First let me say that the mom in the family who is staying with me is a great cook and whether I get home at 6, 7 or 8 pm., she has set aside a plate for me. What a luxury, seeing as I don't do much cooking!
Sr. Claire from the Peace Pagoda came down and brought two bags of food. We can sometimes have a lot of people in our too small office and they are often hungry (us, too)!
Another woman (I don't know if it's politic for her if I use her name) brought in 6 sleeping bags, a dozen pillows, and crayons and scribble pads for homeless kids! The next family we hear of who is sleeping outside or in theircar, we can help to keep warm.
I met with a young woman and her amazingly blue-eyed baby today. They and the baby's father are homeless-- long story, and the only time she went down to DHCD to see if she could qualify for shelter, the worker said she would be calling DCF-- the Department of Children and Families. (This was not for a "health and safety" assessment to help her qualify for shelter; it was a threat about the removal of her son.) We will work with them to go down to DHCD and reapply, but meanwhile they are not in a tenable or stable situation.
A Springfield couple who had read our recent newsletter had called us last week and offered their home for a homeless family for a few days at a time. I gave them a call and they said, "Certainly!" What a relief!
We need more households willing to do this-- to take a family in for a few days if they can. I know it's not for everyone and not everyone has the space and some have families who say no, but please, for those who can....think about it.
Big thanks for help with bedding last week: Thanks, Mo Ringey-Gareau, Kathleen Ward and Nancy Woodman, for blankets, and thanks, Joe Oliverio, for hooking us up with Dave's furniture for mattresses. They're beoing put to good use even as I write this.
Photo from JulieJordanScott's pohotostream at Flickr.
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