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Released 4 September 2008
NIGHT SHELTER HELPS THE HOMELESS
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It's a challenge for Daniel, 24, to move on with his life after being hit by a car in an accident. He walks with a limp, a titanium alloy securely implanted in his left leg. Everyday he makes himself available for work at a job placement agency, but it's not easy. He had to quit his last janitorial job and had to be taken to the emergency room because his leg was hurting too much.
Besides being jobless, Daniel is also homeless.
That's why he was glad to hear The Salvation Army opened a new program in Maui that provides night shelter for the homeless. Here, he can stay the night in a clean and safe environment, a far cry from the tarp and blanket that usually keep him protected from the elements and dangers at the beach. This temporary respite gives him a chance to sort out his life.
It's been almost four months since the Booth Emergency Drop-In Shelter opened in Maui and it has become a godsend to many people like Daniel, according to Lieutenant Mark Merritt of The Salvation Army Kahului Corps. The goal is not to provide live-in housing accommodations, but to make available an emergency drop-in refuge for one or several nights to unsheltered men. The facility now serves 18 men, and plans are underway to expand the services to include women in the near future.
There are approximately 2,000 homeless people in Maui, many of them with full-time jobs, according to Merritt. The weakening economy and high cost of housing combine to hinder most people's ability to afford permanent housing. Many find themselves living in beaches, cane fields and parks.
"It's hard to imagine how a person is able to maintain, much less, find a job after sleeping at the beach or the field all night, and get cleaned up and be in decent shape in the morning," says Merritt.
A DREAM COME TRUE
The night shelter was a long-time dream of Patrick Foyle, supervisor of The Salvation Army's homeless program in Kahului. He envisioned an emergency dormitory-type shelter provided to homeless persons who are actively looking for employment or actively employed. He imagined the existing multi-purpose room at The Salvation Army facility to serve that purpose since it was not being used after office hours. After careful planning and strict procedures put in place, sleep cots "magically" appear in the evening, and then properly put away in the morning. "Our staff don't even realize that the night before, the multi-purpose room had been used as a dormitory for 18 homeless men," says Foyle.
The temporary shelter "allows men to make themselves available to work as they get into the habit of getting up in the morning, getting cleaned up, eating breakfast, and into the routine of working rather than being on the streets," says Foyle. "They can better organize their situation and integrate more easily back into society."
Since the program started, seven men have found permanent housing and eight have found employment.
The program has strict requirements that help make it run successfully. Scott Reese, night coordinator and formerly homeless himself, makes sure that clients abide by strict rules prior to admission. Clients set up their cots, remain quiet and are respectful of others. Before leaving in the morning, they assist in clean-up duties. "We practice zero-tolerance for any type of substance abuse," says Reese.
Wayne, a former unemployed trucker who used to sleep in a dumpster site at an apartment complex, is grateful for the night shelter. Today, he has found a job and is saving enough money to rent an affordable room near a busline. He says he wants to be more self-reliant and he's really pushing hard to get a place of his own.
REPLICATING THE MODEL IN THE COMMUNITY
The emergency shelter has received widespread acceptance in the community. Social workers from many agencies have referred their homeless clients to the shelter.
The need in the community is so great that Merritt is excited to share the concept with others. "It's a great program that possibly other churches can do with minimal costs and management."
"The Salvation Army may not be able to help 2,000 homeless people," says Merritt, "but we can help 20 people at a time; and together, we can all help reverse the cycle of homelessness."