We Care provides shelter, warm meals in cold months

John Stanley doesn’t look 66 years old. And he doesn’t look like he’s had major heart surgery. And he surely doesn’t look like he lived out of his truck around Turlock for several years.

But that’s all part of Stanley’s story. He’s been homeless on and off since 1994, after the sister he was living with died. He would sleep in his truck at various parks and parking lots in town.

(To donate, click here)

Along the way, he’s endured open-heart surgery and having a pacemaker implanted.

In many ways, Stanley was lucky.

“I never did get bothered,” he said. “I look like a roughneck, even though I’m not.”

That story could have had a tragic end, but a couple of years ago, some other people on the street steered him to We Care.

The Turlock nonprofit organization has operated a cold-weather shelter for homeless men for 12 years.

Stanley said he found a hot meal and a warm bed at a time he needed it most. More than that, though, he found people who understood his situation and who wanted to help.

“Everyone just treated me really good,” Stanley said. “The people who are here feel like they were called to help.”

Beyond providing emergency shelter during the cold-weather months, the We Care staff helps its clients find housing and social services.

Last year, staff helped Stanley – who has qualified for disability payments – get into a subsidized apartment at The Palms, a complex in central Turlock.

“It’s nice,” he said. “It’s got all modern fixtures.” Most importantly, perhaps, “It’s cool when it needs to be cool and warm when it needs to be warm.”

Stanley was also on the waiting list for Silvercrest, a low-income housing complex off of Lander Avenue. He learned recently that he has been accepted into his new home.

Sandy Singh, director of We Care, said there is plenty of need for clients like Stanley. The shelter, which houses 49 people, sometimes has to turn men away on the coldest nights of the winter. Organizers would like to expand the shelter to year-round use.

Some of those who stay at We Care are employed – Singh told of one client who has two jobs and is trying to make his way out of homelessness. Those who have jobs can call in to ensure there is bed space and a dinner kept for them.

Singh also said the organization still has spots open for church groups and other organizations to sign up to make dinner.

Stanley said the meals provided are more than food – they are tangible proof of a community that cares about the less fortunate.

The shelter also provides structure and rules for its clients, something sorely lacking on the street.

As they are checked in, the men are searched and they must leave their possessions in a locked container. Then each is assigned chores to help with upkeep. The clients also must make their beds and keep their areas tidy. Perks for those who abide by the rules and go above and beyond include larger single rooms.

Stanley tells people he sees on the streets about the organization and the help it offers. As he says, if someone hadn’t directed him to the doors of We Care, “I’d probably be dead.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 5:59 AM with the headline "We Care provides shelter, warm meals in cold months."