My letter to the board that overlooks the shelter

I realize that it is possible to consider me an angry former employee of Volunteers of America. Please consider that I write to you without malice, but with a deep personal concern for the unsuitable treatment of individuals seeking help through the Sheridan Community Homeless Shelter.
I cannot in good conscience not write you about this.

Briefly, here are my concerns:

Thirty-five percent of the people who were admitted to the shelter in 2007 were later kicked out of the shelter by staff or the director. A slim minority of these were understandably kicked out because they had broken “no-tolerance” rules, such as possession of alcohol, violent/threatening language, actual violence or thievery.
In 2007, the vast majority of the incidents that led to the dismissal of residents were indefensible on the part of the shelter’s own printed guidelines, on the part of the VOA Mission Statement, and on the part of anyone upholding the dignity and responsibility of a person. Obviously, this has an abusive, disempowering effect on residents.
Neither the staff nor the director is asked to answer to anyone with regard to the dismissal of a homeless resident. Even the number of those kicked out is not reported. Persons in need of help are released to the wind, some of whom couldn’t tell you why they got kicked out.
A resident veteran named Craig was kicked out for saying, “I know what these people are like. I am not like them.”
A resident was kicked out for failing to show up at a Saturday spot job, even though he had volunteered at a church on Friday to help pay for the bus ticket they provided, and worked a spot job Sunday. Monday morning he was kicked out. The guidelines say nothing about spot jobs.

Residents are bullied by staff and the director.
A veteran named Bill with a painful foot ailment was ordered by the director this summer to “get out of the shelter and take a walk downtown.” He complied, because he did not wish to be kicked out.
A veteran named Mike was told by staff, out of the blue, “You have two days to get a job, or you are out of here.” This resident had employment prospects in a technical field well on the way, and was eventually hired in his field and lives in Sheridan. I was put in the position of defending Mike against this bullying.
A resident named Charles was told he was mentally ill based on his religious beliefs, and was ordered by the director to see Mental Health or get kicked out.
A resident (name escapes me) was severely questioned because he bought a motorcycle while staying at the shelter. The resident had found a job the same day he registered at the shelter, and was awaiting housing. He was later kicked out by the director for a reason that the director could not articulate. “This isn’t going to work out,” is all they are told.
A staff member said in a meeting with myself and the director that he was going to do everything he could to kick a resident out. “I am going to get him today,” he said. The director made no comment about this irregular and unacceptable attitude from shelter staff.
In groups (meals or meetings, even devotional times) residents have been scolded like children.
Any resident at the homeless shelter knows that he or she can stay only as long as they are “allowed” to, putting them in a disempowering position when bullied. This goes on so routinely that the resident that is called into the director’s office is usually afraid that he or she is being kicked out. I can think of 10 (and there must be more) incidents when a resident was asked to see the director, and the first words out of their mouth were, “Are you going to kick me out?” Dozens more have asked, “Am I in trouble?” The director has said she doesn’t understand why the residents feel this way.
I have witnessed he worst kind of bullying – the smiling, “I am your best advocate,” sort that manipulates and intimidates. Residents were constantly harassed by the spoken or unspoken threat of being kicked out.

Residents are asked to spy on one another when not at the shelter. The director has called residents into her office to question them about the whereabouts and actions of other shelter residents while downtown in Sheridan. Residents have not wanted to do this, but were afraid or obligated to comply. Many referred to her as a “control freak” (not to her face).

I will summarize my other concerns: Staff training (all staff do intakes, no training was provided in 2007), residents are limited to access to their PRN (as needed) medications and sometimes forced to wait an hour for a pain relievers (director and staff decide when they can have them), residents are disallowed from taking spot jobs, the director’s immediate supervisor was only on site three times in 2007, the grievance procedure stops at the director’s desk, meals were refused to residents who had failed to sign up, an employee living at the shelter was allowed to stay in the shelter while inebriated off-duty (anyone else would have been kicked out), and one of our staff was working 16-our days (may still be doing so) – a shift at Supervision and a shift at the Shelter, back-to-back.

I was witness to all of the above and could not in good conscience leave these matters unsaid. These are not things that anyone would see on a usual tour of the shelter, or a usual report.

The poor, the unfortunate and the vulnerable are subject to harsh and unfair treatment at the shelter – treatment not in keeping with the VOA mission statement, not on par with my perception of the excellence of the youth home, foster parenting and WYSTAR programs, and not in keeping with what any person in good conscience would deem appropriate. I am personally embarrassed that the shelter has the word “Sheridan” in it, and you should be, too, that it says “Volunteers of America.”

I suggest all residents be given an exit or commenting form to be sealed and mailed to a board member.
I suggest that the shelter report to the board on the number and reasons for all dismissals of residents.
I suggest that the director keep detailed notes and on the reason for each dismissal.
I suggest that the quality of care at the shelter be supervised by a board sub-committee.
I suggest that the shelter staff keep track of, but not limit access to residents’ medications. This is a sticky situation, and a workable solution has yet to be found.

In sum, I submit that the dignity and restorability of each individual has not been given consideration at the shelter. This deeply troubles me. Administrating a homeless shelter and caring for the homeless are not the same things. I am afraid Volunteers of America has only succeeded at the former.