Question from one of my readers:
You’re highly complimentary of the Union Mission’s efforts to feed people (as evidenced by your recent dessert post), as well as clothe them and give them shelter. You’ve told us all they offer is free to those who check in for the day before 2 PM. So why are there so many people still eating out of trash cans and living on the streets Downtown?????
Great question.
My answer is based on personal observations only, not empirical data or interviews with Mission staff.
Let’s change “people” to “men” in the question above, because there is no women’s shelter Downtown that offers an array of services comparable to what the Mission offers men. And there needs to be.
One reason some men find staying at the Mission is not for them is they find the rules too restrictive. I’ll give you an example: If you play music or video with sound on your phone, you must use headphones. It’s a totally sensible rule, designed to prevent a guest from disturbing others. But some men don’t want to obey it.
A second big reason many men turn down opportunities to stay at the Mission is that you can’t bring alcohol or drugs in, and you can’t be obviously under the influence when you check in. If you get in for free and stay the night, you’re there from at least 2 PM to 5:30 AM. 15.5 hours is a long time for an alcoholic to go without a drink, or an addict to go without using.
A third reason is some men don’t want to attend the mandatory chapel service. Believe me, I sympathize with this point of view; if I had the option of skipping chapel, I would. But it’s a trade I’m willing to make for a hot dinner and a good night’s sleep in a safe environment.
A fourth reason some homeless men don’t stay at Union Mission is that they’ve been barred from coming in. On a previous stay there, they stole, fought, threatened another guest, blatantly refused to obey a supervisor, or committed some other egregious violation of the rules.
A fifth reason is fear of the unknown. Fear that the shelter will be unsafe, or filthy, or that the people running it will be abusive to the guests. These fears, which turned out to be completely unfounded, kept me from availing myself of the Mission’s services for about 7 weeks longer than I should have in December and January.
Sixth reason- Some homeless have mental health issues that are incompatible with a congregate shelter. For example, a man who wakes up screaming several times during the night. The Mission isn’t equipped to help him deal with his issues and he’d keep 40 other men from getting a good night’s sleep.
I’m sure there are other reasons as well, but these are the big ones that I have observed.
I’ve been offline and need a day to digest the Biden news. Back tomorrow.
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