Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Be A Shelter Volunteer for the Homeless
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
Although our lives have radically changed as the result of the events of9/11, one thing remains constant: the need for night shelter for thehomeless of our city increases.This neighborhood should feel proud. We are the best, the kindest, thecream. We live in one of the most socially caring and hospitable areas ofthe city, and we support not only 10 hospitals, 8 methadone clinics, 2major city homeless shelters and a big welfare office, but also severalchurch- and synagogue-based overnight stay facilities.These facilities are run quietly, without disturbance to the neighborhood,yet they provide a palpable service to the needy. How do they work?Well, there is an organization, The Partnership for the Homeless, startedin 1982. It helps to get the non-vagrant type homeless, men and women, offthe streets of NYC, into drop-in centers, where they are screened andtested (all tubercular persons are sent to therapy), medically cared for,given meals, sent to rehabilitation training and transported at night toshelters, in churches, synagogues and armories. This is paid for by privatedonations as well as city, state and federal funds.The Partnership takes care of 1200 men and women, utilizing nine drop-incenters and calls on 107 shelter facilities in all 5 boroughs. Seven ofthe drop-in centers are in Manhattan, two in Brooklyn and Staten Island.Given the total of over 15,000 homeless housed in city shelters, and manythousands more on the streets, this may seem a drop in the bucket. We whoare involved do not think so. Our guests either have become homelessinvoluntarily - they were burned out or lost their jobs - or cannot takecare of themselves in low pay jobs, such as dishwashers, kitchen help,casual labor, because housing costs too much. Some have addiction, physicalor mental problems.For the rehabilitable our efforts lead to return to the mainstream, for thesick - to eventual permanent housing. The Partnership has located housingfor more than 300 individuals and families a year, and provided furniturefor 300 apartments for formerly homeless families and individualsannually. Network Program trains men and women in job acquisition skillsand provides hundreds of referrals to training and jobs, every year. Thatis a significant count.Getting back to the call for action, in this immediate area we have fourvolunteer-staffed overnight shelters, all non-sectarian, each accepting8-15 homeless guests a night - Brotherhood Synagogue (Judy Golden, PeggyKeilus 674-5750), St. George's Church (Pat Schaefer 475-0830 x 12), theFriends’ Meeting House (Sylvia Friedman 673-8316) and the Madison AvenueBaptist Church (Melvin Bell 685-1377). Friends' and St. George's sheltersare year-round. They all need volunteer workers - male and female - to stayovernight with our homeless guests, once a month or more frequently, ifyour schedule permits. The work is simple, non-hazardous and verygratifying. I shall describe the procedure at Brotherhood.The guests sign up for a shelter at the drop-in center, and are transportedby a city school bus, which delivers them, with a checklist, to the churchor synagogue between 8 and 9 PM. The volunteers, a coordinator and a sextonwill have set up cots (fresh linen every night), sandwiches and coffee, andwill welcome the guests, who are usually tired, want to wash themselves,have a bite and go to bed after the meal, before the 11 PM lights-out. Avolunteer - plus the sexton or other staff person - sleeps in the shelterovernight, separate from the guests. The volunteers are there to provideassistance in cases of need. At the Brotherhood Synagogue shelter I recallno more than four instances over 22 years that the volunteer had to obtainhelp for a guest with a problem during the night, none threatening.Between 6 and 6:30 AM the volunteers will make toast and serve, with tea orcoffee. By 7 AM the volunteers will have gone home or to work, after theguests have been picked up by the city and returned to the drop-in center.Most volunteers, working people, come to work at the shelter at 8 PM intheir sweat clothes or dungarees and carry a dress or suit for use nextday, if they are going to work directly. They have a full night's sleep,and no one has ever complained of having been ruined for the day'sactivities. On the contrary, this has been a heartening experience for thevolunteers, an opportunity to do good, hands on. It is not like giving $50to a charity, good but indirect. Talking with and cheering up people whohave less than we gives us an opportunity to assess our place in the sun.Volunteers come back time and again because doing good feels good. We arenot just chessboard figures, we do things, we make good things happen.Try volunteering for one night. Call the shelter providers, and find outwhat their needs are. You will find out what life is like, out there, youwill hear stories. Invite a friend to volunteer with you, for your mutualcomfort.And if staying overnight does not fit in with your life requirements, youcan be a coordinator. Brotherhood has a coordinator for each night of theweek when the shelter is open. The coordinator looks after the fooddonations, helps make sandwiches, greets the guests and the volunteers andgoes home at lights-out.Wally Dobelis is an elected member in the Partnership for the Homeless, andfor the past 22 years has been the coordinator of volunteers for theBrotherhood Synagogue shelter. He and the T&V family wish you a happybelated Thanksgiving, merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, a glorious Kwanzaaand good health and happiness for the coming New Year.
