Service Learning Issue 8 - Hope In The Warehouse

Thursday, March 11^th - pm

The vans were loaded and on the LA freeways again.   We were determined and 6 lanes of criss-crossing traffic during rush hour (with a bathroom break) was not going to stop us.  We did miss a turn off however and got a nice tour of East LA.  Left here, right there, and then park.  Okay.  Lookup and a long warehouse stretching into the horizon.  40,000 square feet of converted warehouse. 

We were greeted outside by our host who gave us a tour of this unique community.   He tells us that the Shelter opened in January 1988 with help from Judge Harry Pregerson, who recognized a critical need for emergency shelter who arranged for the shelter to be sold for $1.  It is the only program of its kind in California to fulfill the objectives of the 1987 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, which encouraged the use of vacant Federal facilities as homeless shelters.

The place is a community.  It offers transitional care for 350 homeless men and women as well as vocational assistance, substance abuse rehab, case management, counseling, on-site health care & medical referrals, ESL classes, HIV/AIDS education, 12-step substance abuse recovery program, computer training, job training and referrals and life skills classes. The goal is to provide a one-stop solution to the homeless condition by addressing the problems and barriers that keep homeless men and women from achieving self-sufficiency. 

In a word, my response was WOW. 

At one point in the tour we were told that a person who comes through this program can have a guaranteed job.  My engineering mind saw the process of entry to graduation and all the steps in between.  I observed the security of the place, the video cameras, the staff, the professionalism and most importantly the hope that was in the air.  I noticed the 10 million dollar renovations, the clean floors, and the various classrooms, medical offices, and I could hear the music lessons in the background.   It was a village whose purpose was to address and provide solutions towards self-sufficiency and dignity. 

It was all based on process.  Get sober and you’ll get help with 12 step recovery.  Find the right meds to help your mental health issues and you can take a computer class.  Be sober and healthy and you can learn a trade – how about as a hairdresser?  When you are making progress within the warehouse living, you can move to a mobile home on the edge of the property – you can be there for up to 3 years to get further stablized.

Doesn’t matter if you were an addict, street worker, heroin dealer, or bi-polar, you have hope at the shelter.  Just get there (Jeff will give you a ride) and stick with it.  

The power of cross is evident and at work in the warehouse.