Precious Lord, Take Their Hand: Athens Salvation Army Offers Refuge

by Matthew Burgoyne
03/02/2008

A man sits alone near a corner in the dining area. He rests his head on the table, taking a well needed rest from the outside world. His clothes are well worn and mismatched. Large pans filled with macaroni and cheese and grilled chicken send aromas around the room that make even the satiated hungry again. The clanking of silverware and dishes mixed with the rumbling of the dish washer create a dull hum, making it easy for the man to take his rest. He will not stay long, because the doors close in a couple of hours for those not staying in the shelter. But, in the meantime, this man will seek refuge and a meal at the only place willing to open its doors – the Salvation Army.

Located off of Hawthorne Avenue, the Salvation Army is a three building compound surrounded by high, black fencing. Looks can be deceiving. The outside may resemble an unforgiving fortress, but inside is a safe haven for those who seek its shelter. The Athens Salvation Army has two dormitories, one for males and the other for females. Men over the age of 18 share one of thirty beds arranged in three rows. The room is long and cold, but it serves its purpose. The women’s dormitory is much smaller. Resembling a doctor’s office, there is a hallway with a few couches and games for the children to play. On the back side of the hall there are four bedrooms. Three of which contain six beds for incoming visitors. The fourth room is reserved for the Lodge Manager. Behind the black gates is what resembles a home, at least to the shelter’s visitors. The Athens area Salvation Army has a small group of believers who connect in congregation, with hand in hand, to maintain the faith.

“Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand...”

At 5:30 a.m., Jaunita Archer wakes up to get ready for work. She normally drinks a cup of coffee because breakfast does not settle with her that early in the morning. Archer lives forty minutes outside of Athens, GA with Robert, her husband of 16 years. Her work does not officially start until 7:30 a.m., but she gets there at 7. “I get here early because as soon as I open my car door, the day starts,” Archer says.

The inside of her office welcomes even the saddest of visitors. A sign on the door reads “Oh Lord, treat me tomorrow as I have treated others today.” Small knick knacks, dogs, deer and a variety of angels and cherubs cover any space not filled by a picture. Archer’s office is her second home.

Archer is the Social Services Director at the Salvation Army where she has worked for 15 years. She meets with everyone that walks through the door, whether it is people already staying in the shelter, people looking to get their life back or people with success stories. Archer has kind eyes and a warm smile, making it near impossible to dislike anything about her and easy for her to make connections. She wants to help. This character trait makes it hard for her to separate herself from her work.

“It is hard not to get close to these people,” Archer says. Working with people on an individual basis to get them a job, apartments and food, she develops relationships with the people she helps. Archer makes it her responsibility to take their hands and get them back on their feet. Archer's efforts have improved the capabilities of the Athens Salvation Army.

Sitting behind a mountain of paperwork with a headset attached to her ear, Archer describes some of her most personal cases, the ones that have touched her the most. One man came to Archer looking for guidance. He had been on the streets for months and knew it was time to get help. Lucky for him, this is Archer’s specialty. He came back daily to see her. One day, while away from the shelter, he was hit by and car and killed. As she tells his story, she begins to cry. The passion behind the work she does is palpable and she is undeniably genuine. “I consider this my calling. I love people and I know this is what I am supposed to do,” Archer says. She is a leader, a Shepard to those who are lost.

“...I am tired, I am weak, I am worn...”

On March 30, 2007, Christelle Washington was dropped her off at the Salvation Army. Her son would have come with her, but he had a girlfriend who offered him a place to stay. There was no room for Washington. Not wanting her son to share her fate, Washington told him to bring her to the shelter. A tall woman with hair down to her abdomen, Washington walks around the buildings with ease. She has made this her home, temporarily.

Washington, who says she cannot work because she is legally blind, has no place to live. Without the Salvation Army, she would be on the streets at the age of 47. “I can’t see two feet in front of me,” Washington says. The Salvation Army and Archer were her saviors. The shelter and the services the Salvation Army has to offer gave Washington the stability she needed. With Archer’s help, Washington applied for disability allowing her to stay at the shelter.

