There is a cat on my desk...a live one...

So that whole "I'm writing 2 posts today" thing I said yesterday...sorry for failing. There was so much to do, everyone was so happy, I didn't even have to call it Jubilation, it was just a really jubilous Monday! We had 5 really incredibly wonderful volunteers this past Sunday from Union Baptist Church in Mystic who did some much needed work here at the Drop In. They scrubbed the walls downstairs, sanitized the furniture in the community room, mopped the floors, and organized both of our storage closets. You should first understand that each closet had about 2 feet of walking space and if it wasn't within arms length when you walked in, you would never find it or know it existed. I'll insert a picture of it for you, but it's incredible. When I asked Charles on Monday is he noticed the closets had been cleaned he said "I did. I didn't think I was in the right closet when I walked in it looked so good." I had NO idea we had that much clothing, and I've been very pleased to be able to supply our guests with fresh new socks, underwear, and tshirts.




To continue this amazing project, I spent a couple hours yesterday working on the closet downstairs as well. The socks and underwear are now in large rubbermaid boxes and tshirts are organized by size in rubbermaid drawers under our rack of button down shirts, blazers, sweaters, and belts. While this was happening, a volunteer was giving our bulletin board a makeover. The papers were all falling apart and ripping and I don't think anyone even knew what was posted up there. I'll put pictures of this too, since it looks so great. Actually, it would be better to put a before and after picture so I have a better idea. This volunteer also cut out a bunch of little pumpkins from construction paper and had people write something they are thankful for on the pumpkins. I think this is the sweetest idea ever, I LOVE it! It's so amazing to see people writing that they are thankful for their kids, their lives, being sober, having friends, and so much more. Staff is participating too, so we're having fun with it! Yes...if you look very closely you can see that I am thankful for "Hockey season and books." But you have to have AMAZING eyesight to find it, good luck.

Other things I should mention before I get on with my job and start doing things that are productive...if you have not been to the Niantic Book Barn, you MUST go. Unless you don't read, then don't go. It's this magical little land that enchances the best days and brightens the bad ones. There are about 6 different barns and 1 big building at this place and the books are separated by genre. There's "Ellis Island" for unsorted books, a barn called Hades for chick lit, cozy mysteries, travel, and mysteries authors A-G, then you follow the bath and signs to the Haunted Bookshop for mystery authors H-Z. Then you can go to The Annex for novels and poetry and you'll find the most beautiful old copies of classics by Mark Twain, Jonathon Swift, John Steinbeck, and then endless copies of Khalil Gibran writings that tend to have notes written in the covers as friends and loved ones gift these arts to one another with some thoughts to take with them. You'll also find an extensive array of girly romance books, that I have to admit, are a guilty pleasure of mine. Keep walking to The Last Page and you'll find books on sports, animals, and earth science (trying to identify that tree in your back yard? Is it a red maple or a white oak? Maybe training for a marathon or learning to speed skate?) I prefer to end at the Main Barn, though I'm sure many people like to begin the adventure there. In the Main Barn you'll find military history, first edition copies of classic authors (there's this gorgeous copy of Oscar Wilde's writings I've had my eye on), encyclopedia collections, gardening and art, and then upstairs you'll find young adult books, test preparation guides, true crime (too cool!), languages, psychology, sociology including poverty (there was a book there yesterday called In Service to America and it was the history of VISTA in Arkansas between 1965-1985, really? so awesome!), inspirational books, medical guides, writing guides, dictionaries, and books about books. The dirt paths are strewn with red and orange leaves, the Halloween decorations are up, there are string lights along each barn so you can navigate titles in the dark, and there are about 10 cats too, which always enhance one's relationship with literature.

Because that had anything to do with my job. Stay tuned for a post of the housing market soon, after the Connecticut Housing Coalition Conference last week and The Day publishing an article based on the Partnership for Strong Communities about housing afforability, it's a fairly prominent issue that needs some community attention.

-Jackie

Project Homeless Connect 2011

This is definitely going to be a 2 post day because Project Homeless Connect 2011 will need its own post and then I have about a million other things to tell you but I don't want to confuse you by putting it all in one. Got it? Ok great, let's go.

Though my older brother played against Saint Bernard's High School in hockey in high school, I had NO idea where it was. Turns out, it's literally the easiest place ever to get to. We did the setup for PHC on Thursday night, you probably saw my multiple obsessive requests for volunteers in my blog posts about that. Well we ended up without any volunteers, which I was embarrassed by, but luckily the committee for this event is comprised of the most easy going understanding people in the world, and we all worked hard for about 2 hours and got the setup done. We set the gym up backwards though, which made it a little confusing for the vendors the next day, but it went very smoothly. I was SHOCKED by the number of clothing donations! We had originally set up 3 tables for them and had to double that to accommodate everything, and we STILL had to put full boxes of  clothes under the tables! Sorry, this is the boring part of the event, I'll get on to the actual event now...

