This post is written by Josh Mollenkamp, Development Manager for The Davies Shelters.
Originally from Kansas, my family and I moved to Georgia in 2015. My wife and I, our two daughters, a cat, a dog, a ball python, and four bunnies all live in Paulding County, where my wife is a Library Manager.
For the first few years, I was able to be a stay at home dad during the day and work delivering newspapers in the evening. While on the paper route I would stop at various 24 hour gas stations for coffee or gas. There, I would encounter many individuals experiencing homelessness. I got to know a few of them. Those relationships challenged my preconceived notions about homelessness and opened my heart toward the issue more broadly.
I decided I wanted to do more. With the limited time I had, I started meeting with various individuals and organizations to see how I could be a part of helping meet needs. I participated in community organizing, focusing on building connections within neighborhoods. My goal was to not only connect those neighborhoods to organizations and resources, but to foster those connections and build resilient communities as a form of prevention.
There was a point where it became clear that I was out of my depth and needed training. I went back to school to study Psychology at the University of West Georgia, with a focus on Community Psychology. There, I met Alex Callahan, Lead Case Manager for the Davies Shelters. He let me know a position was opening up for a Weekend Manager at the Men’s House. I saw was an opportunity to move from knowing people experiencing homelessness, to working directly with them in overcoming barriers to finding stability.
During my time serving as Weekend Manager, I had the fortune of meeting a lot of amazing guests. A few stand out. Many of our guests at the shelter have unmet mental health needs, rooted either before their homelessness or as a produce of the trauma of the homelessness itself. One man I remember was completely silent when he arrived at the shelter. I remember that he would just sit there, not saying a word. Over the next few weeks he completely transformed. Between the safety and hospitality of the Shelter and working with Brian Harris, a therapist in our counseling program, I began to notice his demeanor change. He made friends with the other guests. He talked and laughed and always wanted to know what was for dinner. It was a real joy to see him come alive.
There is one other guest I want to share about. He was an older man I will call Alfred. This fellow was stubbornly set in his ways and incredibly grouchy. After I got to know him for a couple weeks, he started coming into the office just to sit and chat. At first it was mostly complaints and frank opinions, or sharing facts about something we had discussed or was currently happening in the news. Eventually he would regale me with stories from his past. He would even start into a limerick or break into a song. These were often the same limericks and songs each time. One day he began a song and I joined him on the chorus. I could tell it flustered him for a moment, but, as I continued to sing, so did he. A big grin started on his face as we went through the final verse. When we finished, he chuckled a little, clapped me on the shoulder, and told me I was “just alright”.
As I move into a new position at The Davies Shelters as the new Development Manager, I think of these stories. What I am most proud of is that we never lose sight of why we care about those things to begin with. We begin our work with our principles: sacred worth, restorative journey, and welcome community. For me, these principles are about building community and connection. They are about saying “I see you” to a new friend through a song. They are about a man’s journey to reconnect with his family. They are about providing a place for a person to find rest and a welcoming community. So many of neighbors experiencing homelessness come against so many barriers. Not just with stability, but also to those things that make stability worth having.
I have so much hope in what I see in what we do here are the Davies Shelters and I am excited to be a part of a future that is focused on growing something better.