“The experience of homelessness is a very personal thing,” said Ken. He was speaking to a gathering of about 20 people, mostly volunteers, case managers and social workers, at Welcome House in Covington Nov. 13. All seven are clients of Welcome House and came to share the story of their story of struggle and success as they “recover” from homelessness.
“I use the word ‘recovery’ very literally,” said Rachel Winters of Welcome House. “When people lose their homes, possessions, family relationships, friends and themselves you have to recover from that — it’s a process of recovery.”

The Nov. 13 panel discussion was part of activities marking National Hunger and Homelessness Week. The Northern Kentucky Housing and Homeless Coalition sponsored the event. Other activities included tours of Welcome House and Interfaith Hospitality Network, Newport; a rally and overnight sleep-out at Randolph Park, Covington; and showings of a documentary on homelessness at Our Savior Church, Covington, and the Kenton County Public Library in Covington.

In addition to providing basic necessities like food and personal care items and emergency shelter for women and children Welcome House also provides a program called Day2Day. According to its website Day2Day offers “street level outreach and case management, supportive services, advocacy, peer support and financial management and supportive services to help homeless and at risk individuals obtain housing and live independently within the community.”
Welcome House was one of 11 social service agencies that received an Inner City Grant from this year’s Diocesan Parish Annual Appeal.

While the experience of homelessness is personal, the path to homelessness is most often paved with addictions and low self-esteem. Each panel member shared his or her story.
Ken said that his greatest flaw is arrogance and pride. He has a fourth-grade education but, he said, he can read anything you put in front of him and can add and subtract. He said he has a job that doesn’t pay very much but he knows too many people who need things — he has a hard time saying no. If he’s not careful, by noon on payday he has hardly enough money to pay the bills. Ken said he also has a loving family, but pride and arrogance keep him from asking for help. “If you want to recover, you have to surrender, surrender to the program,” he said.
Lee said that he is recovering from alcohol and drug abuse. He lived on the riverbank for more than 10 years.

Like Lee, John is also a recovering alcoholic. He never found himself on the streets or the riverbank. He was living on relatives’ couches.
“I complained a lot when I first came here. I’ve complained all my life, but when I surrendered to the benefits of this [Day2Day] program my life has changed,” John said.
Once John dealt with his addictions he continued in Welcome House’s money management program. Today John said he stays on budget, pays his bills and has a savings account.
“The programs here have been nothing but a blessing. I’m now seeking to go to college. That’s something I never even dreamed of,” he said.
Zakiyyah lost her home as she made her escape from domestic violence. She said she almost lost her life four times to domestic violence.

“I was completely lost. I was terrified. Now what do I do? I've lived in alleys hiding out. I thought, where do I go from here? What's going to happen to me next? I don't have a job; I'm no longer self-sufficient. My self-esteem was in the toilet. I felt like I was no longer worthwhile — very, very, very suicidal. I came up with very creative ways of leaving here,” said Zakiyyah.
Two things kept Zakiyyah from taking her own life. One was the memory of the horrible grief she experienced when her uncle murdered her aunt. She did not want to put her son and granddaughter through that same grief. The other was a gift from her grandmother — her faith.
“I thought about how I fought so hard not to die. One day the word perseverance came to mind and I realized that God did not bring me through what he brought me through just to die on the street,” she said.

Living in the dormitory-like setting at Welcome House was not easy, Zakiyyah said. She was not used to sharing space with so many other women and having children in her things. On July 2 Zakiyyah was “blessed” with an apartment. And while she admits she wishes she would not have had to go through the process, she knows she is stronger — physically, emotionally and, most of all, spiritually.

“It makes me smile from within to know I have a creator who loves me so much that he was right there with me through the tough times. I didn't think so at the time but now when I look back and I think things over I know that he was there through all the hard times — and, trust me, there are days when you feel so depleted, spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally. But as long as I keep the faith in the creator and in myself and set goals, I will make it,” she said.
Patty was living with her son when he “kicked me out.”

