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Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Shelters 'the break' for those living on Modesto and Turlock's streets

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They show up for a hot meal and a place to stay. That's the easy part.

The bigger challenge is in giving homeless people dignity and a chance to succeed on their own.

"It's great to be able to put a full plate of food in front of somebody," said Barbara Detherage, executive director of the Modesto Gospel Mission. "But to be able to give someone the tools they need to get food on their own is the cherry on top of the sundae."

Cold-weather shelters are beginning to open in Modesto and Turlock: The Salvation Army's winter shelter opened Nov. 1 in Modesto, We Care in Turlock opens its men's shelter tonight and the Turlock Gospel Mission starts its overnight service Nov. 14.

With the ever-worsening economy, some of the places that care for the homeless are living hand-to-mouth themselves. In Turlock, the situation is made more challenging by a city that doesn't have a homeless plan in place.

"At one point last year, we had $150 in the bank and we needed $5,000 by Monday at noon to stay open another week," said Jeff Woods, Turlock Gospel Mission director. "At 11:45, I got two calls, one from a church that collected $5,000 for us and another from someone who wanted to give $1,000."

Donations are getting harder to come by at the same time the need is rising.

The shelters house many who have nowhere else to turn. On a recent Monday night, the crowd at Turlock Gospel Mission included Mario Gil, who was taking part in a sober-living program until "I had a beer," he said sheepishly. "I've been trying to get off it."

Most nights, Gil sleeps outside "where I can, by the bar."

People such as Gil aren't turned away from the mission, even if they're under the influence, Woods said. "As long as they can control themselves and not cause a problem, they're welcome to stay," Woods said. "And they can't drink during the hours they're here."

The Gospel Mission started its Turlock winter shelter for women and children last year; the We Care program houses men at its shelter on Broadway.

"This is their break," the Gospel Mission's Woods said. "On the street, they always have to watch their back and their stuff."

His program doesn't have a permanent home that can accommodate a shelter, so it moves among local churches. A meal service is offered year-round for men, women and children; people check in and leave their belongings in bins at the mission office, then head to a basement room to read, play games or take part in an optional Bible study. As with many services that help the homeless, the mission is faith-based, but it doesn't force people to take part in prayer or religious observances.

Volunteers greet those arriving with hugs and chatter. Most know each other by name; they ask about families and share puzzles and a lively game of Jenga.

About 6 p.m., a bus takes them to the host church for the evening, then returns for checkout by about 7:30 p.m. When the shelter opens, churches host the program for a week at a time.

Woods said the meal service has brought in 30 to 50 people every night since it started Jan. 14, 2008. Like most local advocates, he doesn't refer to participants as homeless or clients. They're guests.

"We spend the evening with our guests," Woods said. "It's important that we eat with them and talk with them and get to know each other."

Volunteers on Monday drove two busloads from the mission office to Monte Vista Chapel, where the group that was supposed to be responsible for the evening's meal was called away by an emergency. John Riedel, who handles homeless outreach for the chapel, brought in his friends, family and pizza.