It was another busy week at Lisieux Community. Today we passed out a total of 20 care bags between women dropping in and the streets. We also took one client to the doctor, one to a dental appointment, and another for an evaluation then on to rehab.
We saw two clients today who we had not seen in at least six months. One of the women, Chavonne, drove to the center to pick up food. She has some very serious health issues and is trying to keep food on the table for not only her children but children she has taken in. I often wondered about her and her health. While doing street outreach tonight, we saw Britney for the first time in about a year. Britney had taken up residence in the backyard of an abandoned house and built herself a nice little house made out of a discarded children’s playhouse. She was proud of it and came to us for supplies such as candles for lighting. Britney was arrested and spent a couple of days in jail. When she returned to her little house, it had been taken over and all but destroyed by others. Britney was heartbroken and said she wanted to get out of the area and so she did. On one hand it is nice to reconnect because then we know that a client is still alive but on the other hand it means that they are still on the streets trying to survive.
There weren’t many women out this afternoon. The heat was suffocating with it being the hottest day of the year so far. The heat index was 115*. One woman told me this week she was thinking about going to detox just to have some air conditioning. I reminded her that she has nothing to medically detox from. So many of our clients have no respite from the heat. They get into the van or step into the drop-in center and bask in the cool air. I take for granted the access I have to comfortable conditions.
Please keep the women in your thoughts as they navigate the brutal heat among many other issues. Please keep Lisieux in your thoughts as we do as much as we can to help. So many days I wish that there was one advocate for each woman we serve, so each woman could get more individual needs met. It was tough today not being able to sit with women through their appointments and help them navigate but we can only do what we can do with the resources we have. I trust that those resources will increase so that the women we serve can receive more individual attention and care. Thank you for walking alongside us.
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Megan was the first woman in the door today. When she walked in she said, “It feels like heaven in here! Well, I don’t know what heaven feels like but I imagine it feels like this.” We all cracked up. Sixteen women and children came to the drop in center today. We had a delicious meal of bratwurst, cheese grits, greens, watermelon, blueberry muffins, and seven layer bars.
I sat down to eat lunch at the dining room table and Misha was asleep sitting up. I told her that the nap room was wide open and she was welcome to take a nap in it. Another woman sat down to eat at the table and noticed Misha as well, napping in her chair with her sun hat covering her face. Michelle woke and told us all, “I’ve always said I can sleep anywhere, anytime, or any place, just not in my bed, at night, and at home!” We all got a good laugh at that.
Within the first 30 minutes of the day, two different women showed up with bruises. Amy wore sunglasses to cover a black eye. She didn’t call the police because of her own legal troubles. Samantha showed me bruises on her arms in the shape of fingerprints. The person she is staying with doesn’t want Samantha to get law-enforcement involved at her residence and Samantha feels she has nowhere else to go. The women don’t feel the need to hide or cover things up at Lisieux. They can just relax and feel safe for a few hours.
Lisa has been talking about going to rehab since April. Every time she calls in crisis, I remind her that the door is open and when she’s ready, I’ll take her for help. Today she asked if she could get into detox. Rebecca (a volunteer) and I drove her to detox this afternoon. Another client is set to meet with me tomorrow so that she can get into detox as well.
When one of our clients left the drop in center today, she found a man unresponsive in a parking lot. She used the Narcan she had just gotten from Lisieux and saved his life. If you will, say a little prayer for these women and also for any children out there who suffer through no fault of their own. Please know that every contribution you make to Lisieux Community, no matter how great or small, makes a difference in the lives of the women we serve.
-whitney