Washington volunteers in the kitchen during the week, a privilege only granted to those who have been at the shelter for some time. Waking up at 5:30 a.m., Washington and fellow shelter mate Kimberly Meeks make their way to the kitchen to start the morning’s coffee and breakfast. Breakfast is served at 7 after the mandatory 6 a.m. wake up call. The Salvation Army works on a strict schedule, giving its visitors the only structured portion of their day. They live life constantly looking for stability, whether it is a job or a home. What happens next is unknown and unpredictable.

Washington’s exit from the community depends on her disability approval. Without disability checks from the government, Washington has no income, and in turn, no home. She has already waited since March 30, and does not know when it is going to come. Washington wants to leave the shelter and start a new life in a new home, but without the money, this remains a dream. Until then, Washington will continue to wake up and make the coffee. It’s one of the few constants in her life.

“...Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light...”

Jim McCullough is the Director of Thrift Store Operations at the Salvation Army. McCullough has lived in Athens with his wife since 1978. After working for Sears for 30 years, McCullough retired, hoping to enjoy the life without work. Something told him he was not done quite yet.

To fill the time, McCullough was offered a part time position as the business manager at a local area church. He enjoyed what he was doing, and he was great at it. The Salvation Army recognized his fine work and approached him with the task of reforming the thrift stores to make them more marketable and profitable. He conducted research and made a presentation to the heads of the Salvation Army. As a result of his findings and his hard work, McCullough was offered the director position two years ago and has helped the thrift store grow ever since.

“Everything I have done has led me to this point. I get tremendous satisfaction,” McCullough says. The work he does keeps money coming into the Salvation Army. He is one of the army’s many collection plates, collecting to provide help for those in need.

“...Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home...”

The Salvation Army was founded by William Booth, a Methodist minister, in 1868. Since then, the army has grown into a worldwide volunteer effort, with established centers in 100 countries and the need for more unfortunately growing everyday. The organization works on a Christian belief system; however, it provides services for anyone who needs it.

As part of this aid, Marsia Brown works as the Christian Educator at the Salvation Army. Brown began her work for the army in Jamaica. Her passion for youth ministry brought her to the job and is what has kept her there. Here the focus is on children. The Salvation Army in Athens has a low number of children staying at the shelter, but when they do, Brown is there to guide them.

“I am here to let them know that the world they are experiencing now is not a world they have to be a part of,” Brown says. She works with the kids to make the right decisions through Christ’s guidance. Her work is the epitome of the Salvation Army’s mission – to save lives through God.

“...When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near...”

After living in a car for two weeks, Kimberly Meeks, 48, had an asthma attack which landed her in the hospital. It was at that moment where she decided to return to the Salvation Army for a third time. Meeks came to the shelter at the beginning of 2006 and now serves as the Lodge Manager of the women’s dorm and helps to cook the breakfast in the morning. Meeks and Christelle Washington work as a team. As part of her duties, she must make sure everyone is awake by six and out of the shelter by eight in the morning. Currently, Meeks is in the process of being hired as an employee of the Salvation Army, hoping to earn some money for the work she does.

Prior to her first stay at the Salvation Army, Meeks and her boyfriend stayed in a tent outside of a local church. To bathe, the couple used the bathroom sink inside the church. This same church luckily offered breakfast and lunch for the couple. After living this way for a while, Meeks decided to come to the Salvation Army. "I consider this home, but it’s temporary,” Meeks says.

Like Washington, Meeks is awaiting her disability approval so she can find a place of her own to live. She does not state her disability, but she needs the approval. She needs a home. For now, the shelter is her home.

“...When my life is almost gone...”

James Hall would not be alive today if it were not for the Salvation Army. At the age of 58, Hall has been clean of drugs and alcohol for five years. Hall left his family in his early 40’s with the hopes of saving them from his addiction. He gave them everything they needed and went to live his life on the edge. Using a $35,000 worker’s compensation settlement, Hall was able to make it on the streets, living drink to drink, hit to hit. After ten years plagued with drug and alcohol abuse, Hall decided to get help. He went into a hospital in Augusta and received treatment for his drug and alcohol addiction at the age of 53. After five months in Augusta, Hall made his way to the Athens Salvation Army.

