Safe Harbor for the homeless

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Homeless people spend the night at Traverse City Church of the Nazarene through Safe Harbor, a network of local churches that offers shelter to homeless people during the winter months. More churches and volunteers are offering their services this year, which has also seen an increase in people seeking help. Record-Eagle/JAN-MICHAEL STUMP
Robert Huot reads at Traverse City Church of the Nazarene. Record-Eagle/JAN-MICHAEL STUMP
Bill Kimerly talks with others while watching a movie at Traverse City Church of the Nazarene. Record-Eagle/JAN-MICHAEL STUMP

January 9, 2011

Local churches open their doors to those in need of winter shelter

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE lvanhulle@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Sun Jan 09, 2011, 06:14 AM EST

TRAVERSE CITY — Robert Huot had work and rented a room at The Whiting Hotel in downtown Traverse City.

But then he lost his job and fell behind in his rent at nearly the same time the economy began to sink. He has found occasional work through a temp agency, but said he looks for a full-time opportunity every day.

Huot has sought shelter with Safe Harbor, a collection of local churches that open their doors to the homeless nightly from November until April. He wants to get back on his feet.

"It's better than sleeping out in the snow," Huot said. "This is not the place I want to be."

Safe Harbor's participation is ticking upward. Last year, on average, 25 people spent the night, said Ryan Hannon, Street Outreach coordinator with Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan, who works with Safe Harbor.

November's nightly average was 26 people, Hannon said. Peak numbers typically are recorded in January.

"We're going upwards," he said. "I do think it's the economic times."

Mike McDonald, chairman of the Safe Harbor steering team, said he has noticed an increase from last year that equates to about five or six people each night.

Safe Harbor guests are just a fraction of the estimated homeless population in the region.

In January 2010, 405 people were counted as homeless in Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim and Kalkaska counties as part of the Greater Grand Traverse Area Continuum of Care. The point-in-time count is taken to qualify for funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

People are counted as homeless in the survey if they are on the streets, in an emergency shelter or transition house, living in a motel or hotel or expecting to leave a residence, jail or treatment center within two weeks and have no alternative.

The 2011 count will be taken Jan. 26, said Cheryl Naperala, the continuum's coordinator.

Churches rotate as hosts every one to two weeks. Volunteers prepare meals, play cards, watch movies and talk to people who stay there.

Traverse City Church of the Nazarene wrapped up its two-week run Friday. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, on Union Street, took over as host on Saturday.

Nazarene first took in homeless residents on cold nights in 2003. Other churches joined a year later. Fourteen are hosts this year, and several others offer volunteers.

Redeemer Lutheran Church in Interlochen is the newest host. Its members signed up for Dec. 18-24 after Safe Harbor put out a request to fill the week.

Some in the congregation discussed joining the network last winter, but the timing wasn't right, said the Rev. Mark Berlin, Redeemer's pastor.

This year, he estimates at least 25 people stayed each night. It was particularly poignant, he said, given the Christmas holiday.

"We found out there was a need," Berlin said. "It was a wonderful experience just to really help other people."

Shelters like the Goodwill Inn aren't for everyone. Some Safe Harbor guests said they were turned off by stringent rules there. Inn residents are required to look for a job or volunteer if they can't work. The goal is to help each person find permanent housing.

But neither is Safe Harbor for everyone.

There are rules: Everyone has to sign in. No alcohol, drugs or weapons are permitted on the premises, although people are allowed to enter if intoxicated. Men and women sleep in separate rooms. Children aren't admitted.

After dinner at Nazarene, Hannon gave a thumbs-up gesture to a man walking by, who stopped for a hug.

Later, Hannon said he's not always popular.

"Some of them don't like me because I adhere to the rules," he said of his "tough love" method. "It's love nonetheless."

His job with Goodwill is to connect people living on the streets with services they need.

Hannon visits campsites in the woods or under bridges, but not everyone is willing to accept his help. For some, he said, maintaining independence and pride is important. Others don't think they qualify, or think they qualify less than someone else.

Some of them only go to a Safe Harbor church on the coldest nights.

Most hosting churches are within Traverse City limits. People often migrate there from rural, outlying areas because of the city's size, Hannon said. Human services agencies, public transportation and jobs are easier to find in comparison.

Dan Delater wants to live close to town. Last he knew, he was No. 108 on a waiting list for a federal Section 8 housing voucher, which holders can transfer between residences.

Delater earns $619 each month in disability payments. He wants his own place.

But he also has a criminal record, which he worries could hurt his chances at finding both housing and a job. People look down on the homeless — unfairly, he said, since many critics have never been without a roof over their heads.

Delater can list several places he has camped, and has stayed at Safe Harbor on and off since Nazarene launched the program about eight years ago.

He likes to get a space near an electrical outlet so he can plug in his Microsoft Xbox video game console, which has a portable screen.

"They've got a warm meal," he said of Safe Harbor. "The volunteers are really nice. I'm very grateful."