Each day as we work with our guests, we are given the blessing of perspective.  Many of our guests have the same struggles that we do: family issues, illness, struggling to find a job, the stress of paying bills.  However, on top of these somewhat typical struggles, many of our guests are also living outside.  The burden of living outside can make even the most manageable issues seem impossible.  

One of our art volunteers, Carrie Przybilla, wrote the following reflection back in August about finding perspective in the midst of difficulty:

“I have been sick in bed with a cold all weekend. I suspect I picked up a bug last Monday from one of the regulars at Central OAC’s art ministry. We provide art materials and a creative space to work as part of the services offered to guests. Many of those who take part are occupying themselves while waiting for assistance. A few are regulars looking to draw, converse, charge their phones, nap, or escape the elements.

When Roger* sneezed I remember hoping it wasn’t something contagious. Alas. As I lay in my bed yesterday downing Tylenol and cough medicine, my spouse making chicken soup and my daughter poking her head in to check on me every hour, I started to think about Roger. Was he feeling as lousy as I was? Where does a person experiencing homelessness go when they are sick? We’ve had thunderstorms the last few days. Does Roger have someplace dry to rest? Does he have cough medicine or Tylenol? Does he have someone to make him chicken soup?

Perspective. That’s what Roger’s given me. He is in my prayers.”

Lack of healthcare and lack of a safe place to recover from illness or injury are not only inconvenient, they can have severe or even fatal consequences.  Of course, having a cough and a fever is unpleasant, even if you have a soft bed to lay in.  But imagine how much worse a common cold would be if you had to fight it outside in the rain.  

When we help our guests obtain Georgia ID, we help them gain access to healthcare and housing options.  Back in September, we wrote about one of our guests who was able to get emergency surgery on his arm thanks to his new Georgia ID.  Getting ID can help guests like Roger secure a place stay and a job with which to pay for housing so that, next time he has a cold, Roger can recover in a nice warm bed with some chicken soup.

*name changed for confidentiality

by Ahren Cassinari-Foster

1.Each human being is incredibly unique.  Sure, there are some common threads that tend to run through the stories of the people I work with, but each person’s circumstances and their response to those circumstance, is distinct.  Each student brings their own strengths, struggles, and joys to our class.  When they open up and share their uniquely talented selves, awesome things can happen.

2.Finding a job when you have a criminal background can be extremely difficult.  Persons with a criminal history desperately want a second chance at life but encounter a lot of obstacles when searching for employment.  In addition to overcoming a work history with holes created by incarceration, these individuals often face the prospect of having to disclose some of their most regretted decisions to a near perfect stranger with the power to hire them or turn them away.  If they can find work, they often have to settle for low-wage, high-stress positions in companies that do not treat their employees well.

3.Resilience and attitude mean more than I ever knew.  In the midst of transition, loss, and struggle, so many of my students have shown an uncanny ability to remain focused on their goals and maintain a positive outlook.  I am astounded by their ability to do so in the midst of so many challenges.  Interestingly, the students who maintain a positive outlook throughout their job search seem to have a way of finding employment.

 

For more information about our Main Frame Job Readiness Program, visit: https://centraloac.org/programs/main-frame 

by Brenna Lakeson

David (name changed for confidentiality) was the first guest I saw on a Wednesday of a hectic week.  Our summer interns were scheduled to leave on Friday, and I was bracing myself for a busy season with fewer staff.  Because I was absorbed in my own stress, I was unprepared for the cheerful, hopeful voice that responded when I called, “David?” at the intake window.  

“Right here!” David met me with a smile and a cast on his right arm.

As we completed his paperwork together, David revealed pieces of his story to me.  His partner of 26 years had passed away less than a year ago.  After that, his life changed.  He never specified what he meant by that, but it was clear that, like many of our guests, David never expected to find himself without a job or a place to live, much less both at the same time.  Furthermore, David had recently gotten in a fight, resulting in an injury to the fingers on his right hand.  That’s why he had come to see us.

David didn’t have an ID, and, in order to schedule a surgery at Grady, David needed ID.  And soon.  He told me that if he wasn’t able to have surgery in time, he might have to have his fingers amputated.  While amputation is never a first choice for anyone, it would be an especially hard blow to David, who works  in Physical Education.  He had just recently secured a job as a middle school volleyball coach after a period of unemployment and needed to keep the job in order to gain back the security he once had.

