World News
Mentors at Phoenix transitional shelter help homeless seniors
Published:
PHOENIX (CNS) -- Ozanam Manor, a transitional senior housing facility in Phoenix run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, offers much more to its guests than a bed and three meals a day. It provides caseworkers and mentors to help homeless men and women get back on their feet again. Jeanne O'Brien, a mentor at the shelter for nearly a decade and a member of the home's advisory board, meets with some of the Ozanam residents for about an hour each week to help with life skills, while case managers often help with untangling government bureaucracy and making sure these seniors become qualified for future work. O'Brien has helped with basic literacy skills or showing residents how to keep a calendar and stay organized. She's also just there to talk with people. "Maybe it's the mother in me, and wanting people to succeed and not feel down," O'Brien said of her volunteer work at the shelter. "A lot of people here just feel useless and I don't believe in that. The general theme is that they don't have confidence. They've lost their dreams," she told The Catholic Sun, newspaper of the Phoenix Diocese. "They've exhausted their friends and families," O'Brien said. "Some of the situations are of their own making. A lot had nothing to do with them. You know, we do make poor choices. You need to give people a break and let them recoup their dignity." That's what Ozanam Manor offers them, she said. "They work hard, and it's hard to be poor. I tell them they're so fortunate to be here right now. God has given them a place to rest and recover," O'Brien said. This kind of encouragement goes a long way with the homeless men and women, said Mike Bell, director of shelter services.
Copyright (c) Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .
