Carey House has rules & some are unwilling or unable to comply

To the editor,

I'm writing in response to both the December 30 article about the homeless gentleman called "Robert" as well as the January 24 letter to the editor by Nancy Parsons titled, "Where are People at Carey House Supposed to go during the Day?"

First, it needs to be mentioned that the Carey House is a ministry of the Salvation Army, and as such seeks to minister to the needs of the poor and needy in our community in the name of Jesus Christ without discrimination. We are honored to be able to serve the Lord as we serve the homeless in the Laconia area.

As the only homeless shelter in Belknap County the Carey House enjoys support from across the Lakes Region including the City of Laconia, the Lakes Region United Way, generous donors to the Salvation Army, the State of New Hampshire, the faith community, and service organizations such as Altrusa, Zonta, and Rotary. I know the shelter receives such support, in part, because the Carey House offers more than just a bed to people who are homeless. Everyone who comes to the Carey House is treated with dignity and respect while we work to help them get back on their feet with the objective of self-sufficiency. In pursing that objective every individual who comes into the shelter works closely with a counselor who encourages them and helps them identify the goals they need to work toward to help them move out of the shelter into a stable, long-term, and sustainable housing situation. Sometimes these goals are as basic as looking for employment and sometimes the goals are as complex as battling substance abuse.

The Carey House, like other homeless shelters in New Hampshire, has rules in place to insure that residents are safe, enforces policies that support communal living, and develops protocols that advance the goal of living a responsible and productive life. Unfortunately there are some people who are unwilling or unable to comply with the program we have at the shelter. It is impossible to express how difficult it is to ask someone to involuntarily leave the shelter, but this is sometimes necessary in order to maintain a safe, orderly, and productive environment at the Carey House. Our shelter is not a "flop house." It is a clean and secure facility and residents are expected to do chores, remain sober, treat each other respectfully and work the program that they develop with their counselor.

As both the "Robert" article and Nancy Parsons observe, the shelter does charge rent. While this surprises some people, this is standard for many homeless shelters, although I must also add one important fact: no one is ever turned away from the Carey House because they cannot pay rent, nor are people asked to leave due to an inability to pay. What we do ask however, is for people to make every attempt to be a responsible adult and make a good faith effort to provide for themselves as best they can. Sometimes this means applying for emergency assistance that is available to them. Individuals pay $10 per night and families pay $10 per room, regardless of family size. I will also add that 100-percent of the rent paid to the Carey House goes into the operations, maintenance, and upkeep of the Laconia shelter.

Occasionally, if we know that someone will be at the shelter for an extended period of time and they have proven themselves to be reliable and stable, they are able to earn their rent by working the front desk in our office. On other occasions an individual might be invited to earn their rent by working at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, which also helps them fill gaps in employment and/or obtain a good employment reference.

It was inaccurately reported in the "Robert" article that Carey House residents work at the food pantry if they are unable to pay rent. The Salvation Army food pantry is run by employees of the Salvation Army. Also, the shelter houses 14 men, not 15 as reported on December 30th, and the shelter currently does not have a house manager, the woman quoted in the article was a temporary employee.

Nancy Parsons, the author of the recent letter to the editor, expressed concern for the families staying at the shelter, so please let me address her questions here.

Families with preschool age children are not required to leave the shelter. Able-bodied, single adults are asked to be out of the shelter between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. so they can work on their program. When Ms. Parsons observes adults and children standing behind the shelter in the rain and cold what she sees are parents choosing to take their children outside so they (the adults) can smoke a cigarette because smoking isn't permitted inside the shelter. Thanks to Lakes Region Child Care Services, which has generously offered a number of free child care hours at their Laconia facility, families who are staying at the Carey House have access to day-care when they are seeking employment or need to attend medical appointments.

I think the greater question that both the "Robert" article and Parsons letter asks is, how does our community want to deal with individuals for whom living in a homeless shelter is not an option? Homelessness is a complex issue. It's not as simple as housing someone who is temporarily out of work. Many individuals who come to the Carey House suffer from addiction problems, mental illness, or a combination of both. Often times these individuals are simply unable to remain compliant with a structured program and so they are asked to leave. A person like "Robert" who has nowhere else to go, ends up in the emergency room on a regular basis when the weather is bad, and we know that "Robert" is not the only one.

While I appreciate the laudable efforts of the Laconia Police Department when they rally around someone like a "Robert," I also know that this is a Band-Aid on a problem that is larger than we want to admit. I wonder about all the other "Roberts" out there who seem to be unable to make rational, logical decisions about their own well-being. I also wonder what more our community can do to protect those who are apparently unable to protect themselves.

Susan Lunt, Director

The Salvation Army Carey House