Going into his fifth year at the shelter, Hall volunteers all of his time to the organization. Unable to work due to physical disabilities, Hall manages the men’s dormitory. Throughout the day, he enjoys time alone watching TV or talking to other workers. He also handles the paperwork for each man visiting the shelter. With his disability, Hall could have left and gotten an apartment, but he was afraid. He did not want to relapse, so he has remained at the shelter for all these years. Hall uses his time efficiently though. He talks to all of the new guys that come in, hoping that his experience will help them get out of their hole.

“Once you lose the power to live, you don’t care about anyone or yourself,” Hall says. Without the Salvation Army, he probably would not be here to tell his success story. Hall has no intentions of leaving any time soon. He does not know when he will be able to brave the world on his own. “This is my home now,” Hall says.

“...Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall...”

The Salvation Army, a non-profit organization, would not function without its volunteers. But, getting people to help in the community can be hard. Fortunately, Athens is home to the University of Georgia, which has an eager student population willing to help.

Lakeithia Glover, 22, and Siri Baker, 21, volunteer weekly at the Salvation Army. Working in the kitchen to serve dinner, the two girls volunteer their time even making plates of food for the hungry visitors. Meals are sometimes donated by local organizations, but it is usually cooked in the kitchen. The average meal has a meat, two sides and a piece of bread. No one leaves hungry. In their senior year, Baker and Glover are neck high in school work required of seniors, but they make time to volunteer. “It is important for me to volunteer. I feel like if you have time to sit around and do nothing, then you have the time to donate to a good cause,” Baker says.

Glover and Baker agree it is hard not to get emotionally invested. Glover recalls one visitor to the shelter. She descries his clothing as “unfit for anyone.” The man reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. Glover knew he would be a one time visitor. The most she could do was make him a plate of food and hope for the best. She has not seen him since.

The work the two girls do may seem trivial, but it means the world to the people at the Salvation Army. Without volunteers like Glover and Baker, working the kitchen on a dinner shift would be very difficult to handle. “Every little bit counts. I am just glad I can help in some way,” Glover says. Both women use their experiences at the Salvation Army to analyze their lives. It makes them grateful for what they have and motivates them to continue volunteering. This fellowship is what keeps the Salvation Army strong, ready to battle the next day’s trials and tribulations.

“...When the darkness appears, And the night draws near, And the day is past and gone...”

Fate brought new found friends Gloria Bosien, 40, and Tammy Valla, 40, together at the Salvation Army. Both women traveled and arrived on the same day to the shelter on November 6, 2007 and instantly became friends.

Bosien made her pilgrimage from Chicago with her 18-year-old son, taking only what they could fit in their white 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe. The rest, ranging from extra clothes to furniture, is being kept in storage in Chicago. With nowhere to go, Bosien came to the Salvation Army looking for work as a security officer. She needed to find a job quickly in order to make the next payment on her storage unit in Chicago. She has until December 4 to pay the storage rent before she loses everything.

Valla traveled from Florida with her 17-year-old daughter Brittani. Valla left Athens for Florida to live with her parents. Despite the affection she has for her mom, Valla could not bear another day dealing with the strained relationship between her and her father. Her mother drove Valla and her daughter straight to the Athens Salvation Army.

Both Valla and Bosien want out. They praise the Salvation Army for the services they have provided; however, they want lives of their own. As part of the agreement with staying in the shelter, Bosien and Valla leave daily to apply to three jobs. Valla, due to severe anxiety, is applying for disability, so she helps Bosien with the bus system.

Riding the buses has been a sobering experience for the duo. “After the game this past Saturday, we were standing at the bus stop when a decorated car drove by, honked and waved at us. It just shows how inconsiderate people are. They have no idea what we are going through,” Bosien says. “It would be nice to see how they feel riding the bus,” Valla quickly follows.

