to share that information I let them, but otherwise I don't ask.

As I mentioned, I can't tell you what he said, but this is the message he has conveyed at the table, and throughout the week. Conveyed through his words, eyes, facial expressions, demeanor, respect for others. He said in so many ways, "I am out of jail, I am extremely sorry for what I did in my past, I live with guilt every day, I would just like one opportunity at a second chance in life. I am a much different person today, please just give me a second chance to prove it."

From the shelter, Oliver went on to become a maintenance intern (MI) for our Church. The MI position is designed for those like Oliver, needing a second chance. After the MI program, the Arundel House of Hope (AHOH), based partly on our recommendation, hired him to be the manager of their new mobile snack bar called the “Doughy Dog”. In addition he is a house manager for one of the AHOH’s transitional houses. So now Oliver has 2 jobs, a place to live, and a car. He also does side painting jobs, at which he doea an extremely good job. At dinner, I notice he is has dropped a few pounds. He says he watches what he eats, and has been exercising regularly. He is almost up to 10 miles in his jogging. He is an inspiration. While talking to him over dinner, he attributed much of his success to our Church, and AHOH giving him a second chance. But I completely negated his comment by telling him he needed to look in the mirror if he wanted an a reason for his success. Please check the website for more on Oliver.

Until tomorrow night ---

Thursday / Day 4 ~ 1:05 AM

“Get serious, no laughter in the shelter, please” was my joking comment to the three guests that had just doubled over in hysterics as I walked into Fellowship Hall. It is nice to see how “at home” the guests seemed to be.

The bus driver really gets into his job. I must ask him how he came about driving for a few of the shelters. Not only is he courteous to the guests, which is a must, but he comes in each morning shares in our breakfast, and really seems to enjoy the shelter life. What isn’t there to like? Like the new presidential administration’s policies of complete transparency and accountability, I must disclose that the new bus service is a bargain. What was costing over $1,200 last year for transportation is now down to less than $500. And the driver is experienced, having driven for St. Mary’s as well as the county.

David the one guest that everyone had kind of figured was the guy who was messing up the bathrooms is gone. He was “exited” from the shelter. Our situation had nothing to do with his departure. Apparently he was verbally abusive to one of the volunteers at the Day Resource Center. Not treating volunteers with respect or courtesy puts you on the expressway out of the shelter.

The Guppy Group provided dinner tonight. It was especially nice when the kids all came out from the kitchen. They were a bit apprehensive about standing in front of a room full of guests. But when the guests gave these 3rd to 5th graders a round of raucous round of applause for their hospitality, the kids were all smiles. I was very glad Phil Bailey was able to witness the event. Phil is the director of the Day Resource Center, and an exceptional man, with unparalleled dedication to helping the homeless. Last night he was out “pitching” Winter Relief to a new potential hosting Church. Tonight Phil came to First Presbyterian to talk to CC Hays, an obstetrician at Anne Arundel Medical Center, and a volunteer at the Stanton Center medical clinic. Phil wants to start a medical clinic in North County, not only for the homeless, but also for those without insurance. The Stanton Center’s free medical clinic is funded by Anne Arundel Medical Center. AAMC figures that it is much cheaper to help those in need through a wellness, and medical clinic than to have people show up in the emergency room. Presumably Baltimore Washington Medical Center has not figured this out yet, and has declined offers to help set up a similar clinic.

I mentioned to the guests that our needs list was emailed out to the 2 congregations, and several of the items had already been donated. On this news they were elated. If you are reading this, and can help donate an item for these deserving guests, please check the website. Thanking you in advance.

Until tomorrow night ---

Friday / Day 5 ~ 1:05 AM

“What seems like a mole hill to some, is a mountain to others.” - S.K. Hays / beleaguered journal writer for Winter Relief guests 2/26/2010

Just who are some of the homeless this year?

Tom, a ship’s engineer, was earning a very comfortable 6-figure income before he met with some unfortunate problems. Tom was successful enough to have had a high priced financial planner in California. His life, out to sea most of the time, extra per diem pay I am sure, declares his residence in Florida for tax purposes. He’s a ships engineer, i.e. big tankers and the like. I asked him what he did on the ship, he simply said “I keep them running”. Tom’s a quiet person for the most part. He’s probably mid to upper 50’s, no-nonsense, rugged, sincere; looks the part of a guy who would be at home on the seven seas. Why is an educated engineer in a homeless shelter. He shared only glimpses of what happened, phrases like “fell off the wagon”, “my house burned down” to name a few. The Coast Guard had taken his license at renewal because his drivers’ license was suspended in 2 states. He is in the middle of muddling through the bureaucracy to try and get all of this sorted out. There is no doubt that Tom will get his life back together. In the meantime, we will support him any way he can.