Buses started coming in around 9:45am, the first one being from New London, which was exciting because the first people we were directing were people I knew! I had an idea of the services that were offered, but honestly I could not have ever expected that it would be as incredible as it was. There was a DSS van outside where workers were approving guests for SNAP benefits and SAGA cash and medical right there! No 3 week wait, no phone calls misdirected and unanswered, it was IMMEDIATE assistance. Along with that, and all thanks to Congressman Joe Courtney for this one, there was a van providing glaucoma screenings and vouchers for free eyeglasses. Guests could receive HIV/AIDS testing, diabetes screenings, dental screenings, blood pressure screenings, receive assistance with mental health from the SMHA Mobile Outreach team, veterans had an array of services to help them get health care and housing, there were multiple Housing Authorities present helping people fill out applications, legal services were present, assistance with child support and social security was available, Brio Academy was giving free haircuts even past the end of the event! Volunteers helped guests sort through and pick out jeans, sweaters, winter coats, shoes, belts, gloves, hats, socks, and underwear to fill bags with. I spoke with a woman who had come with her client to the event and was bringing home 3 bags of clothing for her to wash and iron and fold in her own home. Guests were connected with access to mental health case workers, received kits of toiletries, bagged lunches, and many vendors even brought their own snacks to give out to those they were serving.

Sitting through these committee meetings for the past 2 months did not at all prepare me for what this event actually offered. It was so much more than I could have ever imagined. The services were fantastic and the vendors were so eager to help, but what really said the most to me was the motivation of the guests. We see so many people who are unable to help themselves find assistance because they lack motivation due to mental illness, low morale and self esteem, and lack of knowledge of the available resources, but this does not mean that they are lazy. I met a man who explained to me that he had Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depressive Disorder, and because of these conditions, he has a hard time getting himself to seek out the help he knows he needs. It's really inspiring to see someone in this situation ask a worker or a volunteer where they can find help with getting back on their medications. This completely breaks down the stereotypes our society has gotten far too used to. Guess what, our guests are not lazy or helpless, they are the exact opposite of those things. They are strong, motivated, determined, and aware.

Even if I'm not in Southeastern CT in a year, I will be back to help out with Project Homeless Connect 2012. I'm hoping this post had some effect on you and you are now intrigued and excited to help next year too! A few of our regular volunteers helped out during the event and they were AMAZING. One in particular was assigned to approach guests and just emphasize the services available and encourage them to take advantage of everything. They could not have picked a better volunteer for this task, since this woman is extremely social, easy to talk to, and very knowledgeable of the available services. YOU ALL HAVE INCREDIBLE THINGS TO OFFER, I am just floored by your generosity and commitment. Keep it coming, we could never do this without you!

-Jackie

Why smaller shelters work...

My supervisor sent me an article this morning from the New York Times about the success of small shelters in the boroughs of New York City, and I was shocked to find that it actually blew my mind. You can continue reading this post, but I suggest you read the article first here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/nyregion/nyc-makes-progress-helping-bronxs-chronic-homeless-adults.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

The portraits painted in words were familiar visions; beds made of park benches and apartments made of truck cabs, and the unconditional love coming from parts of the community that are often received as "charity work" or authority more than sincere concern. So what is it that has taken the street homelessness in the Bronx down 80% since 2005? Small shelters, those with an average of 40 beds rather than the usual 200 bed space that offer little security and hospitality. How do they get people who consistently refuse shelter to come into a smaller shelter and off the streets, though? Essentially, a street team. Street teams are groups of people who go out into the community, scour the streets, and persuade the homeless to come into the shelters, which are known as Safe Havens in New York City. This benefits our homeless neighbors in more ways than simply having a place to sleep at night. It opens doors to resources that improve quality of life that are not available on the street, such as access to find permanent housing.

The article addresses what we commonly see in the shelter here in New London, mental illnesses and addictions. Large shelters with 200 beds do not offer the safety and human connections that are available in smaller shelters. It is much more effective to approach addictions and mental illnesses that are not being addressed in a smaller, more intimate setting. For us, it is easier to hand back a bottle of alcohol in the morning and say "Hey, do you want some help dealing with this?" than it would be if we were rushing 200 people out the door at 7am. Personal relationships with individuals is essential even outside the realm of shelters. We aim to assure our guests that they do not have to deal with this alone, whether it be drugs, self harm, depression, or other debilitating circumstances, you are not alone in this fight.

