Good Luck Bags

In the Five Weekly Highlights I sometimes mention giving out a Good Luck Bag?  What’s that all about, you might ask?

            Well, when people who come to the Center get a new place to live, we want to celebrate their positive change and support their forward motion.  Since homeless people usually own only what they can carry on their back, they often need everything to get started in a new place.   And I mean everything.

            So, I assemble a bag of whatever things we have around here:  toothpaste and toothbrush, soap, pillow, plate and cup, towels, shampoo, even a pot or pan if one has come my way.  Since we don’t have room to store many donations and don’t want to draw donations away from other bigger agencies, we don’t invite them.  But sometimes people bring things anyway. Occasionally boxes of “stuff” are left on the doorstep.  And if I I’ve got it, I’ll give it away… in a good luck bag.

            People are always grateful.  And they get the point , that we want to encourage them to keep moving forward in life.  One of my favorite sayings around here is this:  “the Homeless Center is a pretty good place to be, but it is a much better place to be from.”

Ted's Tears

Ted is a big man, muscular, with callous and cracked hands, making the tears in his eyes incongruous.
            Backstory:  Students from St. Anselm College come to the Center and offer to listen to the homeless tell their story.  The program is a way for the students to learn about homelessness from the “textbook” of real people.  It also provides a rare and valuable opportunity for the homeless to narrate their life story to attentive, non-judging young people.  It works.  The stories flow as the students listen and learn.  Homeless guests who think they might spend five or ten minutes with the students sometimes spend an hour or more.
            A while ago I asked Ted if he would give the students a lesson about life on the streets, telling them what it’s like to live and survive on the streets of the city. “You know things they need to hear,” I said.
            He agreed readily and went into the room where the two students waited.  After just three minutes Ted came out, masking his face.  Concerned that a problem had developed, I asked him if he was alright.  That’s when I saw the tears.
            “Whew,” he said, trying to gather himself.  “I didn’t count on that.  Once I started talking, you know, talking about my life, all sorts of things came back, and all that old pain was there again, you know?”
            “Hey, Ted, you don’t have to say anything.  I can tell the students…”
            “No!  No!  I want to. Just give me a minute.”
            He went into the men’s room and after a few minutes came out with a freshly washed and determined face.
            “You OK?” I asked.
            “Yeah.  Fine,” he said.  “You know, once I started talking I realized that it’s been a lot of years – I mean a lot of years – since anyone listened to me, just listened, without some smartass thing to say, or giving me grief.  It got to me, you know.  But I’m OK.  Wow, this is amazing.”
            He walked back to the students and stayed for an hour.
            Later one of the students said to me, “That was amazing.  He was so real. I felt like he held nothing back.” 
            Ted seized an opportunity which is far too rare for the homeless, or for anyone.

Measuring Life by Minutes...

“So, what’s up with all the cell phones?”

            I hear the question frequently.  Visitors to the Homeless Center are sometimes perplexed by the prevalence of cell phones.  There are times in the day when this place sounds like a ring tone fair!

            I suppose people figure that either the homeless have no money for cell phones;.  Or, if they do have some cash, why are they spending their scarce resources on a luxury item like a cell phone?  Put that money toward rent or food!!

            I won’t try to defend or rationalize how the homeless spend the money they have, but I will offer a few thoughts on why they might value the cell phones.

            1.  It’s their primary link to their own community.  Since social isolation is a known depressant, I can understand their need for contact.  I have the same need.

            2.  Since they have no fixed abode with a landline, their best way to be contacted by providers or family is via cell phone.  As someone who doesn’t use a landline anymore, I can understand that element, as well.

            3.  Like the rest of us, hearing your phone ring is a quick boost to self-esteem.   Cell phones tell the world, “Someone wants me!”  Since a quick descent into presumed insignificance is the typical plight of virtually all homeless people, any little thing which conveys a sense of self-worth is embraced, even if it’s just a ring tone.

            Are these three things worth the price of the phone?  Apparently, the answer is  Yes.  How people spend their money, whether a lot or a little, is always an indicator of their priorities in life, what they need to get through the day.

            By the way, while many people today use fancy smartphones, believe me, the homeless generally use bottom of the line throwaways.  They’re often out of minutes,  scraping a few dollars to buy a few more.  Measuring life by minutes – that’s how it is for the homeless.

Five Weekly Highlights - June 8, 2012

• "Bob" has a new job and apartment and is on his own! He got a Good Luck Box.
• Comptech, Llc. from Goffstown has given many hours of time sprucing up our computer systems
• Pastor Terry Karr from Christian Family Worship Center donated bread and bagels! Thanks!
• A neighbor walked over with coffee, sugar and oatmeal for us! Thank you!
• We hit a new daily high of 228 guests on May 29 and a daily average of 170 for May.

Five Weekly Highlights - May 18, 2012

·         Eighteen haircuts were provided by our visiting beauticians.

·         “Kim” moved into her new place; she gets a Good Luck Box!

·         St. Anselm students donated many end-of-the-year household items to housed guests.

·         “Sal” completed the “Homebuyer Education Seminar” with NeighborWorks.

·         A local church group of eight women visited, donating many valuable items for our guests. Thanks!

Five Weekly Highlights - May 4, 2012

·         Pete, our Goodwill job search provider, is doubling his hours, with strong response from guests

·         Six St. Anselm students completed an excellent term of service in our Life Narrative Project

·         “Jess” has just been approved for supported housing; he plans “to finally get a full night’s sleep”

·         “Ted” got approved for SSI; “Now I can catch a breath until I get back to work”

·         “Jerry” got a temporary job in landscaping: “It’s good to work and be outside”

Five Weekly Highlights - April 27, 2012

·         “Don” got a new job, part-time, at a local supermarket.

·         “Lynn” and “Walt” are moving into a new place; they got a Good Luck box.

·         “Frenchie” won the rolling duffle bag, part of a work incentive program.

·         In Q1 of 2012, 156 people got help looking for jobs; 52 had medical appointments here.

·         A police officer, dropping by, called the Center “a gem getting better and better.”

Five Weekly Highlights - April 20, 2012

·         Our new Assistant Manager Woullard Lett joined our team

·         “Angela” is moving into her new place today, no longer living in her car!

·         “Sean” is moving home, elsewhere in NH, to be near family.

·         Two “Goodwill All-Stars” (“Bill” and ”Ike”) pursued jobs online and got them.

·         Chris Emerson and Dickie Gaudette are speaking tonight at the St. Anselm College Meelia Center Appreciation Dinner, discussing our service/learning program.