Selflessness Shown During COVID-19 Rewarded With Love

Miami FL

11 November, 2021

9:47 AM

Description

By Johania Charles, the Miami Times Nov 9, 2021 The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust's annual effort to honor those on the frontlines of a decades-long battle to eradicate homelessness arrived during Homeless Awareness Month. That effort, traditionally falling on Homeless Awareness Day, calls for the recognition of homeless shelter employees, providers and volunteers while building compassion for the homeless population through programming and single-day events. Last Thursday, the Trust kicked off the jam-packed day with a surprise breakfast at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bayside and giveaways for street outreach teams, before commencing a series of gratitude brigades at various shelters from Miami to Homestead. Papa Keith, a 103.5 The BEAT radio personality who hosted the breakfast, shared his personal encounter with homelessness while living in New York, and personally thanked the teams for going above and beyond during the pandemic. "It was a nice way to start the day. This was really needed for the people that serve in this industry," said Clarissa Hazel, a program supervisor for the Lazarus Project at Camillus House who attended the breakfast. "Sometimes you work all the time and don't take the time to breathe, take a step back and realize the work that's being done. It's a reminder of why we do what we do." When the pandemic hit, Hazel, along with the Camillus House outreach team, was responsible for educating those living on the streets of Miami about COVID-19, and walking them through safety practices that can be applied despite their circumstances. Kristin Kitchen and Metris Batts-Coley from the Dunns Josephine Hotel hold posters from the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust student poster contest, presented by Trust Chairman Ron Book in recognition of their impact on the homeless population during COVID. (Lisa Mozloom) "We were out seven days a week testing individuals, giving masks, hand sanitizers and talking about what social distancing would look like for them," she said. "When the Trust was able to procure the hotels, it was a big help for clients who weren't open to going to shelters." One of those hotels, the Dunns Josephine in Overtown, partnered with the Trust to shelter homeless people who needed to quarantine during the pandemic. The Red Roof Inn near Miami International Airport, Hampton Inn and North Miami's Mia Casa also served as isolation sites. More than 300 unsheltered people had to be isolated across the four sites last year, 33% of them people of color. Victoria Mallette and Ron Book from the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust read a thank you card presented to them by Chapman Partnership CEO Symeria Hudson. (Johania Charles for The Miami Times) "Sixty-five percent of the people we serve are people of color," said Ron Book, chairman of the Trust, as he reflected on the impact COVID-19 has had on the local Black community. "The magnitude of those that are left on the street are more individuals of color than non-minorities." According to Book, the positivity rate among homeless people in sheltered care remained below 1.3% throughout the pandemic, something he attributes to the hard work and dedication of staff and volunteers at the Trust's sponsored shelters. Book visited Mia Casa, the Miami Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, Camillus House, Chapman Partnership's north and south sites, and Lotus House for the gratitude brigade portion of events. At each of the seven sites, Book delivered praise followed by triumphant music played by a mariachi band, and treats for those in attendance. "In the last 20 months, with your help and heroic efforts, we tested 24,000 people and had a positivity rate that defied logic," said Book to a crowd of homeless shelter employees and volunteers Thursday. "I don't use this word insensitively or to minimize what's going on, but we only lost 10 lives during COVID. This is about unsung heroes who made the difference. We're not done but we are getting there, and that's because of you." Leslie Holman, a Camillus House volunteer of more than five years who was asked to attend the event, beamed with joy the whole time but said she was more delighted to recognize the employees. Before volunteering with the shelter, she was chronically homeless for more than three decades because of drug addiction, until a friend brought her to Camillus House. "I changed my life because of Camillus House. It started with a room in 2013," said Holman, recalling specific employees who made a positive impact. "I went from a cardboard box to [a] rooftop. I can't pay them back but I can show up and do the best I can every day. This is my form of gratitude toward them." Holman did not let the pandemic stop her from fulfilling a commitment to the shelter, prompting her to get the COVID-19 vaccine and test as often as the facility required, to ensure the safety of the homeless individuals she came across while working on the shower program team. "I know how they feel and what they need," said Holman, explaining why she decided to volunteer three times a week at the shelter despite the pandemic. "I don't expect anything in return. I work for God. I made bad choices and consequences came with it, but I'm thankful to be alive and I know that if I can at least make one person smile and feel good, then I did something good for the day." Chapman Partnership CEO Symeria Hudson embraces Ron Book, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, before presenting a gift and thank you cards to him at Chapman Partnership North Nov. 4, 2021. (Johania Charles for The Miami Times) "I don't think the people who work in our continuum of care ever expect to get thanks, but it's important to tell people how much they are appreciated," said Book. "[Thursday] was about the folks that made sure that [homeless] people followed the rules, socially distanced and were encouraged to take the vaccine." Book also used Homeless Awareness Day to inform those within educational and government entities about the homelessness industry. An existing partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and St. Thomas University brought homeless education curriculum into the classroom to sensitize students to homelessness following reports of nationwide violence against people living on the streets more than a decade ago. In government, the Trust has pushed for legislation that supports its operation and establishes more resources for those experiencing homelessness, including a Miami Beach referendum passed last Tuesday that would offset the economic impact COVID-19 had on the Trust's $66 million budget. Book fears that if multisector partnerships aren't formed to address the issues tied to homelessness, things will get worse before they get better. "People believe that the words 'paycheck to paycheck' are nothing but a cliche. It's not. The bulk of our community lives paycheck to paycheck," he said, inviting conversation with politicians on ways homelessness can be addressed. "I lie awake at night, worried about the moratorium having expired … most of the seniors that would be subject to an eviction among fixed income, they've never been homeless." He did, however, praise the county's allocation of $60.8 million for housing support. "As the evictions and all these things occur, the homeless will look a lot different than just someone suffering from substance abuse," noted Hazel. "There's families in all these different areas that will be impacted by evictions and an increased cost of living. So, we have to be mindful of not stereotyping people who are homeless. They have a story of how they got there." The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.