A public hearing was held at NCC yesterday by the Commission on the Status of Women.
For almost two hours, women from the area detailed their personal lives to the panel, asking for policy changes that would make it easier to survive in Fairfield County.
State Reps. Toni Boucher, R-143, and Christopher Perone, D-137, state Sen. Bob Duff, D-25, majority whip, and six Norwalk Common councilmen joined members of the commission on the panel.
It was one of three public hearings the commission plans to transcribe and send to state policymakers. A previous hearing was held in Enfield, and another one is scheduled at the University of Connecticut in February.
“We’re responsible for being a liaison between community and government,” said Teresa Younger, executive director of the commission, “and we wanted to gather their stories so we can communicate effectively with the government.”Marie Wendorff, who lives in Wilton, described her escape from an abusive relationship. She had to walk away from a career during the ordeal, and has since moved her three children to a one-bedroom apartment.
“So I was one of the haves with the white house and the picket fence, and I have become a have-not,” Wendorff said. It took her a year and a half to get help from the government, and she told the panel the process should be easier.
“There are, no question, some heavy bureaucratic steps that really hamper a critical situation,” Boucher said.
I worry about the continuation of gender based policy legislation. Sure there are specific issues that track along gender lines, but I think we are long past the point where economic issues solely affect one gender or another. The economic reality in Fairfield County is that single people, especially single parents, male or female, are at an economic disadvantage when it comes to housing choices.
The oft cited earning power argument, women earning .70 cents to ever dollar is so misleading. There are whole classes of jobs that pay less than a sustainable wage, and while those jobs may in fact have a greater employment of women, it’s not like the men who hold them fare any better. You never hear about gender wage disparity by waiters and waitresses, for example, although each earns a wage below even the minimum standards set for the nation. Likewise, at the higher end of the economic ladder, you don’t see disparity in wages in say computer programmers, directors of marketing or investment bankers.
Perpetuating streotyping arguments does a great disservice. When economic issues are at stake, it is important to focus on the real problem. Single parent families do struggle to make ends meet in Fairfield County, and gender has nothing to do with it.
source: The Hour, Status of Women panel hears complaints, by Jared Newman, Janaury 24, 2008
Women play the victim card well, don’t they? And it’s always the abuse excuse against men that does the trick. Blame a man, get a helping hand.
Obviously you are an abusive man. I will keep you and the people you abused in my prayers.
NCC rolls out welcome mat for shelter residents 14 homeless students enroll in special program
It was sad to see no one thread no one person came out and complimented Jill Bodach’s article in The Hour or even spoke about its content.
While it is pointed out on a daily basis the city responds to legit medical emergencies and drug and assaults calls all the time to the shelter as many as three a day not to long ago it was asked who thinks about the children?
Jill does
So this article taken out of context shows another side to Norwalks college and Norwalks people worth mentioning
It is unlikely that many freshmen beginning their college career are as excited as Stacy.
Not that long ago Stacy, who asked that her last name be withheld, was living at the Norwalk Emergency Shelter. Now, she has transitioned to an apartment in Bridgeport, is enrolled as a full-time student at Norwalk Community College and has secured a job on campus. Stacey plans to study abnormal psychology to help children who, like her, have a difficult time dealing with social and emotional pressures.
“I was a delinquent child myself and I had depression issues and attempted suicide, so I can understand what they’re going through and I want to help people with that,” the 20-year-old said.
Stacy is one of 14 former or current shelter residents attending NCC as part of a special program between the two organizations. The success of the program has impressed and surprised those who started it.
“When I was first approached with the idea, I admit, I didn’t know how someone living in the shelter could become a college student because we require certain documents and records for our applications that I didn’t know if they could be retrieved,” said Curtis Antrum, associate director of admissions for NCC
“I think that some people have the misconception that people who live in the shelter are dumb, lazy, ignorant and don’t want to do anything to help themselves but they are just people, like you and me, who fell on hard times,” said Marilyn Hodge, dean of students at NCC, the organizer of the program. “It could happen to any of us. They saw this as an opportunity for them to get a second chance and they seized it. They more than seized it.”
