A NOTE FROM BETTY: WOMEN'S SHELTER COMING!

{Excerpt from Betty's recent message to the congregation of First United Methodist Church}

Just about a year ago, Tanuel Major, known in the community as “Daisy,” was tragically murdered just outside these doors.

Just about a year ago, many of us from Connections joined this congregation and heard Pastor Grace, Pastor Jane and Pastor Bonnie name what had happened to Daisy. We heard them call upon us all to be awakened and to find a solution, to find a way to ensure this would never happen again.

Now, just about a year later, I'm deeply grateful to be amongst this congregation again, this time not to mourn but to celebrate, because this time I am here to announce that together, First Church and Connections for the Homeless are going to open a shelter for women here in the lower level of First United Methodist Church.

Connections’ serves and catalyzes our community to end homelessness, one person at a time, and we do this work through three avenues: Eviction Prevention, Shelter and Housing.

I want to take a moment to tell you why Shelter is such a critical component of our work.

When I see someone on the street who is experiencing homelessness, my dream for them isn’t that they can live in the lower level of a church for the rest of their lives. My dream is that they find a safe, permanent place to live.

But how does that happen?

Connections is expert at making it happen. What we know from our own experience is that the process of finding a safe, permanent place to live, is difficult at best and impossible at worst.

Imagine planning a move. You have a place to live right now, you have a bank account, all your vital papers are safe, you have clean clothes to dress in. You don’t have to drag your belongings with you in a garbage bag. You have transportation to your prospective new home. You got a good night’s sleep last night and you can have a warm breakfast and take a shower in the morning before you meet your new landlord.

Now imagine what it is like to find a place to live without any of those things.

So aside from the clear and important role shelter plays in providing a safe and secure place to live on a temporary basis, shelter amplifies everything else we do when we seek to end someone’s homelessness.

Yes, women will come to this shelter and be safe. Yes, women will come to this shelter and be fed. Yes, women will come to this shelter and be saved from violence and be heard and cared for and treated with dignity and respect. Yes. And, they will also be given the gift of hope: the gift of the possibility of so much more – the possibility of permanently ending their homelessness.

In partnership with this congregation, we will make our vision of ending homelessness in this community come true.