By Intake & Resident Specialist Holly Gardner
This month I have been very busy with the cycle of families moving out and new ones being screened to move in. This is a bit bitter sweet as we see our families strive to reach their employment, income and housing goals. We have been witness to struggles and also been witness to families becoming champions and owning their lives. In 3 to 4 months seeds are planted and in some lives there is a harvest, but there is always a beginning.
I screened a family that ran out of time at their shelter 24 hours after giving birth to their beautiful daughter. We were able to get their apartment cleaned and set up with the basics, but did not have time to have the special apartment prep volunteers under such short notice. When the volunteers come they take the time to personalize each apartment, make all the beds, cook a meal, stock the kitchen and bathrooms and do other niceties that I can say touches our families to their core on move in day. As much as I love it when the timing works out, there is also great opportunity when I get to work with the family more one on one in our donation basement. This was one of those days.
Ms K and Mr M brought in their daughters and their very few belongings, filled out paperwork and then dove in to the fun task of picking out bedding, kitchen stuff, and other odds and ends that make a space feel like home. I noticed the care Ms K took to look over what we had available, finally deciding on a set of brightly colored, square dishes that all matched. We built things from there. As she chose her items, I loaded them in a wagon and got things ready to switch parents so Mr M could bring things up the driveway and in to their unit. We found some adorable clothing, too and special toys for their 2 year old daughter. These small things all add up to creating a new space and making it a home. Among the things she chose I could tell the light pink furry throw was going to get a lot of love!
As I coordinate our move ins, I remind myself that sometimes the days that I feel things fall a little short are the days I need to stay even more open to the gifts that day brings. As Ms K picked out her items, she talked with me about her broken relationships especially with her mom and how this move was giving her the space and time to heal, not just from having a new baby but from a trail of disappointments. I listened and patiently helped her find strainers, can openers and what nots. It took a few trips with the wagon but eventually we got Ms K’s treasures in to her new space and the glow on her face was all the thanks needed for a job well done. I couldn’t fix the past, I couldn’t give her all the answers but I could help her rest a little easier that night knowing she and her family had this space for now and a community of people who will share their expertise and encourage her.
As I took the empty wagon back to the donation basement with a big smile on my face, the wagon bumping along empty for now but soon to be full, I reminded myself so too is the cycle of life here with our families.
No comments:
Post a Comment