CWD July/August Newsletter

July/ August 2018

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BUILDING COMMUNITY ENDING HOMELESSNESS building community to support individuals experiencing the crisis of homelessness

RESPOND WITH COMPASSION By: Katie B. Bryant You’ve finished your grocery shopping and are headed home. As you pull up to the stoplight, there is a person standing right by your car, holding a sign asking for help. You’ve got a car full of groceries, maybe a few screaming kiddos in the backseat, or maybe someone’s at home waiting on dinner. It would be easier to pretend to look at your phone, tend to your kids, dogs, etc., or simply look the other way, but you can’t ignore the individual right beside your car. It’s hard to pass by someone when you really see them. You want to help, but what should you do?

This isn’t a trick question. If I had a dollar for each time a friend has asked me what to do when this happens--well, I could buy a good number of bus tickets to share. But to tell the truth--I’d rather celebrate that my friends really see the people in front of them and want to help someone in need and touch the lives of the individuals they see on the corners of our city.

I don’t have all the answers--but here are my top five suggestions when you meet someone asking for help.

1. Make eye contact, smile, say hello, and if there’s time, say more. Everyone (you included!) has a story to tell--a story that cannot fit on any cardboard sign. Ask their name--remember it!

Greet and check in with them each time you pass by, if you can.

2. Know the resources in our city which offer assistance and help meet basic needs. Support these organizations, volunteer and ask questions, get to know people who are involved in this work on the ground.

3. If you want to give something--be creative! Bus passes, fast food gift cards, and small change are helpful. Large items are difficult to carry all day and not especially helpful.

4. Practice safe boundaries! Sharing personal info isn’t helpful or safe. If you want to engage further, invite the person to meet you at the CWD Community First Center on Tues. or Thurs.

9-11am to explore community resources together.

5. Go back to number 1!

Community First Center

Overflow Shelter

www.citywithdwellings.org

July/ August 2018

Who We Are City with Dwellings works to end the crisis of homelessness in WinstonSalem, NC.

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The Gift of Radical Hospitality meet CwD volunteer Sherry Hasty When Sherry Hasty heard the phrase “radical hospitality” at an Overflow Shelter volunteer orientation three years ago, she loved the concept. Sherry and her husband put radical hospitality into practice, preparing and sharing meals with weary Overflow shelter guests.

Our Staff Corinne Causby, Program Director Lea Thullbery, Case Coordinator

Our Board Tracy Mohr, Chair Rev. Russ May, Vice-chair Moravian Minister Katie Bryant, Secretary Minister, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Elizabeth Pleasants, Treasurer Heather Bachelder Green Street United Methodist John Collins Inmar Teresa Cutts Asst.Professor of Social Science & Public Policy, Wake Forest University David Harold DeShanna Johnson Scott Seawell Rev. Kenneth Pettigrew Winston-Salem Urban League Phil Thomas Alex Brown

Community First Center

They also serve as overnight volunteers at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, which hosts one of the mens’ shelters during the month of December. She says she immediately connected with the mission of City with Dwellings and its approach to welcoming others and building community.

Sherry Hasty and PD Corinne Causby

Sherry has consistently volunteered at CwD’s Community First Center since it opened in March of 2017. She typically handles the checks-in process for community members on Tuesday mornings, and says the City with Dwellings’ community are like dear family members she looks forward to seeing every Tuesday. Sherry is the the first to greet each person. She makes a point to remember names as much as possible, and always asks community members how they are doing. “I let each person know I’m happy to see them, and I’m glad they are here. Through that simple, consistent relationship, I’m learning a lot about what our homeless friends experience.”

Sherry worked at Hanes Brands for 35 years as a creative manager, working on the hanes.com and champion.com. websites. She misses the people she worked with, but is enjoying retirement and does not miss getting up and going to work on Monday mornings.

When asked what has surprised her most about her work at the Community First Center, she easily responded, “How much a part of this community I feel,” adding, “I expect to see folks and look forward to it. It’s a tight community, everyone’s trying to get on a path if they aren’t on one, really, just like we all do. Some of us are just in different stages and places.”

Overflow Shelter

www.citywithdwellings.org

July/ August 2018

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Overcoming Obstacles: Stories from the Street finding a path towards wholeness when options are limited

By Lea Thullbery

She met me at the Community First Center one morning at 8:30 am, shoeless and had clearly not showered, likely in days. Expecting a $710.00 SSI check in the mail, she left when she learned the mail comes in the afternoon.

No coffee, no food, no community.

We had her involuntarily committed 10 days ago. I had the WSPD take her to the hospital to receive her monthly anti-psychotic shot.

They had to handcuff her. It was an act of mercy, but I still cried all the way home.

option for her; she couldn’t make it because of her erratic behavior.

Family will welcome her home if she can kick her drug habit. No rehab facility can take her, because her unmedicated mental health status creates tremendous liability.

To those of us at City with Dwellings, she is a human being crying out for help, worthy and deserving of dignity and respect.

What are the options for her care? Do we commit her? Do we have her arrested? She has three pending court dates for trespassing, resisting arrest, and panhandling without a license. The WSPD don’t want to arrest her, but a

A crack addiction obstructs the path back to the life she desperately wants to lead.

weekend in jail may be better than two more days of life on the street.

Four years ago she was living with her daughter and grandchildren. Medication helped the paranoia and schizophrenia, her family lived with it, because they love her.

Then the unthinkable happened. An unimaginable accident resulted in the tragic loss of a close family member. It left her reeling and haunted by guilt. How does someone recover from that? She began to self-medicate to dull the pain of grief and shame.

Today, she is a paranoid schizophrenic crack addict. She has burned every bridge at every shelter in town and currently trades sex for a night indoors when she can. Late at night she creeps into a doorway or parking deck to sleep. An extended stay in a hotel isn’t an Community First Center

If she were offered a room at a shelter or rehab facility tonight, she would take it. If that room came with the support of the community and, ideally, a peer support person, her chances for stability and wellness increase significantly. She has a huge heart and needs the support of our community in ways that are different from a woman experiencing homelessness who can follow the rules and jump through the hoops.

She needs to be off the street today. It will take time and a lot of work. CwD will be beside her every step of the way because that’s who we are and it’s what we do.

Overflow Shelter

www.citywithdwellings.org

July/ August 2018

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What Brings You Joy? the lighter side of life: getting to know folks in our community

By Corinne Causby In a recent conversation with community member William Hairston, I asked “what brings you joy?”

“Traveling,” he smiled. “I’ve been all over; South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, I’ve been all over!” His grin spread as he talked and his face began to light up. I asked him where he would go if he could travel anywhere. “China,” he replied, without a moments hesitation. “I’m fascinated by their way of life, the discipline. That’s another thing that brings me joy Learning. I'm always curious about how other people live in other cultures and places. I’ve always wanted to know ‘Why are people the way they are?’ which is probably why I love learning so much.”

News and Notes Want to Learn More About Homelessness in our City?

NEED YOUR HELP! Volunteer!

Donate!

Lunch and Learn

www.citywithdwellings.org

August 15, noon

Our site is under construction but the volunteer and donate links work

cwdcommunityfirst@gmail.com

Make your reservation today!

THE CFC NEEDS:

Community First Center 633 West Fourth Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101

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336.790.9766

Questions? Email cwdcommunityfirst@gmail.com

Community First Center

coffee, regular and decaf

Overflow Shelter

www.citywithdwellings.org