As I walk along the dilapidated road where viable warehouses once stood, littered with plastic bottles and beer cans, I nod and say, “Hello” to the many homeless men that congregate around an old school bus. This bus is now painted in white and green, the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry colors, that organizes this Men’s Shelter. I pull open the vibrant green door then; walk up the few steps that leads me to security where they scan everyone in. The guys at the security desk know me now, “Hey Toni, how’s it going?” Enthusiastically, I sign in as a volunteer. My duties entail opening the computer lab for two hours so they can fine tune their computer skills or look for a job. Other services I provide: math or simple reading skills. It doesn’t matter what I do; I just look forward contributing my passion, helping people.
How did I find the Men’s Shelter anyway, you might ask? As I find all my volunteering ventures, it’s purely by accident. My sister emailed me a flyer that rewards community service volunteers with free Indians tickets. I was intrigued, so I clicked on the link integrated into the text to find organizations that partners with this initiative. I thought of looking into a new volunteer organization now that my GED services were not needed during the summer. I emailed a few organizations, one being the Men’s Shelter. Quite frankly, I was kind of nervous because I never helped the homeless before. At the same time, I was excited for it was a new venture. They were the first organization to respond to my email.
I met with a gentleman who’s main responsibility is helping the Men get jobs. He gave me the “grand” tour, which was overwhelming and disturbing at the same time. I saw the hundreds of beds that were vacant now, won’t be very soon. It really honed into my own situation, longtime unemployed to the forefront of my mind. My situation, quite frankly, sucks but I can be so much worse.
The homeless shelter is separated by different communities: the “Gateway” community (72 beds) giving Men help in clinical counseling, housing application assistance and personal development; the “Veteran’s” community (40 beds) in partnership with the Veteran’s Administration offering recovery workshops and housing assistance; obviously veteran’s helping one another emotionally. And, the list goes on.
It’s a complex, networked area where I got lost and confused as I was ushered from one area to the next for my tour. Also, there is a giant laundry where residents work (everything gets laundered daily) along with the kitchen where residents and/or students learning viable cooking skills along with learning about healthy eating. I had the opportunity to eat a few times; the food is rather good.
I was amazed how many volunteers go in and out of the place. They volunteer in the kitchen; there are students that come in from various schools to lend a helping hand. Almost every time I volunteer, I meet someone new or see high schoolers walking along the halls.
One of the most interesting programs they have there is the “listening project.” As you might imagine, there are so many individuals who have many obstacles and/or barriers they need resolved or addressed; hence, the project is designed to offer support without judgment. You really can’t judge residents living inside the “homeless walls” unless you get their back story. Everyone has crap they need to deal with. Some do a better job of concealing it than others. Sometimes you just need someone to “listen.”
I instinctively “listen without passing judgment” or I try to respect everyone I meet in either the GED or computer lab capacity. It gives me so much joy to offer my knowledge and skills to lend a helping hand. That is why, I believe God gave me my various gifts - compassion and empowerment. One day around the holidays, the coordinator told me someone needs help with reading. I met this gentleman who was kind of shy, and I felt reluctant to read for me. I think he thought I might mock his inability to read. During my volunteer work, I take very seriously because I want to help not disrespect those in need.
As he read, and as I do with my GED students, I ask questions about the reading so I can gauge what they understand and think beyond the words; he began to open up. He began to gain some confidence because I’m interested in his progress. The one thing he said that I will never forgot, that made my day, “You gave me hope.” I had tears in my eyes for that simple, yet powerful statement. I responded by saying, “You gave me a purpose for being here today.” No lie, he made my Christmas holiday.
The one thing about the shelter is sometimes you see the same faces day after day; other times, like the gentleman that read for me, you may only see once or twice. Then, they are gone. In actuality, it’s a good thing that they have moved on. You hope that they found a job and/or a decent place to live. You hope you offered a positive influence just by saying, “Hello” or opening up the computer lab so they can find work or do something fun.
Hope! That’s why I volunteer my time. I want to offer my talents to better their odd in life. In return, I get structure and purpose in my day. I don’t get paid, which I desperately need. More important, I get a thank you from someone that appreciates my effort. I get the foresight that things will get better - I helped someone get out.
The Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry needs any help you can give. Volunteer your time.
http://www.lutheranmetro.org/
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