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To the editor:
"There will be no beds, but they will have a table to rest their head on," were the words that Melanie Haney stated in a recent news article about the Willand Pond warming shelter in Somersworth.
Imagine being homeless trying to survive in freezing temperatures and not having a bed to rest on. A human body in crisis needs proper rest to function day to day, and I don't foresee resting your head on a table could provide much proper rest to a human body.
Personally, I think it's great that the warming shelter will be functioning, but it concerns me about the heart of the person that will be managing the warming shelter. Although homelessness is an issue in surrounding towns, a lot of the root issues that causes homelessness is mental health issues. A lot of individuals also struggle with drug addiction to cope with lingering trauma and the struggles that come with being homeless. My biggest worry is how do we support these individuals as a whole person to allow them to gain the esteem to get on their feet. Most services of help require internet access or transportation and with therapy comes long waiting lists. At a local mental health facility, there is a waiting list of 800 people.
On a recent Facebook post under a Rochester Facebook Group, a lot of people were frowning upon homeless individuals and emphasizing on their drug addiction.
However, where does the level of humanity stand? Of course the behaviors that homeless individuals portray are concerning, but these people are at their lowest and without community or love, I feel that an individual that is at rock bottom will not have attainable goals to succeed in a world where surviving is a whole different planet.
Last year, Amy Malone and Melena Lugo ran the Willand Pond Warming Shelter with compassion and dedication. I feel that they both ran the facility with knowledge on how to address the "whole person" and went above and beyond to assure that these individuals were safe. I have personally seen Amy Malone in tears while she named off homeless individuals and expressing her worry about the Willand Pond Warming shelter and her worry for the survival of these individuals, however Karlee's Home Team was turned down this year and in place Melanie Haney from East Coast Evolution Leadership was chosen to run this warming shelter.
With the cost of living, a lot of individuals are being forced to find shelter behind dumpsters, in tunnels, cars and bus stops. If we research how long homelessness has been happening in the world, it's been decades and the resources that are in place are improving but are still not enough.
A few residents of Rochester have thought of creating a homeless community with tiny homes, showers/restrooms and establishing rules that will encourage them to release their addictions and improve their quality of life by making the choice to choose a better quality of life. However, where are the resources to establish a community like this?
On a personal level, I have an uncle that struggles with schizophrenia and was living homeless behind dumpsters. An individual with mental health issues struggles taking care of daily life matters anyways and needs clinical help in order to just survive. Thankfully, my uncle is now in a facility where he is watched over and has his basic needs being taken care of. When a person has much greater issues occurring, the basic needs and taking care of themselves can be hard to come by.
However, that doesn't mean that they deserve less than humane conditions.
- Brittany Eldridge,
Rochester,
mental health advocate
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