FARMINGTON — The homeless shelter provided by Western Maine Homeless Outreach will mark its first anniversary Tuesday.

“When the shelter opened on Nov. 11, we were flying by the seat of our pants and we still are,” manager Emily Ladd-Chaney said.

She and governing board President Rachel Jackson Hodsdon said it has been an amazing year, especially in terms of community support.

The shelter is in the basement of Living Waters Assembly of God Church and has helped 47 people, Ladd-Chaney said. Twenty have moved to sustainable housing.

A 34-year-old woman, who did not give her name, said when she came to the shelter in June. She had just been “ripped away from everything I knew in life.”

She was leaving a bad relationship and her children, ages 6 and 11, were in foster homes. She battled disabilities and fears, she said.

“I’d never been on my own,” she said. “I had no hope at all. I hit rock bottom but I’ve come out on top.”

In October, she moved into her own home and regained custody of her children. She hopes to one day volunteer for the shelter, she said.

“She is the reason we do what we do,” Ladd-Chaney said. “To see the smile on her face and her children’s faces when they are reunited means we’ll keep doing it.”

Guests must take part in case management services and work on the issues that brought them to the shelter, she said. 

“We’ll support and encourage, but they have to be motivated to do it,” Ladd-Chaney said. “There’s a lot of work on the part of the guest. They are not here just to hang out.”

Governed by a board of 18 and an executive committee of eight, all volunteers, the organization has been in start-up mode, Jackson Hodsdon said.  

“It’s time to shift gears. People are getting tired,” she said. “We’ve worked so hard but we want to be sure things are in place so it will continue.”

An all-day strategic planning session will take place Nov. 15, she said. They’ll look at what they can do better and whether to seek federal funding. Some former guests are invited to participate in the planning.

The shelter’s biggest needs over the year are volunteers and money, Ladd-Chaney said. 

Many people have participated in fundraisers. Some groups, churches and some individuals provide regular donations. Others provide regular meals, although guests are responsible for their own meals, she said.

“I’m in awe of the community support,” she said.  “We need something, and somehow it appears.”

There are two paid staff members, the manager and an overnight person to ensure safety.

The shelter operates on a $60,000 budget and, up to this point, it has all been donations, she said.

Volunteers come in for the evening hours to visit with the guests, play games with the children, cook with them and listen. Volunteers are needed for weekend nights, she said.

Originally, the shelter opened for just mothers and children, hosting a limit of 16, Ladd-Chaney said.

“When an elderly couple showed up, it was heart-breaking for those of us making decisions,” she said. “We changed to meet the needs in the community, but our priority is still Mom and kids.”

Each guest has an intake survey with the manager and a background check. They have to be safe to be with children, have no sexual assault or violent history.

Guests have to leave the shelter by 8 a.m. and can’t return until after 4 p.m. It’s hard, especially on mothers and babies, she said. Many do not have their own transportation.

“Several guests, more than I thought, are working but at low-paying jobs where they don’t make it,” she said.

There is room at the shelter now, but with nights growing cold, Ladd-Chaney expects it will soon be full.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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