I’ve heard some of this over the week:

“If only I had this fine paid off”
“I wish I had my license back”
“If only I had paid my taxes when I had the money”

Today was laundry day, the best time to talk with the guests about their stories, and current issues. What else are you going to do while waiting on your laundry. Joyce Nay was kind enough to do “the laundry run” on Wednesday. The run consists of loading up the car with 20 bags of guest’s laundry. Driving to the Laundromat, meeting the guests there. Spending 2 hours during the wash and dry cycle just hanging out. Depending on your point of view, an incredibly insightful and rewarding experience.

The financial bottom line: $2 for a load of wash, and $1 for 20 minutes of drying. We had approximately 15 show up for laundry day, total cost $45. This does not include the cost of detergent, which was probably $10.

I think it cost Joyce closer to $70. My day was probably cheaper because I had Steve, the bail bondsman handle the finances. He’s trustworthy, pretty street savvy, and knows the games some of the guests will play to get a few extra quarters for spending money. Steve found himself in the shelter, after experiencing a sever downturn in his bail bonds business. Most of Steve’s money was earned hanging out in the courthouse, and when there was a need for bail, he was waiting. Unfortunately, the courthouse has recently changed policy and bail bondman’s are no longer allowed on premises.

Ralph, is a very qualified motorcycle mechanic, I’ve read his resume. Not time to go into his entire story, but he ended up in jail, on an assault charge. After he couldn’t make bail (where was Steve ) he was remanded, and there he sat for 7 months, until ultimately the charges were dropped. Ralph is a skilled technician, and will most likely put his life back together. He does have some work, and good prospects for future employment.

Collin – heck of a nice honest guy, recent hip replacement. Received a $100 fine for an open alcohol container. Don’t know the details of the incident. He says the beer wasn’t even open when he received the citation. Is it worth sending Collin to jail for this infraction? That’s where he is headed unless he can come up with the $100 . . .. soon.

It’s interesting to talk with the guests. They are relatively open with their lives. And its quite easy to find out who you can trust, who is really deserving of help, and who the scammers are (is anyone editing this grammar?).

John, the guest who gets along with all the volunteers, and works diligently washing dishes all week is extremely trustworthy. You may recall his thank you note printed up on Monday. Not sure why he is in the shelter for a second year, but its nice to see him again.

We had a very nice treat at the end of the day. Melissa King, a nurse, and her sister Patti, arranged to come in and do heath screening for the guests. Melissa is not part of either of the participating Churches. She had read about the shelter in one of the journal articles, and wanted to help. She drove 40 minutes to be a part of our shelter week. Her screening included blood pressure, heart, and lung check. In addition she answered questions the men had about general heath concerns. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch her in action, but I was told she was very well received, and appreciated. In fact, one guest’s blood pressure was so sky high Joyce Nay took him immediately to get for medical treatment. It was a good thing Melissa and Patti were there -thanks again for making the trip.

Until tomorrow night ---

http://www.homelesshelper.org

Volunteers (Wednesday): On Wednesday Cathy Starnes and Pat Empy provided a wonderful breakfast. The Steele and Haydar family managed to sneak the lunches into the fridge under the stairwell without me seeing them. Doug Jackson and Lynn Krane were at the help desk. As mentioned previously the Youth Groups of First Pres and St. Anne’s did the dinner, and the fresh baked cookies for dessert was nice touch! Jerry Garbacz and Deane Charlson, “veteran” night monitors, seemed comfortable doing their monitoring duties. And Judy Edwards, as errand runner, not only provided much needed groceries, but also went out and purchased some of the items the guests had requested on the Needs Board – special thanks Judy!

Volunteers (Thursday): Greg Lili and Bart Hiltabidle were hard at work at the stoves cooking breakfast, along with Janet and Nick Berry when I came in on Thursday. Teresa and Tom Crane, along with the Ehler family provided lunches. Lynne Crane was at the help desk, (yet again) – thanks. Samantha Mierau gets the “most dedicated volunteer of the day” award showing up for Help Desk duty despite slicing her finger only hours before. A cut so bad she had to go to the emergency room. Yet she still came in! As mentioned above the Guppies provided dinner – 2 different types of Lasagna, and baked ziti for the “glute free” guest – awesome. Kristi Rivers gets the award for best dessert – a blueberry cobbler that was outrageous (and so easy to make, she says). Craig Martin spent a couple of hours over at Bates Middle school monitoring shower night, while Eileen Rizzo, along with her son kept an eye out at the shelter. Steve Cummins and Don Sullivan were on night monitor duties – hope they brought their earplugs. Thanks again volunteers.

As mentioned before, please help out if you can by filling the needs of our guests. Check the “needs board” on the website. There are also some great pictures of the week on the site. Thanks again for your support.

Volunteers (Friday):Maggie Leffler, Betty and Mike Creighton created breakfast. In addition to the Creighton’s pancakes, Maggie created an egg casserole that had a little kick to them (jalapenos?). The lunches were supplied by the Hancocks and Pam and Zoe Barnes. Please visit our website for a picture of the Barnes earth shattering lunch delivery. As Joyce Nay exclaimed “Zoe has a smile that can light up the night”. The help desk was manned by Doug Jackson, and Dodo Jacobs –thanks.