Although our lives have radically changed as the result of the events of9/11, one thing remains constant: the need for night shelter for thehomeless of our city increases.This neighborhood should feel proud. We are the best, the kindest, thecream. We live in one of the most socially caring and hospitable areas ofthe city, and we support not only 10 hospitals, 8 methadone clinics, 2major city homeless shelters and a big welfare office, but also severalchurch- and synagogue-based overnight stay facilities.These facilities are run quietly, without disturbance to the neighborhood,yet they provide a palpable service to the needy. How do they work?Well, there is an organization, The Partnership for the Homeless, startedin 1982. It helps to get the non-vagrant type homeless, men and women, offthe streets of NYC, into drop-in centers, where they are screened andtested (all tubercular persons are sent to therapy), medically cared for,given meals, sent to rehabilitation training and transported at night toshelters, in churches, synagogues and armories. This is paid for by privatedonations as well as city, state and federal funds.The Partnership takes care of 1200 men and women, utilizing nine drop-incenters and calls on 107 shelter facilities in all 5 boroughs. Seven ofthe drop-in centers are in Manhattan, two in Brooklyn and Staten Island.Given the total of over 15,000 homeless housed in city shelters, and manythousands more on the streets, this may seem a drop in the bucket. We whoare involved do not think so. Our guests either have become homelessinvoluntarily - they were burned out or lost their jobs - or cannot takecare of themselves in low pay jobs, such as dishwashers, kitchen help,casual labor, because housing costs too much. Some have addiction, physicalor mental problems.For the rehabilitable our efforts lead to return to the mainstream, for thesick - to eventual permanent housing. The Partnership has located housingfor more than 300 individuals and families a year, and provided furniturefor 300 apartments for formerly homeless families and individualsannually. Network Program trains men and women in job acquisition skillsand provides hundreds of referrals to training and jobs, every year. Thatis a significant count.Getting back to the call for action, in this immediate area we have fourvolunteer-staffed overnight shelters, all non-sectarian, each accepting8-15 homeless guests a night - Brotherhood Synagogue (Judy Golden, PeggyKeilus 674-5750), St. George's Church (Pat Schaefer 475-0830 x 12), theFriends’ Meeting House (Sylvia Friedman 673-8316) and the Madison AvenueBaptist Church (Melvin Bell 685-1377). Friends' and St. George's sheltersare year-round. They all need volunteer workers - male and female - to stayovernight with our homeless guests, once a month or more frequently, ifyour schedule permits. The work is simple, non-hazardous and verygratifying. I shall describe the procedure at Brotherhood.The guests sign up for a shelter at the drop-in center, and are transportedby a city school bus, which delivers them, with a checklist, to the churchor synagogue between 8 and 9 PM. The volunteers, a coordinator and a sextonwill have set up cots (fresh linen every night), sandwiches and coffee, andwill welcome the guests, who are usually tired, want to wash themselves,have a bite and go to bed after the meal, before the 11 PM lights-out. Avolunteer - plus the sexton or other staff person - sleeps in the shelterovernight, separate from the guests. The volunteers are there to provideassistance in cases of need. At the Brotherhood Synagogue shelter I recallno more than four instances over 22 years that the volunteer had to obtainhelp for a guest with a problem during the night, none threatening.Between 6 and 6:30 AM the volunteers will make toast and serve, with tea orcoffee. By 7 AM the volunteers will have gone home or to work, after theguests have been picked up by the city and returned to the drop-in center.Most volunteers, working people, come to work at the shelter at 8 PM intheir sweat clothes or dungarees and carry a dress or suit for use nextday, if they are going to work directly. They have a full night's sleep,and no one has ever complained of having been ruined for the day'sactivities. On the contrary, this has been a heartening experience for thevolunteers, an opportunity to do good, hands on. It is not like giving $50to a charity, good but indirect. Talking with and cheering up people whohave less than we gives us an opportunity to assess our place in the sun.Volunteers come back time and again because doing good feels good. We arenot just chessboard figures, we do things, we make good things happen.Try volunteering for one night. Call the shelter providers, and find outwhat their needs are. You will find out what life is like, out there, youwill hear stories. Invite a friend to volunteer with you, for your mutualcomfort.And if staying overnight does not fit in with your life requirements, youcan be a coordinator. Brotherhood has a coordinator for each night of theweek when the shelter is open. The coordinator looks after the fooddonations, helps make sandwiches, greets the guests and the volunteers andgoes home at lights-out.Wally Dobelis is an elected member in the Partnership for the Homeless, andfor the past 22 years has been the coordinator of volunteers for theBrotherhood Synagogue shelter. He and the T&V family wish you a happybelated Thanksgiving, merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, a glorious Kwanzaaand good health and happiness for the coming New Year.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 8:37 PM 
