The Government Support Network: A Primer

https://goo.gl/maps/pYBW5CFgvJfyZfD78

This is a Google Review I wrote today. I will be adding to this write-up here, on my writing account and social links too, in many ways—with words, music, photo, art, etc.—as I continue to experience interacting with the "support" that is available for new arrivals to New York: "legal" and "non-legal" immigrants, and the "support" that is available for homeless people and other communities here in New York City.


The shelter staff do a really great job here. They handle the very diverse assortment of women (and a few that were obviously men, which did not exactly make me feel safe or comfortable as someone who has experienced lots of abuse from men). The women that enter into the system here probably already have experience growing up in the "government care system" (as I have, but in Canada—lots of similarities) and come from varying family backgrounds, likely with lots of adverse experiences and "challenges", such as families/communities which struggle with poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol addictions, and a lack of meaningful support, infrastructure and people who truly listen to what their needs are when they explain how they need to be supported and what would work "best" for their particular community/family "network".

Anyhow, at this shelter, they allow you to do your own laundry here daily, and provide you with soap. They also provide toiletries and a nice clean shower and washroom area with individual stalls so that you don't have to wait for "your turn" in the washroom. The rooms are shared, but only with maybe 5-6 others. And they provide a locker, a lock, and sheets/blankets/pillow. Very basic, but comfortable enough. I always felt safe and comfortable in this facility and was appreciative of being able to keep myself and all my clothes clean.

The social support staff were all very kind, though I was transferred before I was able to receive any advice or potential support for housing/employment.

Anyhow, I always felt very safe here and have lots of respect for what the security "guards" sometimes have to "deal with", especially in terms of some of the "outbursts" and those who appeared to perhaps be trying to "game the system/staff" to get stuff (I lived on the streets so I kinda recognize this behavior/what this can often look like, though sometimes people are just legitimately mentally ill and/or have severe abuse and/or other factors that cause/contribute to these "behaviors"). The guards were all kind and respectful to all the ladies there, from what I saw.

I was super appreciative of their kitchen staff especially, who typically made really good and healthy food and usually had options that I could eat. My only "complaint" was that sometimes I was told to wait to eat more and then had to rush through my second or third portion of food as the cafeteria would be off limits after the designated one hour available for meals. Having some snacks available between meals would have been nice. Especially some healthy fruits or veggie packs and/or even nuts (for extra healthy protein). I am sure there are lots of businesses in New York who have lots of surplus they could donate. Starbucks in Kamloops donated all their "expired" packaged sandwiches and treats to the Mustard Seed which provided them to the homeless folks at the drop in centre/shelter. The food was all still good and none of it was actually unfit for human consumption or anything.

Also, it would be helfpul if we could bring in our own groceries to shelters like this as it is far cheaper and allows us to decide what we want to eat. It might actually be helpful to offer cooking classes and facilities to those who are interested in learning how to cook and appropriately care for themselves. They offer that kind of support in jails in BC... at least they do at the minimum security facility in Victoria, BC. They teach the inmates some skills so they can help themselves more when they are released, such as learning how to properly cook basic things like boiled eggs. They also teach them how to build things out of wood and other materials and allow them to express themselves creatively through art and even "drama plays", which are even open to the public.