Homelessness In Rural America

Homelessness In Rural America

Commentary and networking resources for helping meet the needs of the homeless and the undersheltered, particularly from the viewpoint of a former homeless shelter worker in Sheridan, Wyoming. His local shelter is failing the homeless in... [more]

Commentary and networking resources for helping meet the needs of the homeless and the undersheltered, particularly from the viewpoint of a former homeless shelter worker in Sheridan, Wyoming. His local shelter is failing the homeless in the area, so he occasionally takes them to task. He is volunteering privately to assist people in his community. Personal, upbeat and interesting. Very committed to Catholic spirituality and the dignity of each person.

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'Welcome' is a funny word at this homeless shelter

Written by tim57 on
About one-third of the people who seek assistance at the Sheridan Community Homeless Shelter are either later kicked out, or leave on their own because they can’t endure the contortions of living in the tilted chicken-wire hutch that is the director’s world. Not only is the revolving door at the shelter spinning fast enough to affect the weather, those who are whisked away by the breath of the dictator’s nostrils are placed on an ever-thickening stack of pages known as the dreaded “Not-Welcome-Back List.” It was, in fact, my job last year to dream up a written policy on this list. For nine years ... Read Full Story

Problem smaller, responsibility larger in rural America

Written by tim57 on
Comparatively speaking, my town doesn’t have as big of a homeless problem as some of the larger communities within an afternoon’s drive from here: Billings, Rapid City, Casper and Cheyenne. Certainly, we in rural America do not come even close to seeing the numbers of homeless in metropolitan areas – the makeshift homeless “camps” on the fringes of the cities; the alleys, bridges, the curbs, the parks, the hallways all populated with people who have no other place to go. You have to be wary of statistics when talking about homelessness, because a nose count is impossible. One source estimates that 750,000 people per ... Read Full Story

Still A Conscientious Objector to Shelter's Poor Treatment of Homeless People

Written by tim57 on
You might be wondering when I am going to get past my objections to the poor treatment of people at the Volunteers of America Sheridan Community Homeless Shelter. So am I. I confess there is no little conflict within me between wanting to be seen as a nice guy by everyone, and feeling obligated by conscience and faith to call fouls in order to set things right. There is no doubt in my mind that the abuses at the shelter continue as a natural mode of operation. There isn’t a day goes by when I don’t wonder whose innate dignity, self-esteem, or value is ... Read Full Story

Faith In Others Is A Casualty Of Homelessness

Written by tim57 on
I talked to a guy in front of the Edwards Hotel the other day. I knew him from my shelter-working days. I hadn’t seen him in a while. I was looking for another homeless man who had been kicked out of the Sheridan Community Homeless Shelter (like so many others) several months ago. He is often walking along the main drags of Sheridan. Since he got kicked out, he has been living in a room about the size of two double beds. I walked up the narrow claustrophobic staircase and paced up and down the hallway a couple of times, hoping to spot the ... Read Full Story

Shelter Residents Expected To Spy On One Another When Away

Written by tim57 on
Should you become a resident at the Sheridan Community Shelter, you could be manipulated into spying on your fellow shelter dwellers against your will. I have seen the director haul people into her office and grill them about what another resident was doing while in town, and who they were with. “Was he with a woman?” “I think so. We were just driving by.” “What did she look like? Who was she?” “I don’t really know.” “What were they doing?” “Just sitting on a bench.” “Ah! Aha!” Good lord. One of our female residents had lunch with a friend in a downtown tavern, and ... Read Full Story
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