Once accepted, the students were told they would need to obtain work-study jobs. Within days, they had obtained them on their own.
“They were so proactive,” Hodge said. “Their enthusiasm is amazing. To be a brand-new student and figure out that process so easily is great.”
But they don’t have to figure everything out on their own. Each new student has been matched with a current honors student at the college who will serve as their mentor while they are in school. New students will also receive a counselor who will follow their progress and serve as their advisor.
For Hodge, what began as a project for the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Training Institute became so much more.
“When I heard how many students there were, I nearly jumped up and down in the hallway,” Hodge said. “There is such a sense of satisfaction and joy in knowing that we are making a difference in someone’s life. This is the mission of a community college. It’s the essence of why were are here and why we do what we do. It’s really been a wonderful experience for all of us.”
I know its off the subject but the thread has only one positive post I’m not surpried but prayer does help.
Maybe the article will give others who donate their time like residents and GE something to feel good about as a team the city moves forewood.
another reason to support the NNHT meeting at the Y we can never have enough help helping our young.
You can see by Jills article they also help themselves a great story just a shame it got buried.
Someone- anyone with a stable family and job should ATTEMPT to live in the Norwalk Emergency Shelter for just ONE DAY and ONE NIGHT.
Most of the people are trapped there by circumstances beyond their control. They can check in but they can’t check out.
Its sad to see the childrens faces who live there they too are victims.
Yes, the children ARE victims too. They have to listen to the adults endless cursing- inside and outside of the facility. They have to watch open air drug sales, alcoholics passing out outside and inside, fights, total disrespect for others…it is very sad. And some people have lived there over 10 years. Can you imagine. Most are just not the kind of people who can make the money to afford housing in the entire county so they are stuck even if they get a job.
That is why you have so many “multifamily” homes in the poorer areas. Also there are so many businesses in SONO now vacant and the same can be said for new housing in the area.
I live there. I know.
Some of our homeless that are simply not compatable with others who are at the shelter are banned.Where do you suppose they go?Be nice if other reas of the city hosted the shelter once in a while just for a reality check.
I’m surprised we don’t hear more about our shelter the NHHT was asking for donations not too long ago so they seem to be in touch with whats going on in the city.
City joins other municipalities in annual count of homeless
By JILL BODACH
Hour Staff Writer
REGION — For the second year in a row, agencies across the state will be conducting a count of the homeless in the state.
Tonight, agencies throughout the state in 18 municipalities will participate in the “Point-in-Time” count.
In previous years, each municipality, or area of the state, conducted its own counts, making it possible to include the same individual in more than one count.
The goal of the statewide count is to create an inclusive picture of the extent of homelessness in the state.
“When everyone does the count on the same night we are able to get a more accurate number of homeless because there is less duplication,” said Kate Kelly, campaign manager for the Reaching Home Campaign and Partnership for Strong Communities.
Last year’s Jan. 30 count found there were an estimated 3,325 households experiencing homelessness. Of those, 2,138 single adults and nearly 392 families resided in emergency shelter or transitional programs.
Thirty-eight families statewide and more than 707 single adults were living on the streets in parks and cars, transportation terminals or other locations not intended for human habitation.
In addition, 797 homeless children were counted with their families. Sixty-nine were in unsheltered locations and 728 were in emergency shelters and transitional housing programs.
In Norwalk, there were 153 single adults and 23 adults in families residing in emergency shelters or transitional housing. Forty-nine single adults were unsheltered that night.
Kelly said she would not be surprised if this year’s count was as high or higher than last year.
“We are working very hard on solutions to end homelessness but with (the) rising cost of housing, particularly in this area, I would not be surprised if the numbers stayed the same or were higher,” Kelly said.
Carole Antonetz, director of the Norwalk Emergency Shelter, said the numbers of people staying in the shelter has remained about the same as last year.
