Helping a Guy Sleeping on the Street
Working with homeless people is one of the toughest jobs in the community. And every shelter and food provider needs to be complimented. This is not to say some workers do a better job than others, and there are a few who need to find other jobs. It is rough to have to see the worst problems in our society and the impact of homelessness on innocent children, seniors, family members, and veterans. NEOCH staff are not direct service providers, and so we are one step removed from the tragedy as well as the triumph. We spend a great deal of time on the infrastructure, the community-wide problems, reports, and coordinating services. Every so often, we get to see a life transformed. Yesterday, was one of those days.
We coordinate the outreach workers in the City. So, if a councilman or police officer or just a member of the neighborhood calls us, we can send out an outreach worker to help someone sleeping outside. There are thousands resistant to staying in a shelter in our community, but we have a great safety net set up to serve those living outside. Sunday night a concerned neighbor on the Near West Side of Cleveland sent us an e-mail saying that there was a guy with one leg sleeping behind a building. The concerned citizen had offered food and comfort, but realized this guy needed a lot more and was in danger of dying this winter. He sent us the e-mail, and it turned out that this guy was "lost" in the homeless system. Having someone identify where he was turned out to be a big help. The outreach workers at Care Alliance got him into a nursing home yesterday. He slept in a warm bed last night and will get the level of care he needs. It was a good day to come to work yesterday.
Brian
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.
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