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Homeless in Ada
Published: December 19, 2005 10:46 am
Ada Evening News
Homeless in Ada
Derek Frazier
Homelessness. It is a word that is frequently paired with images of someone walking the dirty streets and alleys of a faceless city, often having very little or no belongings in their possession. Devoid of friends or family, these people have nowhere to turn for assistance or help.
But homelessness isn’t just a problem in urban areas. It affects thousands nationwide, including some here in Ada.
A local resident recently experienced this tragedy when she lost her home to a fire.
“It was bad. It was not the worst thing that ever happened to me, but it was very devastating,” the woman said. “We had no insurance. You know who your friends are. I mean, nobody’s there for you, you don’t have anything.”
These experiences are commonplace among those who fall victim to homelessness, however there are currently programs in Ada that are trying to keep this from occurring.
“We’re the homeless effort in Ada,” Gayla Callaway, project coordinator for the Ada Area Community Emergency Services said. “Right now we’re lodging about 50 people per month in emergency lodging. We’ve served over 500 people with emergency lodging since we began in March of 2004.”
A.A.C.E.S. works with local hotels to house individuals for up to three nights, although if funds are available, they can provide additional nights. They also give and receive referrals with the Chickasaw Nation.
“In rural areas and a smaller community like Ada, a lot of people stay with friends and relatives until they get evicted,” she said. “We call it ‘Love Eviction,’ so that’s what happens most of the time.”
According to Callaway, the current goal for A.A.C.E.S. is to obtain more funding and earn enough to acquire another building and start another emergency shelter.
“We have received a couple of grants,” she said. “We have some money that was given to us last year for Helping Hands, our old organization, and we have the community assisting us. We’re also working with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and trying to get grants, but that takes a while to be able to do that.”
While some people may view homelessness as a choice, the fact is that a great majority of these people are much like the rest of the community, who have only fallen on hard times due to uncontrollable circumstances.
“We always ask the question, ‘How many paychecks would it take for you to become homeless?” Callaway said. “Surprisingly, it’s not very long for most people. A lot of our clients that comes in are waiting on a paycheck because they just started a new job, or they are waiting for their SSI check to come in for their disability, or they’ve been abandoned by family members. We really try to keep it very discreet.æ
While providing the less fortunate with temporary shelter, A.A.C.E.S. works hand in hand with the Matthew 25 Mission that is sponsored by St. Lukes Episcopal Church. The organization provides people who need assistance with food and clothing on the third Thursday of each month.
Rita Bosico of the Matthew 25 Mission gave an eye opening estimate of how many people they help.
“We serve about 450 households in one day,” she said. “And that’s about 2.5 people per household, so a little over a thousand people a month. And one third of that is children under 18.”
According to Bosico, the Matthew 25 Mission orders the large quantities of food from the regional food bank in Oklahoma City.
“We have an average monthly bill of about $1,500,” she said. “This month it was $1,800 because we ordered extra for Christmas.”
Both A.A.C.E.S. and Matthew 25 Mission need donations to keep their facilities in operation.
“We need time, money and donations,” Bosico said. “People can volunteer themselves by packing the food, carting the food out to cars, donating empty grocery sacks, helping with the clothes closet as well, and just donating any non-perishable food items. Monetary donations are also needed to help purchase the food.”
Callaway also echoes much of the same donations for A.A.C.E.S.
“We need non-perishable food items that people can take to hotels,” she said. “Peanut butter, canned meat, individual containers, can openers, things that people can put in a bowl and actually microwave.”
The woman who lost her home in a fire can attest to how just a single person can benefit from these organizations.
“They helped me with food and shelter and clothes,” she said. “I didn’t know there was people out there that was willing to help others, and these people didn’t even know me, and they were there for me.”
For more information regarding A.A.C.E.S., phone their office at (580) 272-0211, or visit them in the church office building of St. Lukes Episcopal Church at 110 E. 17th St. in Ada.
