Crisis House is oasis for homeless

For the past 35 years, Crisis House Emergency Shelter in Georgetown has provided a haven for thousands of homeless people. It was among the first programs in the county and is still the only one that provides refuge for single women who have children.

The shelter – filled to capacity throughout the year – houses 15 adults and up to eight children, depending on their ages. Residents are permitted to stay up to 30 days, but because there are few housing options, some stay a few days longer or come back within a few months.

The goal of staff at the shelter is to help residents stabilize and get a job, and then get out the door to more permanent housing.

But, Director Marie Morole said it's becoming harder to find housing. She said local rooming houses have been converted to single-family homes, and affordable rental mobile homes are almost impossible to find. “They've all dried up over the past 10 years,” she said.

“We have nowhere to send people,” she says. “There is nothing affordable. People end up making the circuit of shelters because it's so tough to find permanent housing. We are working with every agency we can, but everyone is in the same boat.”

She says the lack of housing coupled with insufficient transportation options and scarcity of jobs are daily obstacles staff and residents face.

'Celebrate the success stories'

The shelter offers three meals a day, referral services, and job and housing search assistance. Although they don't publicize it, shelter staff feed about 300 walk-ins each month. “We have limited space, and the building is old, but we provide a lot for what we have,” Morole said.

“This is like a big family where people can find peace. Even so, people come in here with a lot of baggage,” said Program Director Nancy Woodruff. “You have to love your job and celebrate the success stories.”

The shelter is housed in the same building where the program began in February 1982 when a state grant helped purchase the Railroad Avenue property. Morole admits the house is held together with a wing and a prayer. “We need a new building or a major makeover of this one,” she said.

Crisis House residents must pass a background check, and they must have no record of sexual or violent offenses. They must also remain alcohol and drug free during their time at the shelter. “But we work with people who are trying to get clean,” Woodruff said.

Crisis House collaborates with The Way Home program in Georgetown to provide emergency housing for inmates who are released from prison. “They come here with nothing. For some we not only provide clothing but IDs, Social Security cards and even birth certificates,” Woodruff said.

Shelter staff also make referrals to other agencies for residents who have medical or mental health issues. They work with the Veterans Administration to find services and housing for veterans who walk through the Crisis House door.

State and federal funds, and donations from foundations, individuals, churches, organizations and businesses make up the shelter's annual $300,000 budget.

Phone 302-856-2246 or go to www.scchsinc.org for more information.

Apartments for mothers and children

Known as the Northport Transitional Housing Program, Crisis House owns five apartments and one house located near the shelter. The rental housing is available to single mothers with children for up to two years. During that time, the mothers are required to work, repair their credit, take part in case management programs and keep their children in school. They pay rent of $200 to $300 and pay their own electric bills.

“This gives them a chance to stabilize themselves with a goal of working toward permanent housing,” Morole said.

“We do the best with what we have. Most want to make it, but some will never be able to function living in a rental situation, and some actually like living the way they do,” Morole said.

And there have been success stories. Working with Habitat for Humanity, three clients have built their own homes. Others have gone on to find good jobs, and some have started their own businesses.

Crisis House work is redemption for Shirley Arno

Living in a shed for two months near Milton with cardboard as her only shelter from the freezing February weather, Shirley Arno reached her breaking point. “I had to get some help,” she said.

Fast forward 10 years, and she's found a home and a job at Crisis House. She lives in a one-room apartment at the Georgetown shelter.

She says she had to get out of an abusive relationship even though she had nowhere to go; she was homeless for nearly two years.

Arno's help was a 30-day stay at Crisis House in 2008 that changed her life. She was able to get a job working at the shelter four hours a day in First State Community Action Agency's older workers' program. She also was placed in one of the shelter's transitional apartments.

Arno, who is 70 years old, does not hold back when she talks about what would have happened to her if her path had not led to Crisis House. “I would not be alive today,” she said.

“Homelessness can happen to anybody. I can interact with the ladies here because I've been down the same road they have,” Arno says.

Crisis Center staff is quick to point out that Arno practically runs the place.

Although her job is technically a part-time cleaner, she can do everything at the shelter except work on the computer. “She keeps us going,” says program director Nancy Woodruff.

“I love being here and love the staff,” Arno said.