Finding the Meaning of Home in a Homeless Shelter
where
do you feel at home is feeling at home
about the people in your life a culture
a community day-to-day activities
a physical structure 15 years ago
i completed a qualitative research study
on a men’s homeless shelter i spent a
year
visiting and listening to the men’s
stories
about their experiences with the shelter
i
interviewed those associated with the
operations of the shelter
the director her staff and board members
along with a group interview
with community participants from
agencies
involved in the resident’s life i found
that the resident’s emotional connection
to the shelter
was one of a feeling of home
i discovered that what the residents
valued in the shelter
is what i value in a home the shelter
located in the inner city
provided long-term residency options
with a harm
reduction philosophy 68
men were provided with
dormitory beds and shared meals within a
secure
setting locked doors at night
24-hour monitoring the staff
and the director worked with other
inner-city agencies
to access those necessary services
required
by the men according to
the director and the staff the shelter
accommodated a sub-sector
of the homeless population trapped
in a cycle of homelessness because of
chronic substance abuse
and or severe and persistent mental
illnesses
the first time i walked into the shelter
the idea of a home did not enter my mind
i was distracted by the walls of this
rundown structure
in the faces of men who appearances
reflected hardships and
suffering but two weeks into my business
i began to experience a sense of comfort
being in the presence of these
interesting personalities
and the men started to experience
comfort
and trust in my presence and
affectionately gave me the street name
and of green gables an indication of
their wit
the shelter took on a home-like
atmosphere
where residents interacted with other
residents and staff
and established emotional bonds
warmth and human connections were
enriched
with stories that carried laughter and
humor
similar to the lighthearted and funny
interactions in my own home
so how did a shelter evolve into a place
where residents trapped in a cycle of
homelessness
internalize the deeper meaning of home
i learned from the residents that the
shelter’s regulations
did not compromise its home-like
atmosphere
to the extent they felt
institutionalized
like the residents being free
within a limit to make my own choices
even if those choices do not always have
a good outcome for me
has been my experience of home
as time went on i became aware
of a community within the inner city of
men
and women who understood and accepted
the residence i realized that
my needs were not unlike the residents
needs
access to washroom and laundry
facilities
brought dignity to their lives
a casual job
or collecting and recycling resellable
items from
the garbage bins gave some of the men a
purpose
memories of special plan celebrations
captured in keepsakes and pictures
reminded me of those special
celebrations
in my own family men
once faceless once isolated
now had a face as told to me by one of
the residents
he no longer feared dying alone on the
streets
in his own field
the men had a personal space where they
were greeted and addressed
by name shared memories
feelings and opinions gave meaning to
the men’s life
a plaque on the wall with the name of
deceased residents
acknowledges their lives and death
from this experience
the meaning of home change for me
from a personal space that goes beyond a
physical structure
and provides a sense of connection and
grounding
in this world i met a resident
who had just returned to the shelter
he was incoherent and believing evil
spirits
were following him his hair was
matted and greasy and clothes covered
with grime
but in spite
of his mental state he was able to let
the custom officials know that this
shelter
is his home just that
he was now under the watchful
and concerned eye of the director who
was arranging medical services for him
does that only show the meaning of home
that goes beyond
a physical structure that went beyond
a mind disconnected from most of reality
as written in 2002 by max van maaden
a canadian scholar how can we understand
something that we have not experienced
ourselves one useful approach
is to employ the theme of sameness and
differences
we can understand how people differ
by being attentive to what we share in
common
by showing how we are different through
sameness
are the factors that created a home for
the residents
the same for you
being valued as an individual in a
relationship
an identification with a culture
and accepting and supportive community
purposeful day-to-day activities
and a physical structure that you can
call
home wherever we find a place to call
home
fairies for all of us because of our
diverse characteristics and needs
a small sector of the homeless
population
found a home relatable to them
so is the solution to homelessness
building structures
is that the only solution or is the
solution
creating homes from these structures
creating homes within
supportive communities relatable
to the diverse characteristics and needs
within the homeless population
you