The Bridge to Somewhere
Yesterday, Christmas Eve, my son and I went to the new homeless center in Dallas, Texas called "The Bridge". It just opened last May. We had stopped to buy bags of necessities and toiletries for the homeless -soap, toothbrushes, shampoo, razors, deodorant, blankets - and headed to downtown to perform our Christmas good deed for others. Upon our arrival we were given an extensive and very personal tour of the new facility. And what a wonder it was!
Our guide, a former successful insurance executive who found himself one day on the streets of Dallas with only $20.00 in his pocket, is now the operations manager for The Bridge. What we were shown is a model center for the homeless: There is only one entrance in and out with a metal detector to assure lack of weapons; after entering the gate one enters a beautiful courtyard where the homeless are sitting on metal benches reading books they have checked out of the library full of donated books; there is a large dorm like room with single bed cots for overnight stays; there is a large cafeteria where the "stewpot" volunteers from the Presbyterian Church serve three meals a day along with a smaller snack bar for the leftovers; and NOW FOR THE GOOD PART: once a client enters they check-in at the welcome center where they establish their needs. The Bridge offers Social Security Administrators, Texas Workforce representatives to help with finding jobs, a barber shop, phone banks, computers for job searching, a small unit of Parkland Hospital on-site, an addiction center and Twelve Step meetings three times a day, a mental health center with psychologists on site, a pharmacy where all medicines are removed at night, and, of course, showers, social rooms for games and card playing, and bathrooms galore.
If a client is serious about transitioning into a new life, there are transitional single rooms for one hundred clients - men and women- for ninety days who are attempting to work and transition into a non-homeless life. They have common kitchens, T.V. family rooms, and daily toiletries. They must sign a contract, abide by the rules, and absolutely no drugs. There is a housing unit at the Bridge which finds apartments for clients who have stabilized their lives and are ready to make the transition into being self sufficient. Amazingly, there is also an isolated section for battered homeless women and their children, plus counseling. And, the library is beautifully organized with a Dewey decimal system for the books - many donated by Half Price Books.
So, the homeless can stay for a night or make a commitment to change their lives out of homelessness. And most importantly, there are no geographical barriers to getting the services that everyone needs. Dallas is a driving city with little public transportation, so in the past it has been difficult for the homeless to even get medication at the public hospitals. Now the hospital has come to them.
While I was there a group of Angels had provided 400 homeless people from the Bridge a night at the Hyatt Regency for Christmas Eve - plus a Christmas feast and a new set of clothing for each. Busses picked them up and the excitement was infectious!
Two years ago Texas was rated 48th state in the nation as far as providing for the homeless.
The Bridge opened in Dallas last May and it is incredible how successful it has been. Leaders had been warned that the homeless might not embrace staying at the center, but they have. They have embraced the place with pride and respect. I think that this is one of the finest projects the City of Dallas has ever financed and promoted. The City did not just warehouse our homeless in order that they merely be out of sight and not cause problems downtown. Our City decided to do something right by creating a model concept for other U.S. cities - A Bridge toward Moving Away from Being Homeless! A Bridge from Hopelessness to Hope!!
Our guide, a former successful insurance executive who found himself one day on the streets of Dallas with only $20.00 in his pocket, is now the operations manager for The Bridge. What we were shown is a model center for the homeless: There is only one entrance in and out with a metal detector to assure lack of weapons; after entering the gate one enters a beautiful courtyard where the homeless are sitting on metal benches reading books they have checked out of the library full of donated books; there is a large dorm like room with single bed cots for overnight stays; there is a large cafeteria where the "stewpot" volunteers from the Presbyterian Church serve three meals a day along with a smaller snack bar for the leftovers; and NOW FOR THE GOOD PART: once a client enters they check-in at the welcome center where they establish their needs. The Bridge offers Social Security Administrators, Texas Workforce representatives to help with finding jobs, a barber shop, phone banks, computers for job searching, a small unit of Parkland Hospital on-site, an addiction center and Twelve Step meetings three times a day, a mental health center with psychologists on site, a pharmacy where all medicines are removed at night, and, of course, showers, social rooms for games and card playing, and bathrooms galore.
If a client is serious about transitioning into a new life, there are transitional single rooms for one hundred clients - men and women- for ninety days who are attempting to work and transition into a non-homeless life. They have common kitchens, T.V. family rooms, and daily toiletries. They must sign a contract, abide by the rules, and absolutely no drugs. There is a housing unit at the Bridge which finds apartments for clients who have stabilized their lives and are ready to make the transition into being self sufficient. Amazingly, there is also an isolated section for battered homeless women and their children, plus counseling. And, the library is beautifully organized with a Dewey decimal system for the books - many donated by Half Price Books.
So, the homeless can stay for a night or make a commitment to change their lives out of homelessness. And most importantly, there are no geographical barriers to getting the services that everyone needs. Dallas is a driving city with little public transportation, so in the past it has been difficult for the homeless to even get medication at the public hospitals. Now the hospital has come to them.
While I was there a group of Angels had provided 400 homeless people from the Bridge a night at the Hyatt Regency for Christmas Eve - plus a Christmas feast and a new set of clothing for each. Busses picked them up and the excitement was infectious!
Two years ago Texas was rated 48th state in the nation as far as providing for the homeless.
The Bridge opened in Dallas last May and it is incredible how successful it has been. Leaders had been warned that the homeless might not embrace staying at the center, but they have. They have embraced the place with pride and respect. I think that this is one of the finest projects the City of Dallas has ever financed and promoted. The City did not just warehouse our homeless in order that they merely be out of sight and not cause problems downtown. Our City decided to do something right by creating a model concept for other U.S. cities - A Bridge toward Moving Away from Being Homeless! A Bridge from Hopelessness to Hope!!
Comments
Post a Comment