As stipulated within requirement of the assignment, I chose to observe the Lynn Emergency Shelter: a homeless facility located at 100 Willow Street in Lynn Ma. I managed to interact and conduct interview with some of the beneficiaries. The age group for these beneficiaries ranged from 18 to 127. Fortunately, I got to interview the Director of the “homeless shelter”. Mrs. Serbien Smith enlightened me more on the project undertakings as well as background information pertaining to the program. Since she possessed so much information about the ‘Homeless shelter’, I embarked on interviewing her first. Through the course of interviewing, I learned of the below mentioned facts about the facility:
First, the shelter had a capacity to hold no more than 60 beds in which 25 beds are allocated to male beneficiaries while the rest are allocated to their female counterparts. Subsequently, the “Homeless Shelter” benefits directly from an organization called ‘Brotherhood’ which supplies food materials to the beneficiaries within the “Homeless Shelter”. These food materials covered for breakfast, lunch and supper. Furthermore, the organization embarked on a program which provides snacks to these beneficiaries at 8 pm before they retire to bed. Beneficiaries are encouraged to report before 4 pm in order to secure beddings. Statistically, the “Homeless Shelter” witnessed an immense increase on the number of male beneficiaries compared to females. Also, it is noted that most of these beneficiaries often get sick.
The Homeless Shelter accepts the needy people into the program after a thorough examination is conducted. First, the ‘Homeless Shelter’ Counsel makes sure that they assess the validity of the Identification Card as well as take the beneficiary’s picture in order to assign them with their basic needs as well as medication. Whenever the sick are established, the Counsel are required to call upon the services of both the doctors as well as nurses who diagnose them before prescribing the required medication.
Further revelations by the Director, indicated that the homeless could only stay within the facility for a period of 90 days upon which they are relocated to housing program paid for by the government of the United States. In the case that some are established to be mentally incapacitated, they are assigned to different mental institutions throughout the country. Notwithstanding, the facility possesses a way of punishing those individuals who purported to break the rules and regulations pertaining to the institution. This means that the aforementioned lot are rendered homeless again in case it is found out they persists with engaging in both drug and alcohol abuse. Despite the strict rules and regulations put forth by the institution, it is notable that the beneficiaries are allowed the freedom of movement. This means that they are allowed into and outside the facility without any form of restrictions. In the effort to gather first hand information regarding the plights affecting these beneficiaries, I noted that most came from broken families in which their guardians had resorted to uncontrollable consumption of alcohol. Furthermore, I learned that a larger percentage of these victims resorted to their old drinking habits which rendered them homeless again since such behaviors are not condoned within the program.
To sum up, it is safe to assume that the program is a rehabilitation center which provides resource support to the victims. However, the mandate to transform their respective lives into positivity rests upon the individuals. The “Homeless Shelter” provides a place where these beneficiaries can access such basic needs as food, shelter and medication but the decision to disengage from the old habits rests upon themselves. In this facility, both the sound minded and the mentally-incapacitated are free to make their own respective decisions about the manner in which they purport to conduct lives.