My Nonprofit Reviews

My experience is that it is easier to recover from trauma or tragedy if we don't have to go it alone. Friends and family normally give us a variety of support for a variety of reasons. For me, with little of one and even less of the other, the rotating shelter gives me a home away from homeless. this means food, often gourmet by comparison. the volunteers truly feed me better than I feed myself. My first step towards homelessness began when i decided the world did not need me as a doctor. nothing else seemed to be good enough for me, certainly did not challenge me enough. I took a job, a few for twenty years or so. Did well enough so I didn't really need to work; just when i wanted to. Then, 20 years ago to the month, i was struck by a car and should have been killed. I survived, but suffered pains that continue to this day. the pain made it difficult to get along wioth others and so precluded my ability to work. At least with others. Although I have a small income, it is not enough to live here in Davis, the place I have the deepest roots stemming from my life here as a University student. At my age, I am a little too long in the tooth for room mates, and we all know how expensive it is to live anywhere these days, especially a place like Davis, here, if you don't work for the University or own your own business, all that is left is the retail opportunities. a grown man cannot live off that, much less save and get ahead. Besides, it is almost impossible to be hired in Davis because students will do professional grade work for party money, so long as employers are flexible to their school schedules. The place is a business owner's dream.. For me, the Rotating Shelter solves a few problems. First, a roof over my head for twelve weeks, more than enough food, and something a little less tangible: emotional support. The ever changing staff of volunteers provide a kind of continuity, a sense of belonging somewhere, a sense that everything is ok. Second, I have twelve weeks to live for free...and to live freely without the pressure of wintertime wayfaring.this means i can regroup from my most recent crisis, losing my apartment, my cat and, almost, one of my many projects I puersue as a kind of self-therapy. That car striking me in a cross-walk broke more than my bones. Third and most important, the Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter allows me to save enough money to do what is most important to me: Move into Slatters Court and live independently. I can easily afford the monthly rent, but the move-in cost in total are going to take a lot of saving, two months of it. i feel sorry for those that want to come in from the cold but can't either because they have mental health problems more severe than my own, because they are females or families with pets, or just plain can't handle the structure of shelter living, such as at Davis Community Meals' Shelter, or their Winter Shelter. But that's the beauty of IRWS: there is structure yes, but their structure is wrapped around us, not a paid staff. It's Davis taking care of it's own. Thank you IRWS of Davis Mynamis Lawson

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