Manna House: A Day at 435
excerpt from Manna House, Ink by Esther Reaves, Executive
Director
http://www.mannahouseinc.org/
We have occupied the newly renovated, refurbished space for a little over a year. There never was a time when we didn’t occupy the space, we just moved around the building, keeping one step ahead of Carlos and the working crew. The building was designed specifically to accommodate the homeless and the poor in need of services: the primary needs, a morning meal; someone to talk to, someone to help sort out and identify their needs. Some have no primary medical care for HIV; others seek testing for HIV, to make sure that they are not infected. The homeless person who is HIV+ needs housing to facilitate medical adherence for treatment. The person who recently suffered a traumatic experience needs empathy and understanding.
Our day starts with the Soup Plus soup kitchen. The kitchen staff comes to work at 7:00 every morning. The counselors, case managers, and volunteers arrive by 8:00 am. The volunteers are devoted, often with many years of service; the clients get to know them by name, or at least by sight. By 8:30 someone lets the clients who have lined up at the door into the dining area. Some have spent the night on the handicap ramp. Try as we might, there is little we can do with persons who have mental health problems if they choose not to see a doctor or take medicine. They can continue to come to Manna House as long as they are not a danger to themselves or others. I have not been able to figure out how the powers that be cannot understand that people who exist on the streets are in grave danger, even without mental health issues.
By 10:45 we have fed between 160 and 190 men, women and children. By 11:00 the Drop-In Center opens to provide services to the homeless and poor of the city. The homeless sometimes spend the entire day in the Drop-In Center because they are safe, warm or cool, and because there is someone to talk to who will listen.
The person who comes into the Center needs something: a food referral, testing for HIV, help with an application, making an appointment with a primary health care giver, getting identification - either MVA or a birth certificate; making a phone call, picking up mail or using the services of our case managers. Case managers seem to be a buzz word these days. Health insurance agencies use them to get the best treatment for clients; social service agencies use them to find the best resources. At Manna House, there are two case managers who work with the homeless. There are many obstacles in this job. The client is homeless, without family or social support, without income, without insurance, without identification, without clothing except for what one wears. The biggest thing missing in their life is hope. The case manager begins by establishing a trusting relationship while assessing the problems. Sometimes the solutions are easy; sometimes there is no immediate solution.
The clients’ stories are notable, both in how they ended up at Manna House and, best of all, how they ended up back on their feet. At the end of the day, our clients have been fed, listened to, referred, hopefully enlightened, and they move on with their lives. We close up until tomorrow morning, when they may or may not return.