Posted on December 3, 2007
Twila Lee said she watched with sadness, but not surprise, as a young woman made her way to the Mercy House pantry and began raiding it for food.
Lee had seen this woman before, a drug-addicted mother of five who stopped by Mercy House periodically to ask for thrift store vouchers or extra food. As the executive director of Mercy House, a Christian homeless shelter located at 247 N. High Street, Lee usually tried to oblige her requests. On this particular day, however, Lee experienced an epiphany.
“I just looked at her and told her to stop,” Lee said. “I realized I had been enabling her.”
With the end of no-strings-attached support from the shelter, the woman joined a local county rehab program. After completing rehab, she and her five children become official, rule-abiding residents of Mercy House.
Following the rules at Mercy House means she abstained from alcohol and drugs, submitted to drug testing, obtained a job within 3 weeks and saved half of her monthly earned income. Additionally, she attended parenting classes.
Although Lee admits that originally this woman was the last person she wanted to take in, she now considers her a Mercy House success story. Lee expects the woman will be ready to move out on her own next month and praises her accomplishments, such as her recent promotion at work and attainment of her learners permit, but is most proud of her for simply becoming a better mom. This is not surprising, considering that Mercy House was founded primarily on the principle that parents and children need one another and should not be broken up due to homelessness.
“Homelessness often causes families to be separated,” Lee said. “Children will be sent to live with relatives or put into foster care.”
As the people of Harrisonburg became aware of this problem, a group of private citizens decided to help by founding Mercy House, a families-only shelter, in 1988. Over the years this shelter has been a brown-brick sanctuary for families who want to stay together while getting back on their feet.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lee said the general atmosphere at Mercy House is surprisingly upbeat, especially among its youngest residents.
“The kids love it here,” Lee said. “We are all about these kids.”
Snack times, field trips and after-school tutoring are just a few examples of programs offered to children. Many JMU students lend a helping hand with these activities. Junior Anton Maul, who participated in the tutoring program, described helping out at Mercy House as an amazing experience.
“It was a lot of fun and also a lot of work, but it was definitely worth it,” Maul said. “The kids kept it entertaining and I got to help people out.”
Junior Jamie Koslosky started volunteering at Mercy House this past September and said she has really enjoyed her experience.
“I went in thinking the kids would be sad and depressed but they were running around, playing just like any other children.” She said. “It really gives you a better outlook. It opens your eyes.”
Lee is grateful for the number of students from JMU who volunteer at Mercy House.
“The students are a real blessing.” She said. “I can honestly say that we could not run Mercy House without JMU.”
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