Talking About the Proposed Homeless Shelter

A Tour of the Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter

A Trip to the Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter

Yesterday I went to the Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter as part of an assignment for class.  My boyfriend was in town and I can honestly say that the last thing I wanted to be doing was homework.  But, just as I’ve learned this entire quarter, taking the time to hear other people’s stories always turns out rewarding.

I was not able to talk to someone staying at the shelter, because it is an overnight shelter and I was there in the middle of the day.  However, I was incredibly lucky that one of the managers just happened to be there picking some stuff up at the very moment that I arrived.

Pam was happy to give me a tour of the shelter.  I had no idea what to expect, because my only experience at a homeless shelter was the Prado Day Center, which is not an overnight shelter.  So when Pam opened the door, I was amazed.  In the main room, there were 6 bunk beds, followed by the kitchen, then the door to the back patio.  Each bed seemed to have a different personality, with different colored comforters, sheets, and sometimes books laying open on them.

From the second I met her,  I could tell that Pam was passionate about her job.  She was eager to give me any information that I needed and seemed to have a good time showing me around the shelter.  We talked about dinnertime, the outdoor patio that was donated, the bedrooms, and even the families’ daily chores.

I am amazed at how complex the system at this shelter is.  First, at 4 o’clock, the families arrive.  They have about an hour to spend in and around the shelter with each other.  Since there are no other people there, Pam said that it gives the families time to get the feeling of being in a home.

At 5 o’clock, all other homeless people have the opportunity to get in the shelter.  They begin to line up outside around 4:45, she said.  Everyone is then cycled through the shelter to eat dinner.  Dinnertime moves pretty quickly because they have to give everyone a chance to eat.

After dinner, the clients of the shelter have time to just hang out until bed.  The shelter has a chore list, and each person helps out.  Chores range from mopping the floor to wiping down the bathroom mirrors.  Pam said that everyone is always eager to help out.

At 9 o’clock, it’s lights out.  I can imagine that everyone is anxious to enjoy a good night’s sleep in a warm bed.  The next morning, everyone is up and out by 8 o’clock.

The entire time that Pam was talking, I could see the passion in her eyes.  She is a perfect example of a person that wants to give back, and spends all of her time doing so.

I know that I was lucky to meet Pam at the shelter on Saturday, because she showed me an example of exactly what I’ve been trying to explain over the past 10 weeks.  I hope that I have been able to strengthen your passion for poverty in San Luis Obispo, and even all over the world.

I’ve said it before, and I will continue to say it.  Don’t just read this blog.  Get out there and help.

Meet Uncle Bill: My Inside Look

Bill is the oldest of four brothers: Bill, Jim, John, Phil.  My entire life, I’ve known him as Uncle Bill.  Like every person, he’s had his ups and downs.  But the past couple of years have brought him some major downs in his life.  He has been homeless for about two years.

I got a chance to see Uncle Bill this weekend, and it was refreshing to see a homeless man trying to make his life better.  After being in and out of several homeless shelters and being dependent on this and that, he is finally making some progress in re-starting his life.

Currently, he is staying at a shelter in Santa Maria.  There is obviously no drugs or alcohol allowed anywhere inside the shelter, and I believe this is the greatest part of his struggle.  His dependency on drugs and alcohol is the root cause of much of the reasoning behind the situation that he is in.

Uncle Bill was not always homeless.  I remember having BBQ’s in his back yard with Aunt Lilly and Bill Jr.  The entire family would be there, laughing and having a good time.

But these memories are dated; they are definitely starting to slip away.  Uncle Bill and Aunt Lilly have been divorced for many years now.  His life has been in shambles for almost all of them.

Getting the chance to see Uncle Bill this weekend was wonderful.  For the first time in a while, I was able to see him looking healthy and happy.  He takes the regional bus from Santa Maria to Nipomo every Sunday morning to visit his parents.  I was staying at my grandparent’s this weekend with my family, and was able to see him before we left.

Uncle Bill told us all about the homeless shelter.  The structure it has given him sounds incredible.  He’s been able to maintain a steady job for a couple of months, which has allowed him to purchase a cell phone.  This accomplishment may seem miniscule, but in the chaos of the past couple of years, it’s a big deal.

The most amazing part to me was that he was happy.  There was no bitterness in his voice when talking about having to go from homeless shelter to homeless shelter in San Luis Obispo County before finally finding a place he can call home.

He was happy to talk about his job, and the work that is giving him an opportunity to get back to being a productive member of society.

It is refreshing to hear a story of someone who has been affected by the negatives of life – drugs, alcohol, divorce, the economy – that was able to move past those things and move on.  I have no doubt that Uncle Bill will continue down this path and hopefully be able to move past being homeless.

It is great for me to have a first-hand look at a homeless person’s life.  I am only reminded that homeless people are people too.  Just because they don’t have nice clothes or a place to sleep, each and every one of them deserves a chance.

It’s up to them to get out there and pursue that chance.  And it’s up to us to get out there and make the opportunity possible.

More Rain Frustrating for Homeless

When I came to San Luis Obispo, the one thing that I was extremely disappointed to learn about was the lack of a winter season.  My aunt that lives in Los Osos told me many times that I wouldn’t see much rain or cold weather, which made me homesick! I love winter and rain.

