Homeless Shelter Visit

I have to admit...the experience that I had at our class visit to the homeless shelter did not match up with what I expected the homeless shelter to be like. The shelter was much more like an actual home than it was a shelter. It felt comforting, welcoming, and safe. I really love this photo because it includes hands of all different colors, designs, and sizes. To me, this quilt represents unity and friendship, and those qualities can be so important during a hardship like homelessness. Inspirational messages like this quilt are displayed all throughout the shelter, which I really enjoyed.

I'm not sure who this note was written by, but I would assume that it is from one of the children who had stayed at the shelter in the past. This note is really heartwarming because of the appreciation that they show to the shelter. This shelter truly saves lives and wants to help people get back on their feet, and their clients are so thankful for that, even the children.

The shelter offers a place for their clients to sleep along with food to eat, but one of the shelter's main goals is to get their clients back out on their own. They offer so many resources to help make this possible, including Internet access to search for jobs, cars to drive to work and/or school, and help with applying for housing. I really love this photo because it captures one of the goals of this shelter. This particular flier is advertising a scholarship to the Culinary Arts Program at Forest Park Community College, which is a great opportunity, especially for someone who has a passion for cooking. I think it's awesome that there are so many opportunities available for the people staying at the shelter.

The shelter includes several different areas, including a living area, kitchen, computer room, play room for the children, and nursery. One of the workers at the shelter explained how useful the nursery is because it provides a place for mothers to care for their babies. It's very comforting for mothers, knowing that they have the resources to give their child a comfortable and healthy life.

We were able to look inside the supply room at the shelter, which included clothing items, shoes, body care items, school supplies, and much more. Some of the clients come to the shelter with only the clothes on their backs, so the shelter is able to provide them with another set of clothes and shoes, courtesy of donations. This also comes in very useful when clients have job interviews because the shelter is able to supply them with an appropriate and professional outfit. I included the picture of school supplies because the shelter provides services to a lot of children, all of which attend school. I think it's awesome that these materials are made available to the students. Every child deserves an education, and every child deserves the materials and resources that are necessary to make their educational experience a successful and enjoyable one.