Salvation Army Capt. Scott McNeil reflects on serving the homeless

LACONIA — On the eve of his reassignment to lead the Manchester Salvation Army, Captain Scott McNeil reflected on his six years in Laconia, the learning curve of serving the homeless and the insights gained.

“We’ve made some great inroads to help these people out.  What I’ve found to be the most successful path is to bring a level of accountability equal to their understanding,” McNeil said.

“I never expected to be as deep into homelessness” as this job required, “but understanding the depths of where people come from and the problems they face, you can’t hold everyone to the same level playing field. Everyone’s coming from a different place in life.”

Key to improving the life of residents of Carey House has been an individualized approach. “We progress with each guest in a way that can build their self-esteem back. If we take care of mental health in a real and sustainable way, we’d reduce addiction in a real way. They kind of blend so they disguise each other” but both can lead to severed relationships with family and friends, work loss and eventually homelessness. The Carey House functions as a reset, a respite and with community supports, a potential launch pad.

“Our mission is to help people transform their lives,” McNeil said. “It starts with relationships. We get to see people with different walks of life and past chapters. We want them to realize things can get better for them, better than what they think is possible. People come in and say, ‘This is they way it is. This is it for me.’ We want them to realize their abilities to do a lot of things on their own." After counseling, residents are invited to spend time at the thrift store, "so they can become accustomed to working with people" and receive job training. "If they’re in the right place in life," they can become shelter volunteers.

The Carey House, a shelter that accepts children, requires residents to abstain and stay sober. If they test positive for illegal drug use, especially methamphetamines, they're referred to inpatient stabilization at Lakes Region General Hospital. There are risks to running a "wet shelter," one that accepts residents in any phase of addiction, McNeil said. "Safety becomes the threshold for our tolerance of certain substances." A wet shelter is essentially a crisis center, he said. "No matter what's going on, or what condition you're in, you can go. That puts every employee at risk."

"We opt to run a shelter with a low barrier to entrance and a housing-first approach," which became a state-driven standard last year, McNeil said. "Housing has it's place in the formula for recovery. But first we build a support network so they can stand vertical, otherwise how would they succeed? Our ultimate goal is to get them into housing, but we need to make sure they're ready and will succeed."

The Carey House also steps in when traditional family connections have evaporated.

“It's a wonderful family ministry,” said McNeil. One recent Carey house resident became homeless after losing his wife to cancer. He found shelter at Carey House, then was diagnosed with cancer himself and lived there while in hospice. “We became his family. No should ever be left to die alone," McNeil said. "I had wonderful conversations with him as the journey went on for him, and I was thankful he was part of our shelter.”

The McNeils have also ushered in changes in attitudes toward homelessness and an understanding that allows a compassionate and reasoned approach. One standout achievement of the past six years has been a network effort to serve the homeless, which has replaced less-effective piecemeal supports. “Now people form a team around an individual and we all want that one individual to be successful,” he said. “The Lakes Region should be proud of that.”