Homeless Issues #142

Homeless Issue #142                                 04/07/19

Who stays at the Nomadic Shelter?

Total? 170 completely registered with 30 one nighters. Total was 200.

The following figures represent the 170 persons who completed the NOMADIC SHELTER GUEST GENERAL GUIDELINES.

Age groups: Under 25 years old – 8: 26-36 – 31: 37-50 – 43: 51-65 – 83 and 66 and over – 8.

Gender: Male-117 and Female-50 with 3 not recorded.

Time in El Dorado County: Under 1 year-35: 1-5 years-21: 6 or more years-111: Not marked-3

Income (in any form): Yes-74: No-88: Not marked-16.

6 Persons were banned due to unacceptable behavior.
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Past and current reliable homeless persons were being paid to help in some Nomadic Shelter locations this year. We again were short of volunteers, but importantly, we gave some homeless persons a purpose ….. a feeling of self-worth.

Elderly woman in a wheel chair was abandoned by distant relatives in the Nomadic Shelter. She is now in assisted living in Sacramento thanks to the Shelter efforts.

Father and son met up for the first time in 16 years in the Nomadic Shelter.

Lori saved money, was responsible, and is now buying a car.

Sorrowfully, we had one of our homeless guests die while in the shelter. As part of the Intake Form a question is asked: “Who to call if you are ill or injured?” In this case we had the name of his mother and her telephone number. But not all shelter guests are asked these vital questions. One out of the 5 shelter locations do not ask these vital questions. Fortunately, this guest had filled out the Intake Form at one of the other locations and his family was notified. The advantage of continuity does not prevail. We found that 30 homeless persons at that one location did not provide information like who to phone in an emergency/death, age, gender, how long in El Dorado County, etc. This information helps us address the needs of providing our homeless population with shelter. Thank God, Mike did not die on the streets.

The homeless community is much like your community. Some dominate, some follow, fall in and out of love, are helpful and kind to each other; a small percentage are rogues and “misfits.” Just people trying to “get by,” With no toilet or shower facilities, no reliable fresh water supply, or electricity, no extra clothing, one pair of socks unchanged and never removed for weeks, and cold in winter weather and hot in the summer and not having a basic shelter to “come home to.”
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How comfortable are you as you read this?

JSS is out there 3 days a week providing the necessities, all of what we freely give; but it all cost money. That is where you come in.  We need your help in financing this effort.
Ron