John's Story
Help for a Grandpa who rescued his two grandsons ... MORE
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The Invisible Man
Invisible. That's how Jerome describes what it's like to be a homeless person living on the street. And he knows, because he's been there. United Way of Greater Cleveland spoke with Jerome recently while he was performing volunteer work at West Side Catholic Center.
Jerome started off in life well enough. He was raised by two decent, loving parents. His dad worked at an automobile plant in Cleveland and his mom stayed home, kept house and raised their son. After graduating from college, Jerome was hired for a good white-collar job and promoted within a short time. But then things unraveled.
"I made some mistakes in the past that I've paid for," says Jerome. "I've been incarcerated and served time. Later my parents passed away and I inherited the house because I was their only child. But I also inherited delinquent taxes and second and third mortgages that I didn't know about."
"I was working at the time, but didn't earn enough to pay the back taxes and mortgages -- eventually, I lost the house. So I was homeless. I had never been homeless before." With his parents gone, Jerome had no relatives in Cleveland to ask for help.
"I was on the streets -- I didn't know where to turn. I had a part-time job but it wasn't enough to get by. When I got paid on the weekends, I could afford a cheap hotel room for a couple nights, but when the weekend was over, I'd be back sleeping in the city parks. At one point, I found an abandoned house where I stayed for a few nights. This is how I lived for about a year."
"During that time I heard about West Side Catholic Center. When I came here, they provided meals, clothing and a break from being on the streets. I decided I wanted to give back and help people, so I volunteered, doing whatever they needed, like cleaning up the place at the end of the day or washing dishes. Now I volunteer once a week helping jobless people at WSCC's Drop-In Center to write their résumés."
First Person for A Second Chance
"Jerome was the first person chosen to participate in our 'Housing First' initiative, which we call the Zacchaeus Program, says Judy Kern, WSCC's Director of Programs. "Jerome's situation was well-known to us and he needed what we were able to offer: a stepping stone back into a normal life. He was an ideal candidate for the pilot test of this new program."
Today, Jerome has an apartment on Cleveland's west side and a full-time job as a residence coach at the Joseph Home, a transitional shelter for homeless men recovering after medical treatments. He takes care of the residents evenings after the professional staff leaves.
Housing First
"West Side Catholic Center has been in the community for 31 years," says Gerald Skoch, WSCC's Executive Director, "and for the majority of those years this agency has been offering the basic necessities to keep people alive: a place to stay during the day, food, clothing, showers, a mailing address, access to phones and most important, access to other human beings who care about them."
"But in 2004, our board put together a plan to break the cycle of homelessness in the people we serve. Poverty is a permanent issue, but homelessness is a solvable problem. Rather than the traditional approach of treating the symptoms of homelessness, such as alcoholism and substance abuse, we put the emphasis on getting people off the streets and into housing first. And that's exactly what we've begun to do in our Zacchaeus Program."
When Jerome got his apartment, he became a part of society again and blossomed. One day, he said to Judy, "I'm not invisible anymore." He explained, "When you're homeless, you're invisible. People don't even make eye contact with you." Jerome is a new person now that he has a home.
We see Jerome clearly now, and he's looking good.
West Side Catholic Center provides crisis intervention and youth advocacy programs in its Women's and Children's Shelter, meals, clothing and household items through its Drop-In Center, and street survival services, outreach, advocacy and housing assistance for homeless individuals and families. For more information about WSCC and its services, call 216-631-4741 or visit www.wsccenter.org.
United Way of Greater Cleveland supports the Homeless Shelter Program at West Side Catholic Center, just one of the many health and human service programs that help over 400,000 people in our community each year to a better future. To find out how you can help the United Way of Greater Cleveland Campaign, call 216-436-2100 or donate online now.
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