winter 2006

Seasons Greetings,

It is hard to believe another year is coming to an end.  As I began thinking of my holiday letter I realized I had so much to share.  I usually share my stories of my family and the happenings at The Other Place over the year.  But this year, I wanted to share my experience of one night.  As many of you might have seen recently, The Other Place held its annual Sleep Out Challenge during National Homeless Awareness Week, which is the week before Thanksgiving.  Staff of The Other Place sleep out for one night to draw awareness to those without homes.  This year we were successful in our awareness efforts, the news crews covered the story well and even did their late news cast live from our location.  Mission accomplished, the message was out.  What I didn’t realize was it accomplished more than just conveying our message to the community; it reestablished why I am still involved with The Other Place and passionate about working to end homelessness.

The week prior to our sleep out I caught a pretty nasty cold so I began to watch the weather closely to see what to expect for our night out.  My kids insisted on me not sleeping out because I wasn’t feeling well.  As a true advocate I knew what I had to do.  As the night drew closer, the weather grew colder.  Rain with possible sleet and temperatures in the low 30’s was predicted.  “Real homeless” people began to worry about our ability to make it through the night.  I gave permission for staff to use tents and promised a fire.  Sure enough the weather predictions were correct it poured rain with some sleet.  We pitched tents and layered our clothing. 

The city isn’t a quiet place at night, there is loud traffic, and delivery trucks, not peaceful.  I began to worry about the rest of the staff being safe and secure, not to mention I was freezing, so I couldn’t sleep.  I felt guilty about having a tent so I stayed awake and outdoors the entire night, watching “real homeless” wander the streets.  Some were sleeping on benches, their usual home.  No “real homeless” had a tent, and most had very few layers of clothing, most coming from donations.  Morning came and I had promised staff they could leave and go home to shower but had to return to the shelter for the rest of the day.  I got home around 7 am.  It was warm; my family was still sleeping in their beds.  I looked in on my youngest son as he was sleeping and it was then I was overwhelmed with emotion.  He slept so soundly; warm, loved, and with no worries.  He woke and wanted all the details of my night out.  I said it was cold, he said I smelled and needed a shower.  I held him tighter that morning and was very thankful to be home.

I by no means can say I know what it is like to be homeless.  No one should know what it feels like to be homeless and everyone should know what it is like to feel at home.  Be thankful this time of year for your family and the warmth and comfort of your home, and remember those who are not so fortunate!

Warm Regards!

Respectfully,
Tina M. Patterson
Tina M. Patterson
Executive Director

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