As Volunteers of America’s Executive Vice President Patrick Patterson rallied the volunteers who surrounded him Wednesday night, there wasn’t a single one, new or old, who seemed burdened by the task they would soon face.
“This is about love and government compliance,” Patterson said to the group, a full house that night. “I’ve never had this much help before, so it should be a quick night.”
As part of the Annual Homeless Census, volunteers and staff gathered at Volunteers of America offices and divided into teams as they prepared to head out into the cold, ready to give a head count of homeless people in the area and bring them to shelter in a warming center.
The room, alive with energy, was filled not only with people, but also bags full of donations of clothing, blankets, gloves, hats and sleeping bags for those who chose not to come back to the warming center. The count began at after 10 p.m. and wrapped up at about 1:30 a.m.
Patterson emphasized that the night would be about love and the compassion it takes to help those in need. He also instructed the teams to exercise common sense and safety precautions when venturing outside.
“We are a group of faith,” Patterson said, and the entire room joined in prayer.
The count is meant to provide an accurate picture of the extent of homelessness in the community. The data collected on the surveys will go to Congress and ultimately determine the allocation of resources toward homeless prevention and service programs.
Members of the Homeless Angels, a local awareness group, and Lansing police officers were also in attendance.
The officers were an essential addition, as they know the streets better than anyone else, VOA Drector of Community Engagement Darin Estep said.
“Safety is a modest concern,” Estep said. “It would be an unfair stereotype to consider the homeless particularly dangerous. The biggest danger facing our survey teams was frostbite or slip and fall accidents.”
Estep said sometimes outreach can be the first step to building trust and it’s important to “show that someone cares about their welfare and wants them to be in a safe place.”
Many of the volunteers were once homeless themselves, and their experience has come full circle now that they are available to reach out to people who are in the same shoes they’ve been in.
“If you or I shiver walking from the car to our home, that’s discomfort. But if somebody doesn’t have a home to walk to, that can be life threatening,” Estep said.
Joan Jackson Johnson, Director of Human Relations and Community Services in the City of Lansing, said shelters have been more packed than she’s ever seen in her life.
Shelby Williams, Lansing resident and member of the Homeless Angels, said she simply wanted to come out and help.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
