I value therapy groups and have found them to be instrumental to change for our clients. Recently, I sat in on the New Way group session. Twenty folks were there for this therapeutic gathering. Chuck M. the counselor graciously let me select the topic. One of my favorite ways to break the “ice” is asking everyone to say their name and something positive. Tonight I asked them to tell the group something they liked about Crossroads. I was encouraged to hear the comments; some liked the spiritual help they had gotten at the mission, some liked the kindness of the staff, while some liked the food. The ones that stood out to me were the comments about feeling safe at the mission.
Sometimes I forget how much being secure means to our visitors and program participants. It’s hard for me to understand that some of the homeless feel safer in the desert than they do in a building with other folks. Life experiences, mental health issues, and a variety of other problems have helped develop their thinking. Many of them carry their belongings with them and those few items are exceedingly valuable to them. By all outside appearances, I might think that their life is fairly simplified in comparison to where I live, my possessions, and especially staying in close contact to my family.
Feeling secure isn’t something that most of us give a great deal of thought too. We establish where we feel secure and how we maintain that security. The homeless are no different. For many of them to come to the shelter for help, is an intense experience. As staff and volunteers, we should do everything that we can to ensure that the shelters are safe. Keeping drugs, alcohol, and weapons out of the shelters are paramount but establishing feelings of trust, professionalism, and especially modeling an attitude of Jesus’ heart, being a servant to all, takes precedence. Role modeling Jesus helps establish feelings security—and peacefulness
Crossroads Mission, Director's Blog 