Shalom Community Center helps needy Hoosiers get back on their feet

If the Shalom Community Center's orange and yellow painted walls or sociable atmosphere don't offer a warm salutation, its Hebrew name does. \n"Welcome."\nAnyone is welcome at the Shalom Community Center, as everyone can run into trouble and need assistance from their community. \n"I used to have a job and was doing pretty well for myself," said Steven Murphy, a regular at Shalom. "The job market isn't great right now. You need places like this to keep your spirits up."\nShalom gives people who stay in local homeless shelters a place to go during the day and provides them with any assistance they may need, from finding medical care to preparing for employment. \n"The greater percentage of people who come here are homeless," said Joe Castle, case manager at Shalom. "We serve anyone who needs financial or public assistance, even if it is just temporary."\nCastle said most people who come to Shalom are regulars like Murphy, who comes between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. nearly every day. Murphy said he lost his job in California last year because of downsizing. He and his wife now are staying with a friend in Bloomington until they can save enough money to rent their own apartment.\n"I'm one of the fortunate ones," said Murphy, who spends his time at the Monroe County Public Library or applying for jobs while not at Shalom. "At least I have somewhere to stay at night."\nCastle said stories like Murphy's are not uncommon. He said almost anyone can become homeless, at least temporarily, regardless of education or social class.\n"There are a lot of misconceptions about homelessness," he said. "The issues surrounding homelessness don't discriminate on status in society or education level. It can happen to anyone."\nCastle gave three triggers of homelessness: an addiction or mental illness, a significant life event and a fracture from support systems. He said these situations often work together in a cycle. A person might cope with a life event such as death or divorce with an addiction. Then, he said, the addiction could cause the person to separate from the support of family, friends or even an employer. \n"People become unable to help themselves because they don't have any support," he said. "We help until their support system is reestablished because we're a support system here. We help people achieve a better quality of living." \nAlthough the Shalom Center is located in the basement of the First United Methodist Church on East Fourth Street, it has no official ties to the church. It was created in 1998 when some church members realized those staying in homeless shelters had nowhere to go between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Castle said Shalom aims to help people find basic needs during the daytime hours. Shalom provides phone and Internet access and a mailing address. Job counselors and a food pantry are offered daily, but he said the free meals are the most popular service. \nBreakfast and lunch are offered Monday through Friday. Castle said between 70 and 100 people come for breakfast, and he has seen as many as 250 come for lunch.\n"This is a really good place to come and eat," said LaDon Jones Jr., who has been coming to Shalom every day for the last three months. "The food is good, and it gets you out of the cold if you have nowhere else to go."\nThe Shalom Center also offers a great deal of social support. People gather to catch up, laughing with one another as they wait in line for food and huddling together just inside the door. \n"People have the misconception that poor people are depressed and downtrodden," Castle said. "But here you'll see it's quite the opposite. People are having fun, joking around and playing games."\nMurphy agreed that the benefits of the Shalom Center reach far beyond practical aid. \n"It's a place to come and relax and to see good friends," he said. "That helps give people a sense of direction."\nAnd it is that direction and purpose the center hopes to provide through its extensive network of volunteers, who do anything from cooking to teaching computer classes and helping guests complete résumés. \nVolunteer coordinator Pam Kinnaman said the center uses between 100 and 200 volunteers each month. \n"The majority of our volunteers are IU students," she said. "We rely heavily on students, and when they're gone for breaks, we get desperate for volunteers."\nBrandi Miller, a senior at IU, is studying human development and family studies and serves food at Shalom twice a week. She said she volunteers through a class, and she knows the work she's doing benefits others.\n"I definitely like to help people," she said. "My major deals with social issues, so this is a great place to be."\nAside from volunteers, Castle said Shalom relies heavily on private donations and some grants. The center does not receive much support from the government because there are many requirements for government funding.\n"We like to be as nonintrusive as possible," he said. "We can better serve people if we have lots of latitude."\nCastle said through its practical services and assistance with various needs, Shalom helps keep its patrons optimistic.\n"The big thing here is hope," he said. "Asking for help is a humbling experience, but we want to welcome that. If a person has the desire, they can come out of it."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Kelly Ginty at kginty@indiana.edu.