Norwalk’s Miriam House serves hidden homeless population |
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Written by LAURIE STEVENS BERTKE, Chronicle Writer
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Friday, 03 April 2009 01:00 |
NORWALK—For Sherri Rodriguez, a room in the Miriam House has been a welcome respite from an existence of "couch-hopping" every few days.
"The stability and security alone right there just take a weight off your shoulders like you would not believe," relates Ms. Rodriguez, 44, who spent her time bouncing between the homes of family and friends before she moved into the shelter in January. "I’m just grateful that this place is here."
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| Rachel Garcia watches her son, 18-month-old Jacob Bettac, eat breakfast
in the kitchen of Miriam House, a transitional housing facility for
women and children operated by Catholic Charities in Norwalk.
(Chronicle photo by Laurie Stevens Bertke) |
Her experience is common among the homeless of rural Huron County, where people are more likely to "couch-surf" between the homes of friends or sleep in their cars than live on the streets, according to Toni Conney, a house manager for Miriam House in Norwalk.
Operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Toledo, Miriam House provides transitional housing for up to two years for homeless women and their minor children. It opened in 2000 when volunteers from the community helped Catholic Charities convert its office building on West Main Street into a home with room for six families.
The name reflects the importance of Miriam, sister of Moses, who stood by him and assisted him throughout her life.
Residents participate in a program that helps them identify the issues that contributed to their homelessness and develop the skills they need to become self-sufficient. The program has an 85 percent success rate, based on the number of clients who are able to maintain stability and self-sufficiency once they move out.
Though Miriam House predominantly served families fleeing domestic violence situations in the beginning, "now we get women from all walks of life," says Nora Knople, senior house manager.
Lately the program is seeing more women who have lost their jobs and been displaced from homes they no longer can afford, Ms. Knople adds. Huron County has the highest unemployment rate in Ohio, and it climbed to 18.3 percent in January.
Rachel Garcia and her two young children were homeless for a little more than a year before they moved into Miriam House. "I was working but I wasn’t making enough to keep my apartment, because of the utilities going up and everything," Ms. Garcia explains.
They shuffled between the homes of family and friends until Ms. Garcia learned about Miriam House from a former resident. She says her family was able to move in right away after she called for help in February.
Residents have their own bedrooms and share the rest of the facility, which includes a dining room, living room and kitchen. Household chores are divided and the women take turns cooking.
They are also required to work, volunteer or attend school full-time.
Sharing space with so many people can initially be stressful for a woman used to running her own household, but "we try to bring them together so that they can see their common ground," says Ms. Knople.
All residents are mothers or expectant mothers, and they are all considered "houseless." They don’t call it homeless, Ms. Knople explains, "because this is their home right now, they’re just displaced without a house."
The women receive support from the staff, but they can also "lean on each other," adds Ms. Knople.
"It’s amazing, because I think a lot of friendships come out of here," adds Ms. Conney. "They’re almost like family."
Danielle Mead, 22, appreciates being surrounded by so many other mothers. She moved into Miriam House last November after she learned of her pregnancy and a May due date.
"I’ve got all these different women here that can help me and give me advice on what I’m doing with this baby," says Ms. Mead, a first-time mother.
Former residents also return to share their success stories and advice with the women of Miriam House.
"That really makes a lot of difference too, because you realize that there’s some days you take three steps forward and four steps back, and they’ve done the same thing," says Ms. Rodriguez.
The program at Miriam House is tailored to the individual needs of each resident and involves giving them "the tools to use to accomplish their goals," says Ms. Conney.
Common steps include finding employment, practicing money management and budgeting and applying for housing. If a client has children who are in foster care for some reason, she can receive help working toward reunification.
Ninety-one families have been served at Miriam House since it opened in 2000.
In addition, the staff has provided case management support to a family living in a former convent at nearby Monroeville St. Joseph since 2006.
The partnership came about after the parish opened the convent to a local family in need of housing, in exchange for a moderate rent.
The building is named the Carpenter House, after St. Joseph the Carpenter. It became vacant in 2004, and parishioners originally prepared it to receive a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina a year later. The arrangement fell through, but "the seeds were planted," says Father Kenneth Lill, pastor of St. Joseph.
In the future, Fr. Lill says families moving out of Miriam House may be able to live in the Carpenter House, which has eight bedrooms.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 04 June 2009 09:09 |
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