“I had given up hope, my family left me,” she said. She was working with senior services and they had found her an apartment but she needed temporary housing for a month until the apartment became available. She didn’t know where to go.

“I had just had surgery in March of this year — they had found cancer and I have diabetes. I thought, what else? I remember my grandma saying God doesn't give you anymore than you can handle and I thought how much more, how much more? I see God was blessing me. The best thing he did was get me out of my son's house. I don't care if I ever see him again. I pray for him,” said Patty.

Patty is now in an apartment and, she said, her neighbors have become her family.
Twelve days before the panel discussion Carol was released from the Kenton County jail. She served three years in jail for writing bad checks. Her addiction is gambling.
“Argosy became my job and I slowly lost everything. The doors started closing to my family. Those doors are shut right now and I have to understand that,” she said.
After her release she had a little bit of money and rented a hotel room. When she ran low on money she called St. Vincent de Paul and while they told her they didn’t pay for hotel stays, they agreed to meet with her. One of the men who showed up was a gentleman she used to baby-sit for.

“I was embarrassed. I never thought I’d be in this position. But he said to me, ‘Sissy, things happen,’” she said.

Her friend paid for one more night’s stay at the hotel. In addition to being a member of St. Vincent de Paul he is also a volunteer at the Parish Kitchen, Covington, and is very familiar with the social service agencies available. He gave her a list of services and told her to make some calls. That is how she found Welcome House.

During her incarceration Carol was treated for a tumor on her back. The tumor is still there, she found out the morning before the panel discussion. Despite the bad news she insisted on participating on the panel and attending her job assessment interview the next day.
“If I lay down I will die, literally. I’ll lose the energy or the drive. I’m dealing right now with worry about the door locking behind me so I have to keep living my life, and filling my days to the fullest. I don't know where I’d be if it weren’t for you people here,” she said.
Jim has the delivery of a stand-up comic, but his story is not funny. He talked about living on the riverbank.

“You're sitting on the riverbank and you’re starving. When you're living down there you're always hungry, and you're always tired, you’re cold, miserable and everything sucks. The world is like a gigantic anvil that gets dropped on your head, like Wiley Coyote in the cartoon,” said Jim.
He credits his recovery to a simple thing, a smile and a list of places where he could find help.
“I went to the City Gospel Mission and that was the last little nudge I needed,” he said.
Jim’s plea to the volunteers and staff at Welcome House was shared by the entire panel.
“All of you who are professionals or volunteers, you already have more than enough reasons to not stop what you're doing. And if one day you find you can’t, encourage others to show up in your place — for me and for them and the endless stream of humanity who have no other choice but to come here. This is it, it’s the end of the line and a new beginning. Don't give up,” he said.

Homelessness and how to deal with it has become a local political hot button. There are no cold shelters in Northern Kentucky available for the most vulnerable people. Churches and social service agencies wishing to help the homeless face obstacles such as finding suitable, affordable buildings and zoning laws. Local residents are reluctant to share their communities with the homeless — safety, crime, littering and vandalism are the concerns. But for Ms. Winters helping people is something we are called to do as humans.
“We're kind of living out what we are supposed to do here on earth, caring for people, providing a basic place for them to stay alive,” she said.

“I want people to know that with help people can get off the street. If we put resources into getting people off the street we have saved the city a lot of money, but we have also helped somebody to increase their capacity to live in society, to go back to work, pay their rent, and get better health care.”

A best-case scenario for Ms. Winters would be for the cities to provide a cold shelter for the homeless. A city-run shelter could reduce the death rate among the homeless, allow for fewer emergency room visits, and decrease crowding in jails as homeless people are arrested for trespassing and littering.

“The best part is we would be saying we care for everybody,” she said.

For more information on local homelessness and ways to help call
Catholic Charities at (859) 581-8974
or the Northern Kentucky Homeless and Housing Coalition at (859) 431-8003.