Fortunately for me, this winter has seen a considerably higher amount of rain than usual.  Although I’ve been excited about the rain, there are thousands of people in the area, and millions more across the country, that do not have a dry place to sleep during the rainy evenings.

This morning I looked out the window and a huge smile came across my face.  I happily put my rainboots on and grabbed my umbrella.  As soon as I stepped outside, the voice of the man from Finer Things Thursday filled my head.

“Try sleeping in it.”  When he said this to me, he was simply talking about the cold weather.  The fact that it is raining can only make the problem worse.

Back in December, the Prado Day Center opened its doors to allow people to stay the night during an especially rainy week.  Prado does not usually allow overnight stays, but according to an interview done by KSBY news, the staff members were “thrilled to open their doors during this time of need.”

Although the light rains that have come and will continue to come throughout the remainder of the winter season, it is not heavy enough for any shelters to offer extra services.

This fact only reinforces the idea that there is a strong need for more homeless services.  I can’t even imagine allowing one person to enter the shelter and having to turn down the next.  Every single person deserves the opportunity to have a warm, and most importantly dry, bed to sleep in.

I truly hope that the proposed homeless shelter and the $1.5 million grant will become a place where people can actually sleep, rather than just receive a day time safe-haven.  As important as it is, having a warm bed for once could mean the world to someone.

Bubble Chart of Homelessness in San Luis Obispo County by City

Two Plans Could Have Huge Affects

Two proposed ideas have the chance to greatly affect the homeless in San Luis Obispo County.  The first is a proposed homeless shelter and the second is a $1.5 million donation left to the County Community Foundation by two Polish immigrants.

The proposed homeless shelter made it through a hurdle last Wednesday when the San Luis Obispo County Airport Land Use Commission voted to re-zone the proposed area.  The issue was that the proposed land for the project is located within the airport’s flight path.  Luckily, a six-to-one vote allowed the plans to push forward.

The shelter is planned to be built on South Higuera Street at Prado Road on one acre of land.  The goal is to have 200 beds available to the homeless of San Luis Obispo County.

According to a story on KSBY News, there are community members that believe the building of the new shelter will have a negative impact because it will attract more homeless people to the city.  This is completely absurd to me that someone could think of the problems with the shelter rather than the numerous positive implications that the shelter will have for the homeless in San Luis County.

Disregarding the negative opinions of some people, the City of San Luis Obispo plans to continue the process and start a fundraising campaign later this year.

Next on the list is the $1.5 million donation left to the County Community Foundation.  The two Polish immigrants who left the donation were homeless when they arrived in Oceano.  They did not specify how the money should be spent except to benefit the homeless, so local groups are brainstorming ideas to put it to good use.

One idea on the list is a center that is essentially all-in-one, meaning people won’t have to go one place to get a warm meal and another to have a place to sleep.  The group will continue to meet every couple of months for the next six months to make a plan to use the donated money.

Both of these plans have the potential to have immensely positive outcomes for the homeless in San Luis.  I believe that these small steps are exactly what the city needs.  And this is proof that one, or in this case two, people can make a huge difference.

The Experience

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Finer Things Thursday.  Just as I experienced with the difference between talking about a homeless shelter and actually going to one, hearing about Finer Things Thursday and actually attending were very different experiences.

To begin with, I had to force myself to go to Finer Things.  It was cold and windy outside, with a good chance of rain.  But in light of not being selfish, I walked to the bus stop in my rain boots and jacket.

I was the first Poly student at Mitchell Park. The first people who I met were Kevin and Curtis, who were already there waiting for their warm meal.  I sat and talked with them as more homeless people arrived.  It amazed me how each person was different, from age 50 to mid-20s (roughly estimating.)  I did notice, however, that everyone was male!

By the time other students began to arrive with food, there were about 15 homeless people looking forward to eating “la comida” – the theme was Mexican food.  We put all of the food on one table and everyone made their plate.

The conversations during dinner truly opened my eyes to the lives’ of these people.  I heard one man talking about how he had saved money for months to buy a bicycle from Sports Authority.  He finally was able to buy it, and three days later it was stolen while he was using the restroom near the mission.

Another man, who was in his mid-20s, talked about losing his job and backpacking across California.  As I sat next to him eating my dinner, I watched him eat his without barely taking a breath between bites.  He said it was the biggest meal he had eaten for three days.  I was absolutely amazed.

The next thing that shocked me was my own fault.  During dinner, the breeze had turned into a strong wind.  I was freezing – or so I thought.  Without thinking, I complained about how cold I was.  One man looked at me and said, “Try sleeping out here.”  I was taken aback.

It’s easy to imagine something, but until you completely put yourself in someone else’s shoes, I believe it’s impossible to completely understand.  Although these people knew that there was a cold night ahead, they were so grateful that there was no room for complaining in our conversations.

As I’ve said before, it’s easy to read about these poor people, but it’s nothing compared to experiencing what they go through.  Standing outside in the cold for a few minutes is only a piece of this, and many people, like you and me, will only experience a little bit of this in our lives’.

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