“It’s been at a steady pace, but it seems like this winter we are seeing more people from the community coming in to Manna House and the food pantry for food,” Antonetz said. “It might be because the price of gas and energy are so high that people don’t have much left over for food.”
According to the count, Connecticut’s homeless population has a lot in common with homelessness across the nation: most are single adults — half of whom have behavioral health disabilities and half of whom have been homeless for at least a year.
Single adults are typically aging males. Veterans and teens aging out of the foster care system were also represented in the count.
Agencies throughout the state have been working hard to find solutions, Kelly said, so that the number of homeless will decrease.
One of those solutions is to create more supportive housing units in the state.
“The cost of housing is so high in Connecticut that even though we have almost 3,000 units of permanent and supportive housing we don’t have enough,” Kelly said.
The Reaching Home Campaign is asking the legislature to approve 650 new units of supportive housing in 2008.
“We appreciate what they’ve done so far, but we hope that the count will shed light on the tremendous need,” she added.
Supportive housing is one of the best ways to ensure that those who transition to housing do not become homeless again.
“With the population we’re working with, a lot of them need support services, so we can’t just put them in apartments on their own because, in the past when that’s happened, they end up back in shelters,” Antonetz said. “The best way to help them maintain an independent lifestyle is to provide those services.”
There are other programs that also seek to support the homeless and provide them with the means to transition out of homelessness.
Norwalk Community College, the Norwalk Emergency Shelter and United Way have partnered together to provide 14 currently or previously homeless individuals with the opportunity to attend classes at NCC.
“We’re really excited to be able to provide people with an opportunity to do something good for themselves and help themselves out of the situation they are in,” Antonetz said.
Solving the problem of homelessness comes down to funding, Kelly said. Connecticut received $26 million federal grants last year — $1.3 million of which went to Norwalk — but even more is needed.
“Most of that was renewal funding for existing programs,” Kelly said. “Twenty-six million is a lot of money but the numbers show that it’s clear that we need more help.”
Jill Bodach is a features and general assignment reporter. She can be reached at (203) 354-1046 or jbodach@thehour.com.
Jill has had more than article and yes its been documnted here on the blog by one who rants all the time.
I’ve lived in that h-hole for over 2 years now. Do not believe what the “staff” tell you goes on there. Come on in for a night yourself and pretend you have nowhere to go and no family or job. You will find yourself being debased by many of the staff and pushed beyond your limits by many of the residents who curse/shove/slam you/steal from you/ etc. The staff turn a blind eye. They just do their shift and leave. Those in charge also pretend all is well. The place is filthy dirty and the food is unhealthy and horrible. 80+ people using one stinking bathroom in the morning. Abuse toward women and toward weaker men. Definate prejudice against hispanic and white people. Food that was out of date years ago. Moldy bread. Bologna sanwich with one slice of bologna for lunch. Never once in 2 years orange juice for breakfast- sugarly punch instead. No help finding employment. No counseling of any kind. Criminal clients run the show.
And this is why the place should be shut down. There should be somewhere for people in situations they need to escape but that place should not be a warehouse for drug addicts, dealers, and people who don’t want help.
That sheltr is next to a school. I wonder how many drug deals happen. Isn’t there something that can be done hat way.
TG, what you say about no disparity of wages in coporate jobs may be true NOW — but when I started my career at GE, I was paid 20,000 less than a man with the same level of experince, doing the same job, and holding the same title. When I mentionrd this to my boss, his comment was “I don’t know why you compare salaries. It only makes you unhappy.” If companies today pay women (generally) the same as men — it’s not because they suddenly saw the lgiht but because the government made them do it.
anon: Sure, historically it may have been the case. But continuing a policy “just because” is not my cup of tea, and never has been.
Not “just because”…but just becuase if you lift the hammer business and corporations will slowly slide back to discriminatory hiring and pay practices. I’m no great fan of EEO and there were certainly some abuses at the start (and even now, I’m sure) but it generally lifted the condition of a lot of people — women, blacks, disabled, gays, etc. We forget how bad it used to be not that long ago. Back to GE, in the 40′s/50′s they wouldn’t even hire Jews — forget about women and blacks.
