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A brief on the Shepherd Place.
Overview
The Shepherd Place Inc. is a family shelter in Dover
Delaware was founded some twenty years ago by Father Lawrence Hunt and
others who felt an acute desire to work to meet the need of those they
saw in the Dover area who were homeless.
A Short History of the Shelter.
The large stately white house that has come to symbolize
the shelter was built around 1920 on the Kesselring farm that was then
south of Dover. It passed between various families until 1988 when the
estate of the former owner transferred the house and property to the
Shepherd Place for one dollar in 1988.
At the time of the transfer a group of local citizens,
led by Father Hunt was working to establish a shelter in the South
Dover area to serve the critical need of homeless families. With the
acquisition of the old house and its large outbuilding, the problem of
a place to serve those in need was solved. But now, as is so often the
case, the real work began.
The Fire
Several years ago the shelter suffered damage from a major fire in it's Annex building.
The building was a total loss, as seen in these pictures, and had to be
rebuilt from the ground up. Fortunately all the residents and the staff
member that were in the building at the time got out safely.
With the new building and a major renovation of "the old
house" the Shelter has greatly improved the quality of its services
while remaining true to Father Hunt's vision of caring for those in
need.
Growing, Changing, Staying True To The Mission
The Shelter continues to provide housing, case management, food and
other basic needs at no cost to those who need them. Those needs
include clothing and other items as well as a limited amount of
household supplies to those that move from there into their own home or
apartment. And the vast majority of that which is provided to the
clients during their state law mandated thirty day maximum stay, as
well as former clients, is donated by the community.
Donations of cash and goods is very important as the
Shelter itself receives no direct Federal aid. The Shepherd Place is an
affiliate United Way agency.
Transitional Housing
Transitional Housing is
available for those clients that qualify, however, there is a waiting
list for the limited space in the program.
Those clients who can work are encouraged and assisted
with finding employment, those who cannot receive whatever assistance
they need with getting the ongoing support they need. They also receive
help finding permanent housing, or if needed, space in another shelter
when their Thirty Day stay at the Shepherd Place is over.
That step between being in a shelter and being in a more
permanent leased space that will be 'theirs'. And, as with the shelter
itself, it is provided at no charge. The money the client earns is
saved for things like future down payments and deposits on utility
service.
The list of restrictions on who is eligible for the place
is long. They must be employed in a stable long-term job, they must not
have outstanding legal trouble, they must not have a history of
substance abuse or have successfully completed treatment and remain
clean, the family must be stable and school age children must be
enrolled in school, and .... and so on.
Yes the restrictions are tight, but the need is great,
and the house had a waiting list before it was more than a gleam in the
Shelter Director's eye.
The Shelter's Clients
The shelter averages nearly 500 clients a year, of which about half are children.
The reasons they come through are as varied as the people
themselves. The usual stories include domestic violence, substance
abuse, and personal tragedy such as a fire. But there are also those
who have been caught up in somebody else's mess and are now on the
street and that kind of thing.
The case management services offered are client specific.
No, they do not tell the unemployed master electrician or a school
teacher who is between assignments to "go to GED class" as some other
social service outfits have been known to do. The shelter's staff will
tailor the plan to meet their needs. Such as the electrician mainly
needed a job and a ride to it and the teacher needed to update her
resume.
The Shelter is always looking for other options
as well as donations to expand their efforts to help those in need.
Our Staff
Executive Director - Diane Cahall
Shelter Manager - Saydonyia Campbell
Board President - Mark McGrath
Case Manager - Tasha Scott
Shelter Maintenance - Emory Streets
The Shepherd Place provides relief to families and
individuals who are in distress or dire economic situations without
regard to age, race, creed, national origin or sexual orientation. The
Shepherd Place is intended to provide short term emergency shelter and
will work to reduce the degree of homelessness in Kent County, Delaware.
The Shepherd Place
1362 S. Governor Ave.
Dover, DE, 19904
Phone 302-678-1909
Fax 302-678-4935
Copyright 2009, All rights reserved by The Shepherd Place Inc.
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