This article highlights a man named Marvin Shepherd, who refused shelter for 10 years as he moved along the streets to satisfy an addiction. Many shelters will not allow individuals in if they have been using drugs, which halts the ability to truly help those in need. Mr. Shepherd is quoted saying "But when you start getting older, the streets start breaking you." Why should people have to feel broken because they are being held back by something that is now out of their control?

Want to see a shocking number? If you didn't read the article, let me give you some of their reported information stating that the population of street homelessness in New York City has gone from 4,395 in 2005 to 2,648 in January 2011. Is that number even possible? With small shelters, it is. However, the validity of the statistics are challenged because some believe that the way data is collected does not represent an adequate population. For example, it is stated that it is obvious that surveying one neighborhood one year and another the next will produce varying results as parallel populations are not being represented. This is true, I can agree with this, but those doing the surveys are more aware of moving populations than the politicians that are challenging the validity of it. People dedicate their lives to combating poverty, these are the people on street teams and doing surveys, these are the people that candidates for political office have to win over in terms of social justice. This is not a passing concern, this is a consistent style of living that is not easy to keep track of and not easy to end.

Smaller shelters offer hospitality. They offer companionship and relationships that are essential to the inner growth of an individual. They can offer resources for housing, health care, education, employment, and rehabilitation and recovery. People are more than faces and numbers, they are brothers and sisters and neighbors and friends, they support each other and share their knowledge with one another. Smaller shelters work to push people into successful directions, instead of just giving them a bed for a night. This article from the New York Times is just a piece of inspiration for HHC, showing that our encouragement and persistence in helping our guests works. I believe that if we surveyed our guests, you would hear similar reactions to those in this article from people in New York City.

Ideas on smaller shelters and street teams versus larger shelters and strict rules? Ideas on how to form a street team in a smaller city (like New London...)? Share them. Please.

-Jackie

Some things to think on...

Do you ever get into those moods where you're just reaching every which way to grasp something that hits you profoundly? You're realizing how much more there is to every day, but you have no idea how to be a part of any of it. Where do you even start, and how true is it that none of this was ever ours to begin with and the universe is in its own hands, completely out of ours? I'm referring right now to the book "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran. In the book, the prophet Al-Mustafa is boarding a ship home and is confronted by a group of people whom of which discuss with him different ideas of humanity and life. My personal favorite passages are those that deal with relationships between humans, because I feel like it's something that we all question. Human nature tends to condition us towards a desire for control, we want to know what's happening and if we don't like it, we want to change it. We act as if we are involved in situations that we have nothing invested in, because we place importance on things that we cannot control.

How beautiful is it to accept your children as individuals, not as your property? "Your children are not your children. They are the Sons and Daughters of life's longing for itself." They can blossom into their own person with their own heart, "You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you." In love, to embrace the independence of another person. To accept their differences rather than try to change them, because love is not the limitation, the feeling of being unloved is. In the book "The Shack" by William Young, the reference of love not being the limitation is compared to a bird with clipped wings. A bird on the ground is not limited because it can still fly, when the wings are clipped there is a limitation because the bird cannot live fully as a bird.  "Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love." To appreciate a person for their existence within this realm, because they ARE, and to you, they exist beautifully. "Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts." The way they discuss friendship makes me crave a long hug with my girlfriends, and reminds me how amazing it is when your friends come to you in good times as well as in bad. "If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also. For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live." Upon leaving my best friend in her new home hours away this past weekend, I wish I had this passage in my mind, but I am happy I have it now: "When you part from your friend, you grieve not; For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain." (quoted material taken directly from "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran.)

I struggled with trying to change circumstances that could not be changed by my opinion on them. No matter how angry I acted or how much I shunned the people involved, nothing changed. Someone approached my anger as the one thing that COULD change. Your attitude is your choice, the way you react to situations is fully in your control. Isn't that kind of liberating? To face the fact that this is out of your hands, and you can accept that. That can be ok. Instead of feeling disappointed, aggravated, or offended, you can let it roll off your shoulders and unload that worry. As Rob Thomas expresses in his song "Little Wonders": "Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulders, don't you know, the hardest part is over. Let it in, let your clarity define you..."

Are you sensing the beauty in all of this? The freedom that comes with recognizing that the only thing you can control is your attitude, then exercising that. Loving another person because they are their own, because they exist from the universe's need for something beautiful. Embracing your friendships just as much in good times as in bad times because you fulfill each other's needs, not emptiness. Watching your children become people you admire rather than people you influence. Human relationships are so intricately woven and individual. Every person is capable of being loved, they are unlimited and possess potential that can only be explored when they are set free by the reality of being loved.

