Orientation Shelter Visits

 

Aug. 26, 2010 10:03 AM Minneapolis, MN USA

Our group consisting of James Freetly, Devaney Buffalo, Tammy Legatt , Kate Olson, Prof Steinwand and I, Julio Zelaya, were on another trip via metro to homeless shelters around the Minneapolis area.  Our first stop was a Mary’s Place, a private shelter that is directed and was founded by Sister Mary Jo Copeland.  If you have ever been to the new Twin Stadium chances are you have seen where this Catholic shelter is located.  The juxtaposition of a homeless shelter and the new state-of-the-art stadium gave me an ambivalent feeling to what were where about to experience.  We were greeted by Chris, a school social worker from Minneapolis, who was also Prof. Steinwand’s college roommate.  Chris would be our guide for the rest of the day. 

The shelter was not what I expected.  It had more of an appearance of a modern residential apartment complex than a homeless shelter.   The lobby was full of children and their families.  There, we met Charlene, a coordinator, who explained that Mary’s Place was a institution where over 90 homeless families find support to get them back on their feet.  Even though it is Catholic affiliated they do not discriminate regardless of race or creed.  Along with a free stay, it provided services such as childcare, laundry rooms, telephones, and counseling. 

From there we travel to the other side of downtown to the shelter People Helping People.  This 10-story shelter is funded mainly by Hennepin County and provides temporary stays for families and individuals for a fee of $24/day.  As we toured the complex we were told by the advocates, that if people could not afford to stay there, state grand could many times be found to house them.  An average stay for a person is 46 days in this time they are expected to find employment. 

Our last stop was at the Family Center in south Minneapolis. There we met a diverse mix of staff whom shared their experience of working with new immigrant families.  As luck would have it we met a woman, who had grown up in Bangalore the same place we will be spending most of our time in India!

It was on long bus ride back to the seminary, which allowed me to reflect on the experience of the day.  Even more so I recalled the people we met on this day.  They were all the type of person motivated and passionate about their work.  Kristen Melby, a family center panelist, said, “Working for justice is not something you do for yourself or for someone else, working for justice is an act of solidarity.”  With the motivation given by all the people we met, I have become more anxious for the coming travels.