standing with hope

By Molly Klima

I started my social work career downtown working at a women’s shelter. I spent five years there and it has forever shaped my view of poverty, addiction, domestic violence, mental health, racism and what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 

Last week a man froze to death sleeping outside in downtown Toledo. This is a tragedy and I’ve seen countless posts questioning the non-profits who serve the unhoused in our area. This has my mind stuck on two things, so I thought I’d share: 1) Organizations need community support and 2) We all have choices to make.

Organizations need community support

I think we all remember the economic crisis of 2008. Exactly one month before our wedding, Kerry found out he was going to lose his job. We had just graduated college four months prior and were two broke college kids. Thankfully, Kerry secured another job and started a week after our honeymoon.

What I came back to after our honeymoon was increased capacity in our shelter. What was a 42 bed facility was now housing over 60 women a night. Within another week, we were housing over 80 women a night. There were no extra beds and not enough blankets or pillows in storage. We had 42 beds and 5 couches. That’s 47 sleeping places. The DNA of our ministry was that we turned no one away. It didn’t matter their criminal background, if they were on their meds, or if they showed up under the influence. Where were the women sleeping who didn’t have a bed or a couch? The floor. We eventually received donations of mats and cots, but there was virtually no room for additional beds. 

What was right around the corner? Winter. Capacity always increases in the winter.

No organization is perfect, whether it’s a non-profit, for-profit, church, school etc. There can be plenty of criticism to go around. It is so easy to point the finger at those we believe are not “doing enough”. We were criticized for doing what we were doing. What was the alternative? People freezing. More women on the streets with no safety net or protection.

The women who showed up at our doors may surprise you. Senior citizens who could no longer afford to pay medical bills and rent. Retired teachers. I will never forget the 18 year old girls. Either asked to leave by their parents because they couldn’t afford to care for them and their younger siblings or those who saw leaving as being helpful. Girls who aged out of foster care. I understand 18 is legally an adult, but you and I both know that 18 year old brains are rarely ready for adulthood or autonomy.

What’s my point? Caring for the vulnerable and unhoused is not accomplished by one person. Agencies and ministries that are doing the work need help. They’re not rolling in the dough with large surpluses of supplies or staff. Many of the organizations have been around for decades. Many are faith or Bible based receiving a bulk of their support from local churches.

They do what they do because they believe it’s God’s work-and they’re right.

But without community involvement-donations, volunteers to serve meals, lead classes, or complete maintenance projects, it wouldn’t be possible.

Government funding only goes so far and can come with strings attached. Our current administration has provided a stark reminder that grants and funding are not a guarantee and the vulnerable will not be spared. Grants are critical, but not always a long term option.

people have choices

During my time there I met a woman who preferred to live outside. She’d stay a while and then disappear for even longer. Every once in a while she’d get a new case worker who would bring her back. We’d greet her with a smile, relieved to know she was okay. She’d have dirt in the wrinkles in her face. She wasn’t couch or shelter hopping while she was gone. She was trying to find the most secluded area in the woods to live. Alone. Not in a tent city. Alone. We did our best to make her comfortable in hopes she’d choose warm shelter over the elements. But she didn’t. She functioned better on her own, outside. 

Serving the unhoused and other vulnerable populations does not have a “one size fits all” solution. Yes, some people can pull themselves up by their boot straps, but some people don’t have boots to start with. To go from sleeping on the streets to being emotionally and economically stable is not an overnight process. The path to getting there varies. It’s one small, hard decision after another. It can take months or years and requires support all along the way. “Suck it up, buttercup” may motivate someone for an hour.

We have to decide whether we want to create sparks or tend to the fire.

Just as people have to decide to get sober, follow through with mental health treatment, leave abusive situations, and do whatever is needed to gain employment, we have to make choices, too.

Three months ago a news anchor made the comment that the homeless who refuse services should receive “involuntary lethal injection”. That made my stomach sick. I hope it made your stomach sick, too. We have to choose how we view human beings. We have to decide that lives are worth caring about. We have to research and figure out who we can help and how. The words that we think in our minds and keep in our hearts is what we will communicate with our mouths and actions.

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus is responding to questions from an expert on the law. The expert winds up asking Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”. Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked and robbed. A priest and a Levite pass by, not believing it is their role to get involved. A Samaritan man comes along and doesn’t just check to see if he’s alive-he provides medical care. He puts the wounded man on his donkey and takes him into town. He goes even a step further and pays an innkeeper to look after the man. He goes even a step further. He tells the innkeeper he will be back and will cover the bill for any additional expenses incurred.

When’s the last time we cared for someone like that? I ask myself this same question.

People in the village have to care for the village.

Maybe instead of dropping hundreds or thousands of dollars on our families this Christmas, we take just $50 or $100 and send it to the people doing the work. Or maybe we take that money and buy underwear, socks, or blankets to donate. Or maybe instead of gifting an experience to the zoo, movies or trampoline park, your family’s experience is volunteering. We are raising the next generation of donors and volunteers, after all. Our choices will influence their choices.