I knew it would be hard to be part of the last week of the Community Emergency Shelter Project... not because the guys have made it so... but because it is tough saying so long to the guys... many of whom are back on the street when this is over.
I know that each person has a story and most are responsible for finding themselves right where they are.... still doesn't make it any easier. I also know that when you are down on your luck, it doesn't take much to put you farther down. And once you loose so much, it is a real hard battle to get yourself picked back up! Consider how hard it is to get a job, when you have a couple sets of clothes and no ability to wash them... or don't have a phone number to give out so a potential employer can call you... or for that matter, don't have an address to give them... then there are the issues of job skills and earning a living wage... even if you get a job, it takes several weeks to get a paycheck (Caroline has been working three weeks and just got her first check). Then there is the security deposit and if you are in a place of your own... the electric bill, gas or oil, if that's how you heat. Not to mention food. And if you are in a hotel room... even the economy hotels, you face the challenge of what to eat and how to fix it.
Needless to say it isn't easy.... even if you are trying hard to change the situation you are in!
This is why we desperately need a day facility and transitional housing apartments. I hope in the next year we can find both!
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