‘The role of a rotating shelter is just a warm and safe bed for the night’

Phyllis is in charge of New Brunswick’s rotating shelter during the winter. Each week, various houses of worship take turns opening their doors to house 15 homeless men. I sat down with Phyllis, who asked that her last name not be used, and asked about her experience in volunteering for the shelter and her thoughts on housing in relation to incarceration.

Sabrina Tibbetts: In your words, what do you do?

Phyllis: We are a rotating shelter open during the winter months. We travel from church to church each week and we house 15 men. We have a list of 15 men. We get the list from Ozanam shelter which is run by a Catholic charity.

ST: What is the rotating shelter like?

P: The role of the rotating shelter is just a warm and safe bed for the night. I coordinate programs for the shelter, and we try and connect them to resources. All we get is a list of men, so I don’t know anyone’s background when they come. But when they come, what we do is try and talk to them. Ask them, “Do you have a caseworker? Do you need housing?” Stuff like that. We are not entitled to know if they were incarcerated. But we accept them as human beings and provide a safe warm bed for the night. Sometimes people have to go to programs, like AAA or full-time programs for mental health. It’s difficult because you need to do laundry and we don’t have that at the shelter, but we do wake them up. We have wake up calls for their jobs.

ST: What do you think of the housing process or system for incarcerated individuals?

P: What I do, when they come and talk to us, is work with them and give them contacts for case workers to get jobs and housing. For example today, one gentleman didn’t show. But it’s very difficult to hold down a job when you can’t shower and you don’t have a permanent warm bed to sleep in. It’s hard because of the mental health issue. I believe they are trying but when they don’t show you can’t get angry; you just have to make another appointment. I think getting out of jail is an adjustment. When you’re coming out and your homeless it means that something has happened with the family unit, and something has happened with the friends, and something’s happened so that they can’t take you in. You have to get a cell phone and then you might also have mental health or addictions issues.

ST: Do you think there is a cycle with getting out and then getting back into the system?

P: You know what they call it? “Three hots and a cot.” Three warm meals and a bed in jail. So, it is hard. It’s hard for us. Imagine how it is for us, when you get out of college and you’ve done all your courses. And if you were carrying around a record it’s very hard to do that. For a homeless person it’s hard. Someone has told me their teeth were not in good shape. I’ve never met anyone that is happy with the way that they look. They are just like us. It’s very hard and I admire them.

ST: How do you think the families are?

P: The parents that I’ve met have been heart sick. One woman told me her son went to good schools but she couldn’t have him in the house because she couldn’t trust him. But she loved her son; she took him for Christmas dinner. So it’s not that people aren’t there. It’s like having a roommate and then they took your things and other things happened.

ST: How do jobs play into this system?

P: There are a tremendous amount of resources, but it is still difficult. If you have mental health or addiction issues, and you have to go to a program but you have a job, how do you go to your job when you also need to go to your program? If you have to go to a probation officer, how do you ask your boss for time off.

ST: Do you think there are ways this process could improve?

P: I guess more mental health services; if we had a transitional period. For example, when your disabled you have a job coach who is there with you and then with you every other day, then every week. If there was some type of job assistant, someone who is there to assist. The jobs that these men get are hard jobs. They’re labor jobs. Imagine working outside all day and then coming back and you’re not able to shower. So I think it would be great if there was somewhat of a transition. I also wish businesses gave them more of a chance, but you can’t blame the business. Someone might have a conviction where other workers might not feel safe. It’s a complicated issue. For example, my wallet’s been stolen as well as other volunteers so you need to know that it happens. But if there was a transitional period and even transitional housing where someone who got out of prison can live and then save up their money and move on. But also, it depends on how well the person coming from incarceration is able to do these things and behave appropriately.

ST: Any final thoughts you’d like to finish?

P: With the storm tonight, I’m just worried about my guys. As a volunteer you have immediate concerns, like we don’t know where this one guy is tonight. But you also have long range concerns, like getting housing.