Thursday, 9 July 2009- The John Young Center for Homeless Women

Thursday, 9 July 2009- The John Young Center for Homeless Women
One of my former managers at Taco Bell had offered his place as a crash pad for tonight. He had just moved there and didn’t forsee a clause in the contract he had signed yesterday calling for no overnight guests for the first 30 days. I think that was because the first 30 could be considered a probationary period. I went to the Germantown Police Department to seek direction to find shelter because I don’t want to get into trouble for sleeping in the wrong place. I joked with Carolyn that when I got to the PD, I was tempted to introduce myself and say I was there to turn myself in, in case there was a reason for me to. Better judgment called for me to scrap the humorous approach.
When I talked to the officer at the front desk (window), she said, “Maybe Social Services at the County Building can help”. I was amused by her uncertainty, but went there anyway. Social Services referred me to the Crisis Center, which had appeared to be a dead end when approached with a phone call. Social Services advised, “Don’t call, just go.” So I went. I felt like I was on a quest for a wild goose, but I went anyway.
To my relief, when I arrived at the Crisis Center and explained my need for shelter two nights a week, she had me talk to a counselor. The counselor filled out my application for me during the interview. I was really amused when asked to describe my mood right now. I said with conviction, “I am at peace with myself”. She was impressed. She gave me several referrals to shelters, I chose one in the District of Columbia that was near the Judiciary Square Metro Center. I left all of my valuables at the storage unit, and began the trip. The wild goose I was chasing bore a golden egg.
I got to the John Young Center just in time for the intake process. I talked to a very religious minded laid off nurse who stood next to me in line. She was a nice lady. I had a delicious concoction of vegetables such as squash, zucchini, potato, yam, tomato etc… The big news, and the source of the biggest crises at the shelter that night, was that a group from Indiana had included in their visit to DC, a service project to clean the shelter. Several clients had failed to comply with the shelter policy to take all personal items with them that morning, (for personal belongings left behind were subject to being thrown away). Those clients arrived tonight with the reality of having lost bed sheets, magazines, and some valuables. It was interesting to see the power struggles between the clients and staff. I maintained a polite demeanor in my interaction with staff and clients as I waited for word on whether there would be a bed available for the night. To my good fortune, the staff was able to secure a temporary bed for me. I thanked them with much gratitude, took a shower, and went sleep. Relief!
On a side note, I thought about buying a ticket to Salt Lake City for a group interview for flight attendants, and encouraged by my key twitter friends, looked into prices. After much introspection, I realized that the prices plus my current circumstances weren’t the best spring board for me to use to get a job as a flight attendant.