March 24, 2019

Mission Statement:

-To increase the accuracy of the public’s perception of homelessness

Contributors are designated by number only for the day on which what we have to say is published; the numbers aren’t permanent identifiers.

Homeless shelters aren’t named, also to protect the identities of contributors, who have every reason to fear retaliation from the shelters which are supposed to help us.  


March 24, 2019:

Homeless Human 1:

Where should I start?  It’s more or less the unprofessionalism of the staff, especially the ones that are supervising.  They have a lot of retaliation against other people, due to their own personal issues, such as jealousy.  They’ll be jealous of you and take it out on you or your friends, or people that you associate with.  Also, for retaliation, they’ll switch a story after they have a personal conversation when they’re stuck in a jam, if they feel their jobs are on the line.  They try to make the guest look like she did something wrong; they’ll initiate inappropriate conversations with you and finagle the truth.  You’re the one who stays here, so they think that what they say about you to other people will be accepted as the truth even if it’s a lie.  That leads to the unknown; at the end of the day, they have the last call, the final say.  Then they can walk out of the building, and you have to wait until there’s someone that you can talk to about what really happened.  

I think that the staff have cliques, and they gossip about the guests.  They shouldn’t be telling the personal business of other people.  It’s like being in jail when you have that one CO (Correctional Officer) who breaks the rules, brings in drugs and has sex with people; I haven’t seen behavior that bad at the shelter, but I have my suspicions about who has personal encounters. 

They seem to give out SOS’s (Suspension of Services) and not give out a verbal warning; it’s an abuse of authority.  It all ties together.  When they do give you an SOS, they don’t make it clear.  You get up the next day and you think everything is fine, and then BAM, you have nowhere else to go.

Then, while you have the SOS, you’re not allowed in the building, so if you need to get something from your locker, you can’t get it, even if there’s a legitimate reason.  It’s really inconvenient for guests to have SOSs, so staff shouldn’t be giving them out for things that aren’t that important. 

There are nice people who work here.  The good staff are understanding.  A few of them give good advice.  They’re fair, consistent and by the book. 

The grievance process takes a long time and you have to write a lot of grievances.  It takes multiple grievances to solve every problem or to even get heard about serious matters.  Some people do write grievances because they’re being a pain in the ass to the system, but some people really need help right away.  I feel that the grievances should be dealt with within 24 hours, not three weeks.  I have done grievances about everything that I’m talking about today; that’s how mad I was. 

Favoritism is a problem, too.  I feel that there’s discrimination on the basis of race and sexual orientation.  It took me a while to see that.  I feel as though others can use abusive language, especially toward people who are of color, and they seem to get away with it.  It’s not right.  I have seen it happen numerous times.

Favoritism is a problem with saved beds.  I feel as though it all depends on who you are.  I don’t have a saved bed.  I’ve been working for this shelter, of all places, and I feel like they don’t take that into consideration.  They seem to think that just because I work for this shelter, I can come around the corner and be here as if it’s not a regular job.  Then there are people who are supposed to have saved beds, and when they get back, their beds weren’t even saved for them and they have to sleep in the lobby.  They told me that they came back crying.  Then they have to wake up at 4:15 a.m., almost two hours earlier than everyone else, after lying on cold, hard cots in the lobby where they have no privacy.  Staff talk really loudly during the change of shift and are very inconsiderate.  Some of the overnight staff also talk during the night, when people are trying to sleep in the lobby. 

Also, where’s all the money going??????


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Homeless Human 2:

1)  The staff will bar guests of this shelter who call the cops or ambulance for themselves.

2)  The shelter makes the guests stand outside in line in the pouring rain, letting us get soaking wet for at least half an hour or more.

3)  They keep the disabled bathroom locked.  Because of them doing that, guests have had accidents.

4)  Most staff are very disrespectful to the guests.

5)  Staff have stolen items from the guests.  They see something they like and tell you it can't go into a locker.  When you go back to get it, it's gone.  Like a pair of hair clippers that I bought my husband; well, they liked them.  If clippers aren't allowed then why do I see other guests with them?

6)  Most of the food they call edible is nasty.  I would not even feed a dog what is served here.

7)  When will they have actual compassionate people?  We are homeless, down on our luck but still human beings.

8)  Why is there only one person hired for housing applications and why are there only 2 to 3 advocates?  How is it fair that only certain people get advocates but the rest are on their own?

9)  Too much discrimination around here.  They took our soft seats away and now we sit on hard chairs around tables.  It's getting worse here, but no one wants to listen because to them we are lower than dirt.  Not fair at all. 




Copyright Homeless Humans, March 25, 2019