impact stories
A Fresh Start Through Forgiveness
When Daniel first came to Water Street back in 2018, life had brought him to the brink. “I thought I was broken. I thought I
See stories of God restoring lives and bringing hope throughout our community.
When Daniel first came to Water Street back in 2018, life had brought him to the brink. “I thought I was broken. I thought I
Maribella* opened her book, and read aloud in class. At the beginning of the year, she struggled to remember the sounds to each letter. Now,
Many times, the stories we tell are complex. Guests come to us from across Lancaster County for different reasons, and those reasons aren’t always easily
We last heard from Sadé in 2019, featured in the Fall Messenger Edition. Back then, overcoming the abuse she received as a child, had often
“I’ll just keep running away, you know,” Max would say to his guardians. As a young ward of the state, he was always trying to
For years, stability didn’t seem attainable to Roger. No matter where he went, running away from his childhood and joining the military, or starting a
John came to Water Street thinking he would get in, get what he needed, and get out. “My plan at the time was I’ll go,
In high school, Sharon was one of those teenagers who exuded confidence. She was a daddy’s girl, a cheerleader, and with her family behind her,
Constant shifting with COVID-19 has meant our campus is finding new ways to adapt each week. Many of our guests feel the impact of these
Gertina had reached the point of exhaustion. Growing up in New York and raising a family in a dangerous area, situations had led her to
From the time he was 15 Austin spent a lifetime running from his problems by using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate and escape from conflict
Growing up in the projects of North Philadelphia, Bill got caught in a grip of addiction that would stay with him into adulthood. Despite his
James struggled with alcohol for many years to the point where his wife told him to leave. He bounced from rehabs to halfway houses and
Born in the Bronx in 1952, Santiago Milland didn’t have an easy childhood. After his father left when he was 2, he had several step
This wasn’t how Emily had envisioned her life. She was stuck in a cycle of moving around with her boyfriend and longed for stability. She
Being born in Rwanda during a time of civil war made for a tough upbringing for John Rushemeza. He recalls that at 9 years old,
Louisa was at the Community Homeless Outreach Center (CHOC) for about a week before it sunk in. “I had my own apartment for five months prior,
“Good morning, do you need a shower today, and how about any laundry…do you have laundry that needs to be cleaned?” asked Marilyn O’Bryan, one
Michael came to Water Street looking for some temporary respite. He didn’t know how long it would take to find that rest, but when he
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Dear Friends,
Throughout this season, we have encountered a number of challenges in operating our shelter safely. Thankfully we have been blessed to see no community spread among our guests. This is due not only to the work of our team, but also the ways that upgrades to our facilities came at just the right time.
For example, Providence Shelter, which opened in November 2019, provides additional spacing and a top-tier air filtration system. We have also been able to implement the same air filtration standards in our dining hall prior to the most recent wave of COVID.
Because a high percentage of our guests have preexisting health conditions, we have had to be diligent in our safety protocols, doing our best to ensure their safety. For us that has included implanting all CDC disinfecting, masking and social distancing from the very beginning. This has led to major changes in roles and responsibilities of staff. Staff have taken over disinfecting in shifts all over campus. They have also delivered much of our support services and programs through zoom, hosting counseling sessions and classes virtually and meeting in-person with plexi-glass dividers only when necessary.
For meals, we’ve changed preparation and delivery to help minimize interaction of guests who live in different facilities. At times that has meant delivering meals to certain Residential Floors so we can keep smaller groups in the dining hall. We have also had to restrict guests’ travel on and off campus to only essential trips such as going to work, the doctors, shopping etc., in order to minimize unnecessary exposure.
Another change in this season has been how we do intakes. Currently, the intake process requires new guests to be tested for COVID-19. They await their test results in a separate temporary shelter we have set up, before entering Providence Emergency Shelter.
All of these changes have been made while severely limiting the number of volunteers on campus. At one point, all volunteering was completely put on hold. Now, we are running with a third of our normal volunteers.
And it’s been tiring, for both staff and guests. We have had times where many staff were working remotely due to their own health risks. Other times where staff or guests have been quarantined due to exposures. But even with all of the schedule changes, increased overtime, and cross-shift working, our team has done an amazing job persevering through all of the challenges.
What to Expect This Winter Typically we have over 200 total guests on campus, over 100 in our Residential Programs over and 100 in our Emergency Shelters. Although our Residential capacity remains about the same, we have had to reduce the available beds in Providence Shelter to ensure safe spacing overnight from about 75 to 55.
Winter always presents its own challenges, so we anticipate this year will be no different. Women in our Providence Shelter have moved over to the shelter at St. Mary’s across the street, run by the Lancaster Food Hub. During their stay there they have full access to all of our services, including showers, food and staff support. Not only does having women shift to St. Mary’s enable us to free up additional beds for men, it will help us keep the shelter populations separate and limit the risk of spread.
Thank You We have been so encouraged by the support we have received this year. Without a community coming around us and our guests, we would not be able to keep our guests safe and continue to guide them in their restoration journeys. We truly couldn’t do what we do without you.
Jack Crowley
President