Though the passing vehicle could have been high off of the recent win, their excitement did not settle well with Bosien and Valla. No matter how elated the people in the car were, the two women could not help but feel resentment. They could not drive by and honk with excitement. They had to ride the bus.

In only two weeks, these two women have grown to rely on each other. The stability of their friendship is needed to offset the horrible impacts of the unknown. They live life day to day, because that is all they can do. With God’s grace, they interact with each other, all in different capacities with different responsibilities. With hands held tightly, these ten soldiers ask for God to guide them to a better tomorrow, where the light overcomes the shadow.

“...At the river I stand, Guide my feet, hold my hand.”

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Comments [post a comment]

This is an enlightening and well written article. These facilities now occupied by the Salvation Army were formerly occupied by Vend, Inc., a business. The Salvation Army formerly occupied facilities just off Prince Ave. in the area where they just moved that million dollar mansion near Captain D's. Since this organization is not a business, they had to have special permission to operate at this location. It is interesting they were provided this permission. Suppose, for example, they had purchased the former Downtowner Motor Inn in Five Points and sought permission to operate there. Do you suppose the government would have granted that permission? Do you suppose there would have been a barrage of opposition from the people of "Friendly Five Points" to the operation of the Salvation Army in the old Downtowner Motor Inn? I guarantee there would have been opposition. Fortunately for the people of Five Points, the government paid about $1.9 million for that building, and another roughhly half million dollars to demolish the building, and then constructed the new Taj Mahal Fire Station there, thereby removing that business from the tax rolls forever, but preventing any such "business" like the Salvation Army from operating there and possibly tarnishing the "beauty" of Five Points, while a brand new Taj Mahal Fire Station at a bloated cost of $5.5 million now stands as a memorial to selfishness while the disadvantaged humanity described in this article struggle for help provided on the "other side of the tracks at Broad St." by the Salvation Army on Hawthorne Ave. in the former Vend, Inc. property.
"Do Unto Others and Ye Would Have Them Do Unto You". Beautiful words aren't they? Isn't it too bad the selfish and prejudiced and biased and decadent "Unified Government of Athens Clarke County" seeks to misuse the law to not only prevent these people from any possibility of home ownership due to high costs and rigid laws against the only truly affordable housing available, manufactured homes, but this same government which purports to "care" about these people, treats its responsible property owners with contempt, forcing them to pay outrageous property taxes regardless of business conditions, forcing them to comply with all laws involving the health, safety and welfare of citizens, but itself violating these same laws in failing to enforce the same laws on illegal squatters who risk the health of every other citizen by living in conditions of squalor, filth, unsanitary facilities, directly polluting the rivers and streams with untreated sewage and garbage. Those who criticized the bus should be thankful, the local government forced local taxpayers to subsidize its opeations to the tune of about $ 1.5 million every year and refused to raise fares to cover the true costs of this money losing operation, unsafely blocking traffic lanes, risking our health by polluting the air with diesel exhaust, and wasting precious and expensive diesel fuel and gasoline by operating these mostly empty vehicles, mainly for the social welfare of the drivers!
One can feel empathy for disadvantaged people. But due to the abuse of power of government, money is being forced for the very responsible citizens who have the power the really help the disadvantaged, but due to abuse of government power and waste and corruption, the disadvantaged are thrown to the wolves by negligent actions of government itself. This is not to mention some of the many local problems caused by releasing some of these disadvantaged people in the immediate area around the Salvation Army. You can be sure the good citizens of Five Points would not put up with this for five minutes.

Posted By:

Winfield J. Abbe

03/05/2008

8:18 PM

I,am currently in A.B.h. center here in atheans,Ohio.I,am also HOMELESS and have no place to live ,please help me.

b

h.

Posted By:

Robert [Website]

05/12/2008

1:34 PM

I,am currently in A.B.h. center here in atheans,Ohio.I,am also HOMELESS and have no place to live ,please help me.

b

h.

Posted By:

Robert [Website]

05/12/2008

1:41 PM

more athens

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