-Jackie

When Tuesday is your Monday.

I know a lot of you will relate to this Tuesday being your Monday because of the holiday and all, but the majority of HHC does not, because they still had to work yesterday. I wish I could update you on what happened here, but I was in Lowell MA moving my best friend into her first apartment with her fiance. I am so jealous of this apartment, it's this gorgeous old mill with beautiful worn wood floors and granite counter tops and 12 foot high ceilings...ahhh I'm SO excited for her!! So after spending 2 hours in Boston traffic (because only the most logical people leave at 5pm to go from the Boston area to Southeastern CT), I made it back and am glad to be at work.

I'm feeling at a loss of things to blog today, I've been slightly disconnected lately. I think it's because I'm so used to spending the beginning of fall adjusting to a new year of school and now I'm learning to adjust to a new lifestyle all together. I'm not reading Buddhism textbooks or the Constitution or learning to identify trees while snowshoeing in the wilderness (YES, my college experience was that unique). I'm reading the books I want ( "The Lake of Dead Languages" by Carol Goodman and "The Shack" by William Young), preparing for National Novel Writing Month, and of course recruiting and sustaining volunteers.

We're working on putting together our fall newsletter, updating the statistics and information in our volunteer orientation materials, combining contacts in our computer systems, training new Help Desk volunteers, turning our one-on-one interactions with clients over to the Help Desk volunteers so people can still make resumes and get jobs after we leave, planning Project Homeless Connect 2011, and really just living the life. Being a VISTA is great, we wear many hats, we get to meet a lot of really interesting people, we've become very familiar with most of Southeastern CT, and we watch people succeed in some way every single day.

Can you tell that I'm trying really hard to motivate myself as if it really is a Monday? I'm going to leave you all with a quote I stumbled upon recently that I thought was really beautiful and honest from Eleanor Roosevelt: "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." You all have great minds, I know you do, discuss your ideas with me.

-Jackie

It's that day...

It's that day again...that beginning of the week day that can never be supplemented with quite enough coffee. As Jubilous as I am trying to be today, I feel like a car running about 23 miles over on empty and I'm a little bit terrified that the nearest fill up station is further than I can muster to crawl. Luckily, I'm almost positive that it will get to that "over-tired sillies"phase and hopefully that pushes the hours along a little quicker.

We spent the morning pondering and planning Project Homeless Connect 2011 at SMHA with a board of really hysterical people that enjoy each other's company very much. The closer we get, the more exciting this becomes. On October 21st we can count on Brio Academy and Platinum for haircuts, CT Legal Services, CLRP, Pardon Team, and Child Enforcement for legal services, a winter clothing drive, give aways from SEAT, Shop Rite, and Goodwill, medical services, and many other services provided in the same place at the same time to our homeless neighbors. We look forward to welcoming volunteers for the set up, hopefully about 15-20 people from the sub base depending on how well we can get the word out, as well as volunteers during the event itself from 8:30am-2:30pm (you want to volunteer, you say? EMAIL ME RIGHT NOW.) We need volunteer assistance in the following areas:
- Registration
- Service Guides
- Assisting vendors with locating space and set-up
- Coffee and Donut table
- Handing out vendor forms/collecting vendor forms
- Clothing tables
- Monitoring the cafeteria
- Give-aways
- Brown lunch bags/garbage
- Traffic flow to busses outside
- Event breakdown

Friday was probably the most successful day of my life. My VISTA life at least. One of our amazing front desk volunteers, Annette began training on the Help Desk and she totally rocked it! She seriously knows of every employment opportunity in the area and is the best at communicating with our guests to stress how important these opportunities really are. By about 11:30 am we had already done 4 resumes and sent 3 people under 21 to a hiring fair for Goodwill, made an appointment with a guest for an employment search tomorrow morning, interviewed/oriented and brought in a new Help Desk volunteer, and I met with Patrick Kelly and David Fairman of the Eastern Connecticut Community Gardens Association to begin the process of building their organization's website.

This week, my goal is to pull together the fall newsletter. Complete with volunteer reflections (send them to me!! Just tell me why you love volunteering here, what made you come here in the first place, and what keeps you coming back.), updates from the other VISTAs, a guest update, letter from the editor (that's this girl), and a few surprises. It's not too late to submit suggestions, my creativity can only go so far without the brilliant minds of the most incredible volunteers in the world (that's you.)

I feel that this post was pretty short and sweet, but hey, that's Monday...er...Jubilation for you. Here's to chilly fall days ahead, reading books outside, wrapping yourself in blankets, drinking hot apple cider, changing leaves, and being your best self because everyday is a day to renew and refresh that beautiful energy.

-Jackie