Have you ever seen a homeless man or woman? Have you ever wondered where they go at night or why they’re in their situation? Director of Development Patti Tullgren said that someone is considered homeless if they have 3 or more episodes of homelessness within the last year. It is the outcome of many things. Tullgren said one of the reasons people are homeless is due to lack of affordable housing. “The person whose homeless, it’s not their fault.” A family within the Rensselaer County were once renting a home. There was a Mother, a Father, and they had two children. Due to privacy their names remain anonymous, but one day they went home and their front door was padlocked shut. They had absolutely no way of getting their belongings out of the house, and the bank was giving them trouble so it was not an easy process. This family soon found out that their home was taken from them because their landlord was not paying the mortgage of the home. Unfortunately, this was the moment this family became homeless, and it was completely out of their control. Tullgren said “Homelessness is not the same anymore, it’s whole families now.”
The Josephs House began when Sister Shawn and Marita Cokely were closing up a coffee house in Troy, NY. Many people would gather inside and hangout kind of like a lounge area. When the Sisters were closing up the doors, Marita noticed that a whole group of people were outside and sleeping behind the coffee shop. She told them they can have the keys to the store for the night as long as nothing was taken. Marita gave the keys to them and left, and the group of people slept there overnight. In the morning, when Marita arrived back the homeless people cleaned up and they made breakfast for everyone. Marita thought to herself, what a great idea this was, and here it is today, the Josephs House and Shelter.
Located on the corner of Ferry St., the Josephs House is a bright, tomato red brick building. It is hard for the public to determine what the building is exactly because there is only a small sign on the side of the shelter. Tullgren said the reason for this is because the Josephs House wants to be sure that their guests feel like they’re at home, and houses don’t usually have signs on them.
To make guests feel more at home while living at the Joseph House they have many places to stay. The Shelter has 22 single rooms, 5 family rooms and about 30 scattered apartments. According to www.josephshousetroy.org “The Hill Street Inn and The Lansing Inn comprise what is the Joseph’s House Supportive Housing Program.” The Hill Street Inn consists of 18 studio apartments and 2 one-bedroom apartments, and the Lansing Inn consists of 26 studio apartments. Tullgren said “Many of the people coming into the shelter had mental illness.” To make sure children are protected and remain safe at all times, there is a rule enforced throughout all three buildings called the Sight and Sound Rule, all children have to be in sight and sound of their parent or parents at all times. The volunteers and staff make sure to provide help and be sure that everyone is safe in the shelter. She said, “They can’t live on their own, were their family.” People stay in housing for an average of 5.4 years, and a lot of times many people don’t make the best housing decisions. The Josephs House wants to make sure that they make the best choices possible. When they send their guests out to their own apartment, they like to provide them with basic cleaning accessories. GivDapps helped gain recognition and cleaning supplies to create baskets for the transition into an apartment. The Joseph House follows families up to 6 months after leaving, and celebrate special events such as birthdays, and graduations together!
The people who contribute to changing lives for the guests at the Josephs house are the Staff Members, Volunteers and Sponsors. There are 32 full time employees and the shelter and Tullgren said the shelter lives off of volunteers. She said, “They’re amazing, I don’t know how they do what they do.” Creating a non-judgmental environment is very important to the Josephs House, they want everyone to feel welcome. Tullgren said “Anything we do, we do to make people feel normal.” With that said, there are many events and activities arranged for the guests and contributors of the shelter. They usually have 2 to 3 big events each year, these include the Winter walk, bread and soup outside, and Irish Night at St. Michaels church. For the sponsors and contributors of the Josephs house they host an event at Lucas Confectioners. People bring their dogs, dress them up and there is a fashion show for them. Tullgren said, it’s “Very Funny.” One activity that occurs every week is Movie Night Monday. Movie nights are held for families, and children. Healthy snacks are encouraged and provided when possible. The local restaurants often donate food to the shelter as well. Just recently a Super bowl Party took place on Sunday, and for this upcoming Valentine’s day, the Josephs House is trying to give as much as they can and provide chocolates for the guests. There are many volunteers at the Josephs House on a regular basis but there is always room for more. To be a volunteer, anyone can visit the front desk or contact Janet Douglass at jdouglass@josephshousetroy.org.
GivDapps 