Could you give a reference to support your GE statement?
http://www.albany.edu/history/histmedia/Hq.html
…and personal experience.
I have to agree with TG on this one
The shelter has problems. Most of the “staff” are volunteers, most of the food is donated, it is overcrowded and not intended to do more than provide emergency temporary indoor shelter for people who have no alternative. Volunteer for a few hours and see for yourself. Most of the people who get stuck there have serious mental problems, including alcohol or drug addiction and should be hospitalized for treatment. Treatment cost money. Once it was discovered that a lot of treatment can be done on an out-patient basis, the State Hospitals that used to treat indigent mentally ill were closed to save money. The shelter is the only resource these people have left. At that, on any given night, there are homeless people who avoid the shelter and sleep outside, in cars or under bridges, etc. Without the homeless shelter, they would not get meals. As bad as that food may be, it is food. Just recently a whole group of such people, men women and children, were “evicted” from under the Broad St Bridge by State DOT. We have always had homeless people, a lot of them would manage to get arrested for “vagrancy” when the weather turned cold in the fall and spend the winter in jail. Many of them were decorated veterans who should have gotten better care and treatment, but nobody wants to spend the money, and most of them wanted no part of hospitals. One was a gifted musician who claimed they needed him at the jail to play the organ for Christmas services, and boasted he had never missed Christmas services there for years. He usually slept in a parked delivery truck. He had local family he visited, but would not stay with them.
I stay there too. It is horrible. There is NO counseling/help getting a job or housing. The caseworkers are too busy to see you and spend their time oon paper or putting out fires. They do not warn you of mistakes- they throw people out in the middle of the night including women. (great place to be, right?) People have been there for years. Mental health people have their checks “taken” and are given money….they do not even know what they are owed. Many staff are ignorant and rude. Rules change on a whim. EVERYONE in there HATES the place. It needs a total overhall. The director needs to go she pretends she sees no evil, hear no evil, so do no good. All they do is raise money for themselves. Residents do NOT get many of the “donations” staff take them home. People are drunk and high and cursig and gross and no one cares. So many of the staff are PURE GHETTO. DISGUSTING- would not put a dog there.
I thought it was supposed to be an EMERGENCY shelter, not a long term facility.
Didn’t they decide on that empty school for long term needs of the homeless on strawberry hill? Its a nice area nothing like South Norwalk I imagine a lot safer for those mothers with kids.Isn’t there a business going in next to the homeless shelter on Merritt not good for the shelter I’d say.
No- they were going to put the shelter in an abandoned building at the end of Merit street on Chestnut, All the money is being saved up for that so the “cleintele” get worse and worse treatment. Manyy of the “staff” have no education and should not be working with animals much less people. But sone of rhe “cleintele” act more like animals than humans. The Directors need to meet with the people stuck in the place and find out the truth- or pretned one nigyht to be homeless and go in there and see how you are treated. It is also a prejudice place if you are white or spanish you get shit on. The black staff are “budies” with the mostly black clients. Also the place is unhealthy for children !!!!!!
Why is it that the shelter and other places like that are always in South Norwalk? It seems as perhaps the people that are there may understand there is a better way of life if they get out of the same area. I don’t know, it just seems as if the people of South Norwalk always get what the rest of the city doesn’t want or won’t tolerate. I was under the assumption that the shelter was a place to go short term and they gave you incentive to get back on your feet. I have seen the inside of that place when dropping off donations and i can’t imagine anyone wanting to bring kids there. I have also been told that anyone can go there at meal time and eat even those who otherwise are self sufficient. So in otherwords, if you don’t feel like cooking, pile the kids in the car and head on down to the shelter for dinner. Why is it that we can’t build a decent facility? Other towns have them including Westport and surrounding towns.
