Some of Patchwork’s biggest impacts are made through some of our smallest services. Here are two examples from our Neighborhood Hospitality in just the last week:
A Shower:
The man was extremely agitated, pacing quickly all around the building, stopping at the window to stare at something on the other side that was not really there. He would talk to me about how he “loved to fight.” I could see from his body language that this wasn’t just talk. Some part of him really wanted to get into a fight. We talked with him occasionally and kept an eye on him to make sure that his agitation was not devolving into aggression toward any other guests, volunteers, or staff.
He wanted to take a shower, so we set him up with a towel, soap, shampoo, and other hygiene items. After he came out of the shower, I went up and talked with him again. His body language had changed dramatically—he was calm. No agitation. No pacing. No staring aggressively out the window.
He said, “Thanks so much for letting me take a shower here. I haven’t showered in a few days, and when I don’t shower, I can feel it. The water just grounds me. I feel calmer. I feel human again.”
A Phone Call:
A man came in and asked Shawn if he could use the phone. She said, “Sure,” and showed him which phone to use and how to get an external line.
A little while later, the man came up to us and told us the whole story. He needed to call the utility company because he’d received a Disconnect Notice, despite having paid his bill on time. He had gone to a different agency earlier in the day to get some other much-needed items for himself. While he was there, he asked if he could use their phone, but they would not allow it. He said, “That’s okay. I know a place where they’ll let me use the phone.”
He came in, used our phone, reached the utility company and discovered that they had, indeed, received his payment. It just hadn’t been entered into the computer system yet. They told him to disregard the disconnect notice. Whew. Utility shut-off avoided.
He finished his story by saying, “It’s been a good day. I got some things I really needed. I sorted out this issue with the utility company. Now I’m going to go home, put my feet up, and watch a movie!”