Ada Evening News
Homeless in Ada
Derek Frazier
Homelessness. It is a word that is frequently paired with images of someone walking the dirty streets and alleys of a faceless city, often having very little or no belongings in their possession. Devoid of friends or family, these people have nowhere to turn for assistance or help.
But homelessness isn’t just a problem in urban areas. It affects thousands nationwide, including some here in Ada.
A local resident recently experienced this tragedy when she lost her home to a fire.
“It was bad. It was not the worst thing that ever happened to me, but it was very devastating,” the woman said. “We had no insurance. You know who your friends are. I mean, nobody’s there for you, you don’t have anything.”
These experiences are commonplace among those who fall victim to homelessness, however there are currently programs in Ada that are trying to keep this from occurring.
“We’re the homeless effort in Ada,” Gayla Callaway, project coordinator for the Ada Area Community Emergency Services said. “Right now we’re lodging about 50 people per month in emergency lodging. We’ve served over 500 people with emergency lodging since we began in March of 2004.”
A.A.C.E.S. works with local hotels to house individuals for up to three nights, although if funds are available, they can provide additional nights. They also give and receive referrals with the Chickasaw Nation.
“In rural areas and a smaller community like Ada, a lot of people stay with friends and relatives until they get evicted,” she said. “We call it ‘Love Eviction,’ so that’s what happens most of the time.”
According to Callaway, the current goal for A.A.C.E.S. is to obtain more funding and earn enough to acquire another building and start another emergency shelter.
“We have received a couple of grants,” she said. “We have some money that was given to us last year for Helping Hands, our old organization, and we have the community assisting us. We’re also working with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and trying to get grants, but that takes a while to be able to do that.”
While some people may view homelessness as a choice, the fact is that a great majority of these people are much like the rest of the community, who have only fallen on hard times due to uncontrollable circumstances.
“We always ask the question, ‘How many paychecks would it take for you to become homeless?” Callaway said. “Surprisingly, it’s not very long for most people. A lot of our clients that comes in are waiting on a paycheck because they just started a new job, or they are waiting for their SSI check to come in for their disability, or they’ve been abandoned by family members. We really try to keep it very discreet.æ
While providing the less fortunate with temporary shelter, A.A.C.E.S. works hand in hand with the Matthew 25 Mission that is sponsored by St. Lukes Episcopal Church. The organization provides people who need assistance with food and clothing on the third Thursday of each month.
Rita Bosico of the Matthew 25 Mission gave an eye opening estimate of how many people they help.
“We serve about 450 households in one day,” she said. “And that’s about 2.5 people per household, so a little over a thousand people a month. And one third of that is children under 18.”
According to Bosico, the Matthew 25 Mission orders the large quantities of food from the regional food bank in Oklahoma City.
“We have an average monthly bill of about $1,500,” she said. “This month it was $1,800 because we ordered extra for Christmas.”
Both A.A.C.E.S. and Matthew 25 Mission need donations to keep their facilities in operation.
“We need time, money and donations,” Bosico said. “People can volunteer themselves by packing the food, carting the food out to cars, donating empty grocery sacks, helping with the clothes closet as well, and just donating any non-perishable food items. Monetary donations are also needed to help purchase the food.”
Callaway also echoes much of the same donations for A.A.C.E.S.
“We need non-perishable food items that people can take to hotels,” she said. “Peanut butter, canned meat, individual containers, can openers, things that people can put in a bowl and actually microwave.”
The woman who lost her home in a fire can attest to how just a single person can benefit from these organizations.
“They helped me with food and shelter and clothes,” she said. “I didn’t know there was people out there that was willing to help others, and these people didn’t even know me, and they were there for me.”
For more information regarding A.A.C.E.S., phone their office at (580) 272-0211, or visit them in the church office building of St. Lukes Episcopal Church at 110 E. 17th St. in Ada.
