A Shelter Success Story from Jacob Reiter, Acting Director, The Shelter

On November 6th, 2012, I answered a call at The Shelter from a concerned women living in New York looking for her father. She told me she loved him very much and had been looking for him for the past 17 years and been calling shelters with hopes to find him. She explained he has suffered abuse, and was very quiet never asking anybody for help. After her father and his wife divorced he sunk into a depression and disappeared. I took down her number and promised her if he comes to our door I will be sure to let him know his daughter misses him and that I would give him her number.

This summer her father came to our shelter! I sat down with him and told him about my conversation with his daughter. He explained he wasn’t ready to call her because he wanted to be in his own place and doing well first, but he did give me permission to let her know he is safe and at The Shelter. I called her today and she was crying and so excited to know her father is alive and safe!

Tomorrow she will be emailing me a letter for her father with pictures of her and her daughter with hopes that one day he will be ready to come home!

This Tuesday, December 3rd, is Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is a global generosity campaign taking place the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. This year, please consider donating to The Kearney Center. Your donations help us provide meaningful resources to community members living in poverty. Without the generous contributions of our community we would not be able to provide support and a safe-space to those experiencing homelessness. 

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One client was in the shelter for 10 ½ months long. He came with no sense of direction, no income, criminal record and lack of motivation. The Case Manager and client filled out for a dozen of job applications until he finally landed a job at a fast-food chain. The Case Manager then showed the client how to make a daily budget so he could save some money for future housing. By the client's 6th month of being at the shelter he had saved some money and had the drive to want to obtain a second job. The Case manager and client begun his housing search; he was devastated because he was being denied to a lot of apartment complexes due to his criminal record, however, after 6 long months of worrying and disappointment, he finally landed a place.
Case Manager
Success Story