Sacred Shelter
13 Journeys of Homelessness and Healing
Susan C Greenfield
- An
- inside
- look
- at
- an
- interfaith
- program
- for
- the
- homeless
- in
- New
- York
- City,
- including
- in-depth
- stories
- of
- those
- who
- have
- graduated
- and
- made
- new
- lives.In
- a
- metropolis
- like
- New
- York,
- homelessness
- can
- blend
- into
- the
- urban
- landscape.
- For
- Susan
- Greenfield,
- however,
- New
- York
- is
- the
- place
- where
- a
- community
- of
- resilient,
- remarkable
- individuals
- is
- yearning
- for
- a
- voice.
- Sacred
- Shelter
- follows
- the
- lives
- of
- thirteen
- formerly
- homeless
- people,
- all
- of
- whom
- have
- graduated
- from
- an
- interfaith
- life
- skills
- program
- for
- current
- and
- former
- homeless
- individuals
- in
- the
- city.
- Through
- interviews,
- these
- individuals
- share
- traumas
- from
- their
- youth,
- their
- experience
- with
- homelessness,
- and
- the
- healing
- they’ve
- discovered
- through
- community
- and
- faith.Edna
- Humphrey
- talks
- about
- losing
- her
- grandparents,
- father,
- and
- sister
- to
- illness,
- accident,
- and
- abuse.
- Lisa
- Sperber
- discusses
- her
- bipolar
- disorder
- and
- her
- whiteness.
- Dennis
- Barton
- speaks
- about
- his
- unconventional
- path
- to
- becoming
- a
- first-generation
- college
- student
- and
- his
- journey
- to
- reconnect
- with
- his
- family.
- The
- memoirists
- share
- stories
- about
- youth,
- family,
- jobs,
- and
- love.
- They
- describe
- their
- experiences
- with
- racism,
- mental
- illness,
- sexual
- assault,
- and
- domestic
- violence.
- Each
- of
- the
- thirteen
- storytellers
- honestly
- expresses
- his
- or
- her
- broken-heartedness
- and
- how
- finding
- community
- and
- faith
- gave
- them
- hope
- to
- carry
- on.Interspersed
- are
- reflections
- from
- program
- directors,
- clerics,
- mentors,
- and
- volunteers,
- including
- the
- cofounder
- of
- the
- program.
- While
- Sacred
- Shelter
- does
- not
- tackle
- the
- socioeconomic
- conditions
- and
- inequities
- that
- cause
- homelessness,
- it
- provides
- a
- voice
- for
- a
- demographic
- group
- that
- continues
- to
- suffer
- from
- systemic
- injustice
- and marginalization.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
