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It’s been several years since I worked for an organization in Fort Wayne that volunteered to become a warming shelter, but every year around this time, I remember those days when Monday morning quarterbacks and keyboard warriors were in the public eye. Memories from those days always come flooding back.
Our facility was not a shelter by any stretch of the imagination. Our contribution to the homelessness epidemic has been to provide rent and mortgage assistance for prevention. Because it’s statistically cheaper and less traumatic to keep your family home than to move back home.
However, we had a large building with a full size gym and changing rooms (for the youth center) with showers for the kids to play. So when the temperature dropped, we proposed to make the most of our resources to prevent global warming and create a frigid night shelter.
This means the cancellation of children’s programs. For those who understand nonprofit funding, that means the numbers that youth programs donate to the foundations they serve are going down, and when the numbers go down, it’s hard to prove why you need that money. you have to work hard to do it.
This also means that our base crew of 10 people, who were already overworked with all of our programs, now have to manage that program and a third shift of pop-up accommodations with little notice. I meant it.
At times, we didn’t have enough male-to-female ratios or trained staff, and when that didn’t happen, we felt the disrespect that came with it. As I’m reading the protest text now, I would like to explain why everyone isn’t in a shelter. It’s not easy.
1) “Just gather volunteers!” This is my favorite; I still hear it for difficult jobs where I can’t hire someone. Suddenly there is an expectation that people will do it for free because there is an urgent need.
Of course, you can also hire volunteers. They often sign up with good intentions and then realize what awaits them, or that working all night is inconvenient, or they get sick/tired/lost interest and don’t show up. If something like this happens, there are rules that must be followed regarding staff to visitor ratios, and that is for everyone’s safety.
Also, “volunteer-only” means we need people trained to deal with a variety of physical health issues, mental health conditions, addiction issues, violent riots, etc. . If you “just gather volunteers” without any need to address them, you are putting everyone at risk if you have serious problems.
2) “Let’s hire more people to do it!” Money isn’t flowing into nonprofits, and the programs they work so hard to provide may already be maxed out. Most of these places that try to help don’t get any additional funding. This means that it will need to be funded through one of the existing programs.
3) “Make this a priority instead and take funds out of what you already have!” of course. Will it take money away from rental assistance and make more people homeless? Is there NICU support for babies who are fighting for their lives? Do we run feeding programs when children are already hungry? These missions are equally important and worth addressing.
So what is the answer? I give it back to you: you are the answer.
Your volunteer work, your investment. Notice I say “investment”.
Money donated to nonprofit organizations is not thrown away. It’s an investment that says, “I care about this and I’m going to invest to live in a community where it is.”
It may be strange to hear my colleague the Secretary-General call on the public to invest in a cause he does not represent, but I sincerely believe that everyone can play their part, so I hope the children Because we believe that we can have a heart big enough to care about feeding and providing for the people. Homeless Safety and Shelter (and Animal Welfare, Veterans Affairs, etc.) I believe we can stand up as a community and say, “Where the need is, we will make this investment.”
And you all will see the need for this.
Our community does not need another cynical cry into the void. We need action.
So if you’re looking for change, there are many places in our community that are ready to invest.
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