I think there’s a shelter somewhere else in Norwalk, but I don’t know where. I think it tries to stay kind of anonymous, so the abusers won’t go there and get in the way. Ya’ know what I mean? I can’t blame them for staying anonymous. God forbid…..
However, and I could be wrong, but could you imagine a homeless shelter in Rowayton?!?! Oh my God, those people would be down to the Mayor’s office faster than lightning speed. “Not in OUR neighborhood…..oh, please, they don’t BELONG here!!!!! Ya! send them to South Norwalk, but not too close to SONO, or Washington Street”. Or let’s go to the Cranbury section of “town”. Heaven forbid…So South Norwalk gets it’s share. You can’t imagine bringing kids there, so be thankful. I know it’s dicey, and thank God for the people who help out.
Ya’ gotta love those Rowaytonites, though…..”Wonder Bread” types. Well, not all of them, but there are some.
I’m so proud to be a South Norwalker. I’ve seen it all! (I think, anyway!!!)
It is an emergency shelter, the police go there as many as three times a day for emergencies.All winter long the police were able to use some of the laundermats for overflow residents so they wouldn’t freeze. We now have a large group living in and around downtown Sono the people run the bead works has a few sleep under the staircase there some nights.Its amazing what happens in other areas where homeless now stay in the city.
The lowe st bridge was sporting about 50 workers the other day around 11 am seem like there are more day workers than work but its covered a cruiser usualy sits there for about 4 hours just watching them wait for work makes you wonder if they call that community policing?
Or you could get a like-minded Norwalk organization with personal affiliations to name you person of the year as one administrator recently accomplished, then act shocked!
You know, you could send those 50 workers from the Lowe Street Bridge to the Rowayton Bridge. You know the one that goes to Bell Island. Then the Bell Island people could pick them up to do their “yard” work and pay them. THen the police could hang out down there. Would it still be community policing?
Heaven forbid, though, that “migrant”, “Illegal” people are seen down in Rowayton (They’re there all the time, but pushing white babies in strollers or cleaning houses while the women are at the private beaches)…..OOPS!!!!! I let the “secret out. Was I supposed to say those things?!?!?
Hah! Give em sailboat logo t-shirts so everyone will think that Rowayton is becoming racially diverse and the residents actually do their own yard work…
I just want something done about those illegal workers before they are seen coming out my back door once they have cleaned me out.
Pathetic how some come out and talk about the glitter and gold the arts the tourism draw as we still host scum in our city that do us harm.
Wait till a tourist gets robbed it will make great headlines.
#29: What an AWFUL thing to say! Do you realize that they do not steal? I’ll TELL you who steals: those rich kids who do drugs because their parents “look the other way”. Now how does THAT sound? Pretty prejudicial. Yes, please get an alarm system because those kinds of people might hurt you. Go to Rowayton and live, where the beautiful people are……
Let me tell you something #29: I live in a very diverse neighborhood and believe it or not, I’m more in fear of people like you than the people you’re talking about.
Go have a nice day. People like you should go live far away!!!!!
I can’t stand Rowayton (Gee, does it show?) because those people don’t have a clue, and YES I DO lump them all together because they’re all the same. If they included every kind of person in their little enclave, without prejudice, then I’d recant my statement. But these very people are the ones who frequent “SONO” like it was SHI SHI to do so. Stay away from our South Norwalk unless you want to live there. But, in all actuality, you DO live in South Norwalk. Rowayton’s about as SOUTH as you could get. Yet, if you’re African American (Black) or Hispanic of some sort, you’ll be in trouble because you’re not white white white.
Yes, my comment’s prejudicial, but ttell me I’m wrong. Give me proof that I’m wrong. Tell me that minorities live there, tell me that a homeless shelter’s there; tell me that you welcome everyone to “your” beaches. Please prove me wrong. I would like to stand corrected.
Have a nice day.
The Shelter- its like roach-motel- you can check in but you can’t check out. You can’t get a job that pays enough to cover the rent in the area though many have college degrees and even higher.
