By Lydia Bailey
Editor’s note: Lydia
Bailey is a Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry volunteer coordinator at the 2100
Lakeside Road Men’s Shelter.
There are many stories of
hope to encourage those who have recently arrived at Lutheran Metropolitan
Ministry’s 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter. Many individuals at the shelter are
facing challenges that seem too large to overcome.
The individuals below
faced the same challenges, but are now living hopeful lives. The stories below
are examples of the many hopeful stories that are heard daily at the 2100
Lakeside Road Men’s Shelter.
When you’re homeless
there’s nothing. You can’t imagine how it feels; estranged from everything;
nothing but you; no money; no family.
How
do I get out of this?
Where
do I start?
Where
do I go?
Where
do I get a job?
-Resume for a job?
-Clothes for the job?
-Transportation for job?
What
do I do about legal issues, or substance abuse?
It is a hopeless
situation but people have gotten out of it, again and again.
Robert:
Robert
was living in his car, while trying to go to school and hold down a job.
You can’t get services if you’re living in your car, so eventually he
came into the men’s shelter and got connected with services.
He worked his way through the communities of 2100 and went into
independent housing (Shelter + Care) in December 2007.
He’s still in housing and still in school.
Michael:
Michael
was “trouble,” for years at the shelter. “You used to see him under the
influence, raising hell, and good at egging others on,” said a staff person.
“All of a sudden, you didn’t see him with the trouble.
His whole group was drunk and dumb but he was sober and working; he stuck
out from the rest.”
He
began working at the front desk at 2100, got in work-study, completed Employment
Readiness, and did very well. Michael
moved into his own home this year and is looking for work.
Gina:
Gina works at
2100 and recounts: “My first husband died of heroin overdose, second of
suicide; my loved ones and friends lost their lives due to addiction.
I was addicted to heroin, methadone, alcohol, and valium for 28 years and
homeless from 1984-1987.”
In
October 1994, Gina was hospitalized at the Metro Health Hospital with Hepatitis
C and Cirrhosis of the liver. She
was told that she was going to die if she kept drinking. At one point, she tried to leave the hospital in her hospital
gown to get a drink.
“But
I’ve been sober since May 1995, except for cigarettes. I had good sponsors and
co-sponsors. Then Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR) paid for me to go to
Vocational Guidance Shelter & Service (VGS),” she said.
“I worked at the Cleveland Sight Center between classes, and got
computer skills. I got a driver’s license and an old car.”
In
2002 she got married, bought a house, and a new car. Later she received her Chemical Dependency Counselor License.
Today she works at the shelter giving daily support for those taking their first
steps toward self-sufficiency.
Brian:
Brian
is a veteran who arrived at 2100 with severe mental health issues. He owed his
landlord a lot of money in back rent. The
shelter and the Veteran’s Administration worked at getting his payments cut
down. He paid off his balance and
now lives affordable senior housing in St. Clair Place.
David:
David
arrived at the shelter after serving 11 years in prison.
He was looking for employment with no success, and then applied to
Cuyahoga Community College. A staff person at 2100 began working closely with
him. David eventually found employment, got an apartment, and recently made the
Dean’s list for his outstanding academic record.
Peter:
When
Peter arrived at the shelter, he had two big strikes against him: chemical
dependency and a criminal record for sexually oriented offenses. This made it
extremely hard for him to find employment and housing.
He lived in the shelter
for three years and suffered a relapse along the way. Peter completed the
Employment Readiness class and Housing Readiness class at 2100. The staff never
gave up on him. Peter has been sober for eight months and lives in independent
housing. His goal is to go back to college to get his Bachelor of Arts degree.
Copyright Homeless Grapevine Issue #87 in July
2009 in Cleveland Ohio.