YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Overcoming homelessness isn't easy and typically takes caring, compassionate people and organizations joining together to care for their community members.
"There are 15 different reasons that people walk through our doors," said Dawn Squires with LifePath Christian Ministries. "We need to be prepared to receive them and help them work through what their best solution is."
When people first walk through the doors of LifePath, they go through intake and security to make sure every guest is safe. They will then receive an ID and a place to rest their head.
But generally, space is limited and nearly every bed is full.
"We are seeing numbers right now that we typically don't see until [the] December, January [or] February timeframe," explained Squires.
The shelter offers support and sustenance, providing 400 meals a day, totaling up to more than 10,000 meals a month.
"Think about it, if LifePath was not here, who [would] pick up the slack of 10,000 meals a month at $12 a meal and provide that high-quality content for our guests?" Squires asked.
They provide for guests like Doug Tolbert, who was one step away from taking another route when he found LifePath.
"I was looking for the train tracks because [I thought] 'don't even give it a chance. Just step in front of the train,'" Tolbert explained. "I don't feel that way any longer. It's a lot of good stuff happening here and they have a lot of resources."
Thanks to LifePath, Doug now has a place to stay and is getting support for his mental health.
"That's where our wonderful case managers come in," Squires told FOX43. "They are working with guests, finding them jobs, helping with whatever employment training. It's our job to connect them to the community resources that are out there."
Resources include a partnership with WellSpan's Arches to Wellness Program, which supports those with medical conditions who have no other place to turn.
"You see a lot of people [who] have been on the streets and wonder how they are surviving with all these medical conditions," explained Briann Joseph with WellSpan's Arches to Wellness Program. "There's not much that anyone can do for them in that moment other than put a band-aid on and send them back to the streets, [but] that's where the Arches to Wellness Program comes in."
The program helps those struggling by getting them to doctor's appointments, providing them with a place to heal and making sure they have access to medication; it even helps people find temporary housing.
It's a job Joseph says can be tough but rewarding.
"A lot of them come with no hope at all. They're just at a loss," she explained. "At your 30 days with them, you've gotten them into permanent housing and they send you a message that says because of you, I now have hope."
"I do this because I feel called to do it," Squires shared and it's a call she hopes others will find in their hearts.
"It's important that we look people in the eye and it's important that we know their names so that we create that humanity so that people can reach out for help when they need it and not feel shame in that process," she continued.
It's that acceptance that Doug says made all the difference in his journey.
"If you're wanting to make changes and get some control back in your life, this is the place," he said. "They're all here to help and they do it in such a way that they're very personable and it's not condescending. It's just, 'How can we help you? What are your goals?'"
