Visualize an emergency group shelter for kids who are homeless. Do you think of a sterile dormitory-style building painted institution-green with thin blankets placed on metal cots lined-up in a row? Do you picture a rag-clad Oliver Twist at mealtime holding forth a bowl saying, “Please, sir, I want some more…”?
If those images pop in your head when you hear the word “shelter,” you’d be just as surprised as any visitor to one of our Emergency Group Homes, Jennings Home for Girls or the Boys’ Group Home. They are actual homes, like any other you’d see on the tree-lined residential streets where they sit, with flower-lined backyards, window treatments, and holiday decorations.
When you walk inside, you’re greeted by a home most of us would enjoy as our own. There are modern kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, t.v. rooms, individual bedrooms, and more. The décor is tasteful and cheerful with pictures on the walls and game consoles. The ambiance is comfortable, homey, and up-beat.
Stop in during the evening, and you’ll find kids chatting away at the dinner table. They helped plan their meal, and they clean up together. Afterward, they may all pitch in to bake brownies or cookies, before it’s time for homework.
Later, you may see “Maria” and “Laetitia” sitting cross-legged on their beds, adorned with pastel comforters, doing their nails or writing in their journals. You may see “Miguel” lifting weights or grabbing a book off the shelves. Some kids are planning the designs for the pumpkins they’ll soon decorate with our staff.
There are other activities at other times from individual, group, and family counseling to classes in health, nutrition, and developing coping skills. As always, the emphasis is on healing and hope.
Though everyone’s story is unique, when they arrive, all children have two things in common; they’ve been traumatized and have low self-esteem. As in any nurturing home, kids at Shelter feel safe and worthy of love just for being them. Look all you want, but you won’t find institution-green anywhere.