Safe Harbor Rescue Mission

If you think by meeting one of our guests at Safe Harbor’s Day Shelter that you’ve met them all… think again!

Since the Day Shelter reopened its doors two days a week in September, it has served anywhere between fifty and a hundred homeless women, giving them a place to spend their days out of the elements and an atmosphere conducive to improving their life skills, computer skills, and helping them find jobs and apartments.  Day Shelter Coordinator Amy Marie Coffey is excited about the things that are happening among the women she serves.

“Since our reopening, the Day Shelter has been flooded with many women and children of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds.  It has been neat to see the interaction between everyone.  Our women help to teach and encourage our children, and our children respect  and lift the spirits of our women.  We have mothers with many years of experience that are advising our new mothers.  We are all one very big happy family!”

Experiencing the diversity with the guests at the Day Shelter, however, is not without its challenges.  Amy Marie currently serves two women with hearing impairment, three children under school age, and has had several visits from Hispanic women who could not speak English.

“Our biggest challenge has been overcoming stereotypical thinking.  I try to help the by organizing ‘get to know you’ games and team building exercises that helps us to learn a lot about each other and to see how well our stories relate to those around us,” Amy Marie states.

The very largest area of need in the Day Shelter, however, comes from needing individuals who can assist Amy Marie with language translation, particularly Spanish.  While she is proficient in sign language and is able to communicate well with the guests who are hearing impaired, those who come to the Day Shelter who cannot understand English pose difficulties in communication for both Amy Marie and the guest.  It is for this reason that Amy Marie would like to send a call for help out to any women who knows Spanish and would be interested in volunteering, or being a contact person as-needed, for Spanish-speaking Day Shelter women.

If you feel you are qualified and willing to answer this great need, please call Safe Harbor Rescue Mission at 828-326-7233 and ask for Dot Myers, our volunteer coordinator.  By volunteering in our Day Shelter, you will be a blessing to many, and you will open yourself up to receive a blessing as well.