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Camillus House News
Camillus’ Courtyard Program keeps homeless off the night streets
by Janet Rice
With Camillus' help Linio is trying to find a job and rebuild his life.
An artist and former prisoner who’s “too old to go back to prison now. “ A mother separated from her daughters through foster care. A young man with a disabled arm who’s excitedly waiting to get an ID to begin a job. An optimistic couple who’s been through more than their share of hard times.
These are just a few of the dozens of men and women who are taken in and cared for nightly at Camillus House’s Courtyard Program. “Camillus House works with the city of Miami to get people off the sidewalks and into a safe haven,” explains Joe Hodges, a tireless, enthusiastic man who runs the program.
The Courtyard Program, which used to be called the Pavilion, is located in the parking lot area adjacent to Camillus’ shelter on NE 1 Ave. It’s open to all people who want to spend the night under Camillus’ watchful eye instead of in the mean streets of the surrounding area.
There are hotels with the same name – Courtyard – but this facility is hardly four star. But it is clean, the guests are well-behaved, everyone has a comfortable, cushioned mat to sleep on and a roof over their heads, as well as nutritious meals.
Wanda hopes to one day be reunited with her daughters.Perhaps more important is the personal attention paid to each of the guests. Linio, 65, originally from Cuba but a 22 year resident of prison, is getting himself straightened out with help from a case manager. He’s just had a shower (there are facilities for this at the Courtyard) and sits down to explain his story.
‘’When I came here (to Courtyard) I had no place to go,” Linio remembers. ‘Now I have been here for 3.5 months. Camillus is helping me get a social security card so I can get disability and a part-time job. I come here every day – I don’t like being on the streets. It’s a fine place and I appreciate what they do here.”
Wanda, 37, is much more blunt about her situation. “Without hope I wouldn’t be here. I would probably be dead. “ Wanda is currently separated from her two daughters, 11 and 14, who are in foster care. Her case manager, Susan, is trying to help her by getting her food stamps and helping her look for employment in hotel housekeeping or a janitorial position. Wanda says she hopes to be in her own place before too long.
Simple bad luck landed Tim in the Courtyard. Tim, 40, was living on the beach and had his wallet stolen with all his money and identification. But it was a mixed blessing, he says, because it brought him to Camillus House. “It’s cool – you get everything you need here.”
Tim, who’s originally from Chicago and can’t use his left arm well, volunteers in Camillus’ kitchen because he’s so grateful for the help he’s being given. Once his ID comes through he plans to get a job in Pompano and a place to call his own. Meanwhile, he says, “This is a good place to come. It’s a safe place at night.”
Tim is helping out in the Camillus kitchen while he awaits an apartment in Pampano.Michael and Tracy don’t have much these days – just the Camillus Courtyard and each other. The couple from Boston moved to South Florida two years ago. Things were fine until Michael’s company got bought out recently and he hasn’t been able to find another job. “We had a little apartment but we lost it,” he explains. ‘’We’ve spent two and a half months on the street.’’
What’s difficult for the couple is that agencies that could help need to separate the couple into different facilities, and Michael and Tracy, who’ve been married since they were young (now Michael is 50 and Tracy is 40), don’t want to separate. They are working with their case manager, Susan, to try to get housing. “No one wants to be homeless and living in a shelter,” Michael says simply.
“But I’m not giving up. I’m as stubborn as they get,” he adds with a laugh.
Fred Mims, Director of the Program, reflects on the work that's done day in, day out in the Courtyard. “Some of the things I see … are unbelievable. It's a challenge to get guests to believe that good things can happen. We’re here to help them envision a brighter day.”
The Courtyard will be even better equipped to help clients have those brighter days relatively soon, with big changes in store for its new location at Camillus House’s new facility, projected to open in 2011.
For starters, the new Courtyard will have a great deal more space, according to Fred Mims. According to Fred, the place where clients sleep is only the beginning.
Michael and Tracy look forward to having their own home again.
“Right now, the Courtyard is just a converted parking lot where people sleep shoulder to shoulder. The new Courtyard will be designed especially for the clients’ needs,” he said. “There will be a free used clothing shop, showers, a mailroom, a day center for activities such as art therapy, HIV education and other activities. There will also be a dining room.”
“We’ve been testing program models to see what the best way is to form the new Courtyard,” Fred continued. “We want to make sure it really meets the needs of our clients.”
