Dear friends at Good Samaritan,
I’m Shawn Collins, Executive Director of Unity Shelter. David asked me to say a few things in the newsletter, and I happily agreed.
First, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the congregation and leadership at Good Samaritan Episcopal for your now 4 years of partnership in hosting Unity Shelter’s microshelters as part of the Safe Place program. It feels like so much has happened in 4 years in our community and the world, and it can be a bit overwhelming. What helps keep me grounded in these times are partners like you, who believe there can be a better world, and are willing to step up to make some piece of it possible.
And beyond that, more gratitude for the opportunity to grow at Good Samaritan! We’ve had 2 living units and a modest kitchen unit there since 2022, and have hosted many couples, parents with children, and individuals who needed support, and so many of those served have moved on to permanent housing. It’s a gift beyond measure to have such a beautiful location, and such a welcoming host. Every time I’ve talked with residents, they have expressed how much it means to them to be there, and how gracious you have been. And with two new units, we’ll be able to continue to serve those who need safe spaces as they transition to more stable permanent housing.
Those two units are already placed, but final electrical work, painting and finish work is needed before anyone can move in. You’ll see folks from Northside Electric there next week to sort out the next steps for electrical, and painters will come soon after. We’re aiming to get this done by end of summer and have a long list of folks waiting for places.
In a recent conversation with a local pastor, we talked about this work of serving those who lack shelter and housing as holy work. I am often challenged applying such terms to what has simply been the focus of my life for the past decade, so I leaned into that description a bit, to tease out just what that means. Their answer made perfect sense to me. They said it means it is worthy of devotion, and deserving of our attention. Thank you, for paying attention to the needs of those who need help and support, and for being such great partners of Unity Shelter. We look forward to continuing this holy work with you.