I told David we would do everything we could to get him what he needed in order to get him medical care.  I instructed him on how to get a voter picture ID, so that he could at least have something with his name and picture on it.  I laid out the steps for him to get a Georgia ID. David looked at me, his eyes full of hope.  It was clear that, for the first time in a long time, David was able to see a way out of his current circumstances.  He attempted to tell me some more of his story, about his partner, but became too overwhelmed.  David choked back tears, thanked me again, and went on his way.

A couple days later, David returned.  He had obtained everything he needed to get a new ID and only needed us to issue him a voucher that would allow him to do so for free.  He was still concerned, though, about scheduling his surgery.  He had had some issues scheduling it at Grady, so we gave him some information about Mercy Care, one of our partner agencies that provides medical care for many of our guests.

David apologized to me for his emotional exit earlier in the week and informed me that he was feeling much better.  He hugged me and one of our interns who had assisted him.  He left with a smile, feeling even more hopeful about getting the help he needed.

Another week passed, and, during another busy morning, I walked into our waiting area to find David eagerly sitting on the edge of his chair.  As soon as he saw me, he sprang out of his chair and handed me an envelope.  

“I just came by to say thank you,” he said.  “I just scheduled my surgery at Grady.  They’re going to be able to save my fingers.”

I told him I was so glad to hear his news.  He gave me a hug and went on his way.  We opened his gift and inside was a thank you card.  “To: Central Outreach Staff,” it read. “God bless you.  I appreciate all of you.”
I put the thank you card behind our front desk, so that we can look at it every morning and be reminded that our sometimes simple actions, such as issuing an ID voucher, can provide hope, and even save fingers.

Lobbying for the Inclusion of Advocacy

By Martin Lehfeldt 

Long before I joined the board, I had lobbied hard for the inclusion of an advocacy component to the work of the Central Outreach & Advocacy Center Center.  So, when Lee Carroll asked me to become part of the governance team, it was time to put up or shut up.

It has been a wonderful six-year run, made especially meaningful for me by the way in which the advocacy part of the program has continued to develop.  We still have a long way to go, but we also have made significant progress on that front.  Two facts stand out in my mind:  there are still too many laws and regulations that make it easy for people to slip into a condition of homelessness and difficult to escape it, and a lot more people (including legislators and well-intentioned church-going folks) need to be educated about the facts, so they can respond in a helpful way.

I’m also very pleased with the way that the OAC has brought increased focus to bear on a case management approach to working with our guests, even while continuing to provide emergency assistance.  The Main Frame Job Readiness Program continues to generate positive results, and I only hope we can increase the scale of its operations.

None of our progress would be possible without the assistance of loyal volunteers and a growing cadre of donors who have caught the spirit that what we are doing at the Central Outreach & Advocacy Center is important and deserves support. They and the dedicated staff have made my involvement one of my most enjoyable experiences in the not-for-profit world.

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Martin Lehfeldt went to work at Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) and adopted the South as his home in 1969.  Before that time he had graduated from Haverford College and Union Theological Seminary in New York, been a newspaper reporter, and spent four years as a program director for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in Princeton.  After 10 years in the Atlanta University Center, he formed his own firm and provided fund raising, planning, and organizational development consulting to local, regional, and national not-for-profit organizations for 18 years.  He became the President of the Southeastern Council of Foundations (SECF) in 1998 and held that position for 11 years.  Mr. Lehfeldt is the author of The Sacred Call (a biography of Donald L. Hollowell),Notes from a Nonprofitable Life, and Thinking about Things (a collection of his monthly newsletter columns while at SECF, and the editor of On Our Way Rejoicing, compiled in celebration of Central Presbyterian Church’s 150^th anniversary.  He is a former board member and chair of the Academy Theatre, the Center for Positive Aging, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, the National Hurricane Fund for the Elderly, Literacy Action, Inc., and Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, and just completed his service as a board member of the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center.  He is married to the former Linda Graham. They have three productive, mortgage-paying children and three grandchildren.