Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Fishing


I am often asked by people who don’t work at Hope House what we are doing to “teach our clients to fish”. I think this bothers me for several reasons:

• It infers our clients are too lazy and/or not trying to “fish”.
• It assumes everyone can “fish”.
• It also assumes there is a level playing field out there.

The truth is that we don’t attempt to “teach” our clients anything. That would indicate that they have something to learn. Since when is being broke/poor/young/mentally ill/physically challenged/elderly/alone or down on your luck a consequence of not knowing how to “fish”? What we DO at Hope House is attempt to make life a little easier for those who are struggling, no matter what the cause of their distress.

We do not assume that we have anything to teach them, nor that their lives are somehow “less-than” because they need help. I daresay you would find many of our clients feel their lives are perfectly normal and acceptable. How arrogant to assume we or anyone else knows better than them how to live!

As for that playing field, we don’t all start at the same place in life, with the support systems many of us take for granted. Many of our clients are undereducated as a result of less than stellar parenting and support, and a lack of resources to excel. Those who suffer from mental or physical disorders often find themselves out of luck in the job market. Many who are battling addiction find the road to sobriety to be long and twisting. The simple truth is we have clients who work hard at 2-3 jobs and still need some assistance to make it through the month. Language can be a barrier for those who are recently immigrated to our country, and youth alone can be a devastating strike against those young mothers trying to do the right thing by their children.

Many, if not most, of our clients know how to “fish”.

They just can’t get to the pond.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Small Things .......


All she wanted was for her shoes to stay on. Her shoelaces were broken, and she had no way of getting any, so while she was telling me her needs in intake, she mentioned the laces. Since we stash all kinds of odds and ends at Hope House (we are always sure someone will need it!), I told her I would check it out while she was shopping. Five minutes later, I found her in the house wares room and handed her a brand new package of laces. Her face broke out in such a smile! “You are awesome!”, she practically shouted. Such a small item to cause such great happiness, and yet, it is the small that we specialize in at Hope House:

• Depends for the mother of the special needs teenage son.
• Dental floss for a homeless man with poor dental health.
• A pair of warm gloves or socks on a cold day.
• A can of formula for a baby with a sensitive system.
• A candle for those living in the woods.
• A small knick knack of some kind to brighten a small apartment.
• Bath salts for a mother with no funds to spend on herself.
• “Chapter” books for young person just learning to love reading.
• A new teddy bear or other stuffed animal for a child with no toys.
• A package of cake mix for a birthday cake for a child.
• A can opener for someone living in their car or a motel.
• A smile and hug for those worried about loved ones who are ill.
• The promise of a prayer for the same.

Mother Theresa said “Do small things with great love.”

We love Mother Theresa.