In the Fullerton Observer this month about The Armory... About the Bad Weather Shelter RE: “Fullerton’s Bad Weather Shelter” by Rusty Kennedy, Mid Dec. Observer) I was so proud of Rusty Kennedy when he wrote his article about the homeless at the Armory. Unfortunately, I have been given other information that shows a few problems. 1) People are stealing from each other! While people are showering someone is going through the pockets of their clothing and even stealing shoes. As a result my friend had to walk around with no shoes for quite a long time. Some people do not take showers because of this and they smell. There should be mandatory showers. No shower - no dinner - and no sleeping there through the night. 2) The security system should be comprised of both women and men trained in security and paid for by Mercy House. Women have been assaulted by males at the Armory. 3) The sleeping mats are dirty and should be washed regularly. Mercy House should not be given a blank slate to oversee the shelter exclusively. Other groups like NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) would like to be part of the program. Also the services of the One Stop Job Center in Anaheim should be offered to the clients. There are too many unemployed. Susan Garfield Wright Fullerton Response from Larry Haynes, Executive Director of Mercy House I am genuinely sorry to hear that Susan, or anyone for that matter has had any negative experiences with the Armory program. Let me say that the Armory program certainly is not a perfect program, especially given the numbers served and the conditions under which we need to operate. Having said that, the overwhelming experience for most was best reflected by Rusty Kennedy just recently in the Observer. All things considered, the Armory, by almost all accounts is an extremely well run program given the circumstances. Again, while the Armory certainly has its challenges, I think there must be some confusion as to some of Ms. Wrights criticisms. First off, we have security present on site at all times. When showering, clients have various options: Many request a trusted friend to watch their belongings, and there is a bench area where people can change and keep their belongings while they shower. This bench area is visible from the shower, so clients would be able to see their belongings the entire time they are showering. Petty theft will occasionally occur, even with our diligence - sadly, people will do such things when desperate, even with our precautions. If someone reports missing belongings, we do a thorough search with our staff and security team, and if anyone is caught stealing, we will take disciplinary measures. Let me say, we have never been told by a client that they will not shower because of fear of theft. As far as the person claiming they had no shoes, this is confusing. We have clothing, including shoes, available. I can say with complete confidence that the staff at the Armory go out of their way to find every client the clothes or shoes that they need. We do not force showers upon our clients, and we will not do so. Many have made arrangements for taking showers elsewhere during the day. Nevertheless, we will not force showers on anyone -- this is a violation of their liberty and is profoundly insulting and disrespectful. We have both male and female security guards on site, every night, specifically to provide the security and respect for our female clients. Male security guards contact female clients only in the case of emergencies. We take safety issues seriously. To my knowledge there have been no incidents involving a man assaulting a woman inside the Armory that wasnt handled immediately either with the help of police or simply by banning the offender from the Armory. Any person who has volunteered at the Armory knows that we clean every mat, every night. If for any reason a client feels their mat is dirty for any reason, staff will absolutely either clean the mat, or provide a new one. Of course, what is really needed is a year round emergency shelter and our ongoing vigilance in developing permanent supportive housing, so we for once and for all, end homelessness in Orange County.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:50:59 +0000
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