Thank your lucky stars you are not in there, with all the ignorant angry people and loutish staff. There is no one going out searching to bring homeless people in- that is a blatant LIE. The donations do not alwlays go to the “homeless”…the staff take stuff home -food-clothes- etc. We have no say in anything. It just depends on the staff’s mood what the rule/punishment is.
more on the shelter please this is one of Moccia’s flagaship causes only at election time.The rest of the 20 months GE does most of the things there.Strawberry Hill annex I say.With a new trash facility next to the homeless shelter will just makes things worse there.
What ever happened after the fire there 3 months ago? Where was it in the laundry room?
I say that a shelter should still go in Rowayton. They have too many preserved land trusts down there. How about a shelter at the property on Sammis Street? It’s quiet, and no one’ll bother them – the homeless people. Heck….those Rowaytonites care so much about wildlife, animals, they could start caring for humans, too. Oh, what am I saying?!?!?! I forgot. They don’t want “others” down in their area. Sorry.
Shelter smelter. Does anyone know how many Half Way Houses there are in Norwalk, and in which parts of the city they are located?
I am more worried about those people than I am about the homeless.
Who knows how many child abusers are “”"”being rehabilitated”"” in these places.
They are called “Half Way”, but that can mean that they are half way rehabilitated back into society, or half way on the road BACK their old habits and back to prison.
All in your neighborhood next to your children and loved ones.
How many half way houses? Yes they’re half way between here and there!!!!! Ha Ha….
there are a lot of half way and teen group homes in Norwlalk and for the record Norwalk has one of the highest suicide and attempts in fairfeild count just a damm shame it isn’t any of the pesky politicians.
Last big splash was the kid on the 85 bridge by cresent st a few weeks he hung himself , since then Norwalk averages 1 a day they do it or they try.
My God. It is a tragedy when that happens. I always say, though, that when that happens, they need our prayers more than anything.
When did this happen? Didn’t see anything in the papers. How old was this child and who knew he/she was having such difficulties?
Last big splash was the kid on the 85 bridge by cresent st a few weeks he hung himself , since then Norwalk averages 1 a day they do it or they try.
FUnny thing, the shelter ‘in crowd’ gets their welfare checks on either the 1st or 3rd of the month. The shelter is empty for the 3 or 4 day period afterwards. Why?/Cause those lucky welfareites are contributing to the Norwalk economy by renting cheap motel rooms to use the crack or drink the beer that they bought locally.
Ain;t it grand to know that dem bums are helping Norwalk grow?
How do you know this A NON Amus?
You know, those Rowaytonites, such good Christian people…..’cept when it comes to the dregs of the world. How’s the progress going for a homeless shelter down there? How about Pinkney Park? They should help these people…..
everyone noew that rowaytonites are dose wit a dareien wannabe lifestyle but have a norwalk budget….
Been a past member of a Rowayton Beach Club and a current resident of the sHeLLter, I’d like to make some observations. People are pretty much the same everywhere, only their status symbols change. At the club, it was your stock portfolio, your recent trip to Italy, your yacht and its travels,your dinner setup (lobstertails/full bar set/color-coordinated picnic gear) your kids on the swim team or playing tennis et al.
At the SHelter it is: whether you are on social security or not and how much it is. (on it and a hefty sum are preferable)- if not on SS- do you have other forms of income coming in? Can you afford a motel once in a while? Do you have foodstamps so you can order out- chicken breasts at Crespo’s- Meat Patties at Louie’s. Do you have the income to do your drug of choice whenever you choose to use it? Can you buy some Chinese food for yourself and your friends while others eat the regular “diet” of undercooked chicken and overcooked rice. Can you successfully avoid scurvy (they never serve fruit juices- just kool aid.)
Do you have a vehicle you can sleep in when you do not feel like listening to the Blaring TV or the Blaring People? Have you had success getting a job even with using the Shelter as your address? Does anyone in your family still have contact with you and know how miserable things can be there? Finally- have you been to prison so that you are not naive and-from the start- know how to secure your belongings,intimidate witnesses to crime, etc.
