Immanuel Shelter working hard to help

The Nov. 13 lead story about using the former Troop 7 building for Code Purple sheltering again this winter reported Speaker Schwartzkopf saying he would once more need to go through the process for approval by the Commission on State Surplus Real Property. Consider, though: On April 30, Studio JAED issued a report, “Delaware State Police Troop 7 Adaptive Re-use Study,” based on a review begun in August 2019 and directed by a Senate bill. One of the report’s options was to use the Troop 7 site to shelter the homeless; 95 percent of the commenters/constituents of Schwartzkopf and Sen. Lopez favored that option. Had the speaker and senator chosen to pursue the will of their public, in all likelihood the Troop 7 building would already have been adapted for use in a COVID-safe manner without the “beat the clock” dramatics now being played for a Dec. 1 opening date. As it is, even if the building is used, it is foolhardy to think that the proposed COVID measures will provide safety to clients and volunteers.

I find it curious that the board of the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches did not strongly advocate for the Troop 7 building after the study report was issued. On Jan. 17, Mary Makowski, then LRAC president, distributed to “Dear Friends” a letter essentially disparaging Immanuel Shelter, its leadership and its plan to house the homeless in motels (“For a variety of reasons, this is less than ideal.”).  LRAC slashed its contribution to Immanuel from a planned $40,000 to $5,000. The Makowski missive also stated that on Jan. 4, Sen. Lopez had asked LRAC to take the lead in finding a long term solution to homelessness and on LRAC’s behalf, Makowski was accepting that charge. She also reported that Speaker Schwartzkopf had secured the Troop 7 facilities “for this season only.” 

On Jan. 17, while Makowski penned “Dear Friends,” evening temperatures in the Cape area dipped to 28 degrees F. And on that cold evening, Immanuel Shelter was the only local organization housing the homeless, albeit in the LRAC-determined “less than ideal” motel rooms (which provided heat, private toilet facilities, sleeping arrangements and security, with meals being donated by volunteers throughout the community). For the record, even without LRAC support, Immanuel Shelter housed and fed homeless adults and families with children until almost summer, thus offering a safe haven as COVID added another threat for the vulnerable homeless population. Our experience with the motel rooms was positive. Freed of spending hours locating a space for the evening, a place to secure their belongings, restrooms that might allow some level of privacy while addressing minimal hygiene issues and other concerns that most of us take for granted, our guests formed a community. Several secured financial assistance, located housing, found jobs, and virtually all found the experience to be positive. This was especially true for the children, who could focus on schoolwork, rather than the harsh realities of being homeless. By contrast, Code Purple used the Troop 7 site only when temperatures dropped to a certain level and even then, only if volunteers were available for staffing.

Now the focus shifts to housing solutions for this winter. Wondering what LRAC achieved in its work to answer the “Lopez charge” to establish a solution seems to be a fair question to consider. In January, Makowski noted that LRAC would contract with the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement for an “impartial facilitator in bringing together stakeholders within the community to find a way forward for” the 2021 season. Cost of that contract is unknown. For those who may not know, the leader of DANA is married to an LRAC board member. This might cast questions on DANA’s impartiality; nonetheless, given the Cape Gazette article, LRAC did not find a solution, at least for the 2021 season. DANA received payment for a contract that seemingly yielded no results. Once again LRAC seeks a temporary solution for this winter.  Immanuel Shelter with its long history of service to the community in providing for needs of the homeless population was not asked to participate in the stakeholder sessions with DANA. 

We concluded that Immanuel Shelter’s exclusion from interested stakeholders was deliberate. Consequently,  our board made the difficult decision to focus on readying our Belltown site for full-time shelter activities. Toni Short, the director of Lighthouse for Broken Wings, will step into Immanuel’s role from last year and secure motel space to house those needing shelter this winter.  Despite her years of involvement providing temporary shelter to those in need, Ms. Short also was excluded from participation in the stakeholder sessions that LRAC hosted. Too, Ms. Short receives no financial assistance from LRAC. 

I write this letter in the hopes that it will enlighten the public about the selectivity and necessity of being a part of the in crowd to receive financial assistance for community service in the Cape area. Most important for the immediate future is Ms. Short’s situation. If LRAC member churches rely on their board to decide who should receive support, they need to be aware that Ms. Short, an African American who heads Lighthouse for Broken Wings, is facing an uphill battle for funding to house the homeless community safely in motel rooms this season. She is well aware of needs and problems in that community and is widely known among our homeless denizens. LRAC has decided to fund only Love Inc. in its Code Purple activities this year. Love Inc.’s performance last year and its willingness to essentially warehouse people in an open building with minimal social distancing protection this season does not suggest an optimal plan. It seems reasonable to question why Ms. Short is not receiving assistance from LRAC and has been shut out as a stakeholder. Is it because LRAC disagrees with the use of motel rooms “for a variety of reasons,” none of which were specified? Or is it an example of subtle organizational discrimination against minority-led groups? 

I also want the public to know that, with or without support from established, favored groups and politicians, Immanuel Shelter’s board will work as expeditiously as possible to ready a site that serves the Cape-area homeless on a permanent, full-time basis. It would be much easier if the power brokers would support our efforts and facilitate the process. Certainly the area’s needs are greater than the favored LRAC participants can meet.