Future's Cold. . .
It sure is. This is the fifth homicide in Hartford this year. That puts us on a course for about fifty for the year. The story in the Hartford Courant, by Elizabeth Hamilton, is touching and well-written. Despite the cutbacks being inflicted upon the Courant by its parent, the Tribune Co., some individuals continue to do their best.
There's good news in Hartford, too, though.
Located smack downtown, in the shadow of a rising 36-story, luxury apartment building, Catherine's Place is something new and different in Hartford's menu of temporary housing for the poor, the downtrodden, the down-on-their-luck.
The stone and brick building, owned by St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, provides a refuge for single, homeless women with substance abuse problems.
But don't call it a homeless shelter. Catherine's Place is more homey than most shelters, and, thanks to paid staff and church volunteers, is able to give its temporary residents more attention than traditional emergency housing.
Is there a need? Seems like.
That success is noteworthy in a city that lacks enough places for homeless women to sleep. As of September 2004, there were 225 beds in the city for homeless men, and only about 100 for homeless women, said Mary McAtee, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
But shelter is only a stopgap measure.
"People who are doing the work really understand that an emergency shelter by itself is not the real answer to homelessness," McAtee said. "We want them to get into permanent housing." Catherine's Place, she said, is "a perfect example of a changed approach. ... I think they're unique in Hartford."
"We're eradicating homelessness, we're not just sheltering," said Louann D'Angelo, Mercy's director of development.
How do you get homeless people into permanent housing?
Residents must be clean of drugs and alcohol. They must beat their addictions, find work, and get into permanent housing, all within that three-month deadline.
Said D'Angelo in a recent interview, "If you think this is just a place to lay your head ..."
"You don't stay very long," finished Trudi White, project manager for the church.
Belinda knows the routine well.
"Every day, they wake you up, you get up, you make breakfast, you clean, you make sure things are tidy. ... You're not here to lounge around. You're told that every day," she said during an interview with a group of residents one recent Friday night.
"We are pushed every day to seek housing and seek employment. It's like a two-way street."
"They help us look into jobs," added Zayda Castro, 51, who became homeless when she left her boyfriend because she was trying to get clean and he was still using heroin. As recently as last summer, she was sleeping in cars.
Well, that's all very nice. But who's paying for all this? It's a joint effort. Some of it is supported by government programs.
Although Catherine's Place is officially called a "recovery house," it does not treat women on site for their drug problems. Rather, it coordinates each woman's recovery by sending her to off-site programs. In turn, it receives reimbursements from the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the off-site treatment through a federal grant. Catherine's Place received up to $57,540 in the last two months, said Michael Michaud, an agency regional manager.
There's also a "faith-based" component to it.
In November 2004, the Rev. James Hynes, pastor of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, was attending an event at the church's Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry with Sister Pat McKeon, Mercy's executive director. He showed her the dorm-like floor, which used to house parishioners on retreats and, before that, was a convent.
Although Mercy has worked with churches in the past, Hynes' offer was a first.
"I never had a church approach me and say, `We have space for you to use,'" McKeon said.
Catherine's House may be just a drop in the bucket, but it proves that something can be done, and that problems are not insurmountable. Maybe the future's not that cold after all.
There's good news in Hartford, too, though.
Located smack downtown, in the shadow of a rising 36-story, luxury apartment building, Catherine's Place is something new and different in Hartford's menu of temporary housing for the poor, the downtrodden, the down-on-their-luck.
The stone and brick building, owned by St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, provides a refuge for single, homeless women with substance abuse problems.
But don't call it a homeless shelter. Catherine's Place is more homey than most shelters, and, thanks to paid staff and church volunteers, is able to give its temporary residents more attention than traditional emergency housing.
Is there a need? Seems like.
That success is noteworthy in a city that lacks enough places for homeless women to sleep. As of September 2004, there were 225 beds in the city for homeless men, and only about 100 for homeless women, said Mary McAtee, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
But shelter is only a stopgap measure.
"People who are doing the work really understand that an emergency shelter by itself is not the real answer to homelessness," McAtee said. "We want them to get into permanent housing." Catherine's Place, she said, is "a perfect example of a changed approach. ... I think they're unique in Hartford."
"We're eradicating homelessness, we're not just sheltering," said Louann D'Angelo, Mercy's director of development.
How do you get homeless people into permanent housing?
Residents must be clean of drugs and alcohol. They must beat their addictions, find work, and get into permanent housing, all within that three-month deadline.
Said D'Angelo in a recent interview, "If you think this is just a place to lay your head ..."
"You don't stay very long," finished Trudi White, project manager for the church.
Belinda knows the routine well.
"Every day, they wake you up, you get up, you make breakfast, you clean, you make sure things are tidy. ... You're not here to lounge around. You're told that every day," she said during an interview with a group of residents one recent Friday night.
"We are pushed every day to seek housing and seek employment. It's like a two-way street."
"They help us look into jobs," added Zayda Castro, 51, who became homeless when she left her boyfriend because she was trying to get clean and he was still using heroin. As recently as last summer, she was sleeping in cars.
Well, that's all very nice. But who's paying for all this? It's a joint effort. Some of it is supported by government programs.
Although Catherine's Place is officially called a "recovery house," it does not treat women on site for their drug problems. Rather, it coordinates each woman's recovery by sending her to off-site programs. In turn, it receives reimbursements from the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the off-site treatment through a federal grant. Catherine's Place received up to $57,540 in the last two months, said Michael Michaud, an agency regional manager.
There's also a "faith-based" component to it.
In November 2004, the Rev. James Hynes, pastor of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, was attending an event at the church's Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry with Sister Pat McKeon, Mercy's executive director. He showed her the dorm-like floor, which used to house parishioners on retreats and, before that, was a convent.
Although Mercy has worked with churches in the past, Hynes' offer was a first.
"I never had a church approach me and say, `We have space for you to use,'" McKeon said.
Catherine's House may be just a drop in the bucket, but it proves that something can be done, and that problems are not insurmountable. Maybe the future's not that cold after all.
posted by Mr. Mac | 8:15 PM
2 Comments:
I think it is great that our community is trying to do things to help the less fortunate. In Tolland it is so hard to see the poverty that actually occurs in this world because we are so sheltered. Catherine's Place is a place where people can go and seek refuge from their normal lives, and I think we need to see a lot more of that. - Michaelene
I think that Catherine's Place is a great thing for people who are seeking shelter. It is a good thing that they are doing and it's good to see people reaching out. I also think it's good that it seems like they are going to get more beds for women so that the amount for men and women are more equal. It is a very good thing and i'm glad to see that people care.
- Stephanie
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