I neglected to add:
If residing at the Shelter, are you on buddy-buddy status with the staff?
Finally, it helps to have come in directly from prison. Then you are not coming in naive. You know how to intimidate people and how to secure your possessions….you know how to steal peoples’ belongings with impunity.
Oh, Fred Fesso…..your a crack up!!!!!! You’re too FUNNY!!!! I just LOVE your Style!!!!!!!!!
Roach Motel, thanks for your real input. Connecticut Magazine did an article a few years ago about suburban abuse. Yes it happens in Lilly White communities a LOT, but the people there are afraid to report it for fear of losing their expensive “meal ticket” (i.e. – the expensive lifestyle).
Too bad some of the women down there have lost their vision that they CAN make it on their own. What’s at stake? Themselves.
But, back to you Fred Fesso: You’re just the Dandiest!!!!!!!!! Oh, you’re a stitch!!!!!!!!!
Humor aside, it is heartbreaking to see the shelter as home to a child. As teacher to a little girl who was placed in Norwalk this year, I saw, once again, how these kids are bounced around with little chance of forming lasting relationships with friends or teachers. My student spoke in a inaudible whisper and trembled nervously whenever she was addressed by an adult, no matter how soft-spoken and approachable the adult might be. The girl would stay to the side of the playground at recess because she was too shy to make friends. She couldn’t take Gym until I purchased sneakers for her when hers were stolen by someone at the shelter. Library books and personal items also “disappeared” at the shelter. She was often embarrassed by this fact, and hesitated to explain her difficulties at home. Worst of all, as much as she wanted to complete her homework, she was often distracted to the point were quiet time was simply not possible. A sad thing, indeed, because this girl would write the most incredible stories and articulate herself so well in summaries, essays, and letters. Apparently, it was far safer for her to express herself on paper than it was to speak. Above all, she loved to read chapter books. When she wrote to me about how much she wanted to become a teacher, it was a bittersweet discovery. I can only pray that her roads are paved with detours. Thank God they waited to take her to a sister shelter at the school’s end after she formed a close bond with many of her classmates. On the last day of school, she gave me a beautiful painting – the only one on canvas she created in her Artistically Talented Art class – as a thank you for being her teacher. It deserves a golden frame.
Watchdog, I know you made a lasting affect on this child and one can only hope that the rest of her encounters in life are as enjoyable and enlightening as hers was with you.
Dear Watchdog- I know the little girl you speak about and God Bless you for your kindness and your understanding of her unique situation. The children at the Shelter do not appear to get any quiet time. They are housed with their mothers in one wing of the shelter. Babies crying, kids fighting, rowdy kids playing…no place for “homework”. The kids have a playground out back which really could be a nice place for them except when it rains, a small lake forms out there. These poor children, if they venture outside with a parent, may end up watching falling down drunks, fights, men urinating in public, listen to almost constant “m-f—-r” comments…..etc. It is sad to see the children in there. If it is hard on a mature adult to live there, imagine how it feels for a child! Also, if they have a father there, he is housed separately from his wife and children. Hard on all. So many people break down over time- you can watch the physical and mental deterioration. So many turn to alcohol (starting as early as 6:30AM) or other drugs. It is very sad that Norwalk cannot come up with a better arrangement.
watchdog: Thank you for sharing.
Maybe if more people take a closer look at those who have ended up at the shelter and see that no to long ago they were possibly your neighbor who fell on hard times others wouldn’t be so quick to judge the reason behind their circumstances. Does everyone truly believe that these people want to live there? Do you really think tthere is no stigma to going to school and having fellow students know that you live at 4 Merrit? Instead of condemning why not walk a mile in their shoes or better yet get your lazy high and mighty arses down to the shelter and volunteer to serve those you are trashing. Many of us do just that and we know adifferent side to many of these people. Yes, there are some who couldn’t care less about finding a job, having a home or anything else that qwe enjoy because they have reached the bottom and given up but there are others who are struggling to get out and back on their feet that shouldn’thave to live like this.