My inspiration for this idea is twofold:
1. I worked at Coverdale Centre for Women, a local women's shelter in Saint John, NB for a while as a Residential Care Worker.
2. My husband and I adopted two rescue cats in 2021 from a local cat rescue charitable organization called
Red Head Strays Helping Stray Cats Strut (follow this link if you'd like to donate). We continue to be so impressed by the leadership of this charity that we also became regular donors, and hope one day to help out with fostering.
Disclaimer: this blog is not a criticism of current shelter methods, nor is it a formulated business plan. It's a concept.
In this blog post I'll attempt to use the preferred and
recommended language around homelessness from the APStylebook: "...
the stylebook recommends “homeless people,” “people without housing,” or “people without homes."
So, the other day an idea began perculating...what about a combined shelter, for both humans and cats? What might that be like?
To my knowledge, a standard of shelters for humans is that homeless persons, those requiring shelter, are generally housed together in large shared spaces (e.g., bunk beds in a shared room). Though this is practical and affordable, it does not provide the level of dignity or privacy that many of us take for granted. Could the combined shelter offer small private rooms for each person? With a door that they can lock? Like university dorm rooms: small, practical, with a bed at minimum and possibly with a small fridge, hot plate, smoke detector, window, desk and chair, closet, drawers, shelving, electrical outlets and wifi access.
With private rooms and doors that lock, the shelter would not have to be men only, women only, or youth only - it could be all three because the privacy of locked bedrooms could provide the security and safety measures in terms of protecting their bodies and personal property. Perhaps staff could live on-site like university residence advisors.
Another standard approach to shelters is to only be open from sometime in the evening until early the next morning. Everyone has to be up and out by 8am. For those of us privileged to have homes, we are able to arrange our own schedules (to a degree, depending on work schedules, etc.), at the very least, we are able to arrange our sleep schedules as suits the rest of our lifestyle. What if this shelter could offer the same? If you want to sleep in the day and be out all night, then that schedule is ok too. If you need a day to just stay inside all day and night and rest, you may do so. Couldn't this also possibly assist those without homes who are looking for work? What if they were able to secure an overnight job, but have no where to sleep in the day? Doesn't that undermine their ability to succeed?
Perhaps a shared dining hall space, open all hours to support varied schedules. Could staff prepare meals and put them in individual portion sizes, available for those who need a meal? A resident goes to a staff member and takes a meal and reheats it in the microwave. It could be set up like a university cafeteria, mirroring familiar transactions. Perhaps residents could even be provided with meal plans (like many university campuses), where a certain amount of money is pre-loaded onto a card and you would "buy" your meal. Could an organization like
Romero House, which offers daily meals could run this dining hall experience? Similar to the concept of community health centres where a variety of health care professionals (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, massage therapists, mental health counsellors, addictions counsellors, etc.) would apply a team approach to clients, what if charitable organizations could combine services into a shared building for example. Wouldn't this be more efficient? Wouldn't it allow better collaboration amongst different charities? Would it provide a more accessible and integrated experience for people needs these services?
Where do the cats come in? Don't animal companions contribute to mental health and happiness? Wouldn't it be pleasant for residents to have access to animals? A stipulation of residency or use of the shelter could be that all must be kind to animals and anyone found to be harming the animal resident in any way would need to find alternative housing arrangements.
Another aspect of shelters can be to have residents perform certain "chores". Some residents really struggle and resist wanting to clean. What if instead of having the same requirements of each resident, there were jobs available and residents could actually get hired to do them (like a social enterprise)? They would earn wages, and create an employment history for themselves - things that are vital to both personal dignity, self-esteem, and foundational to re-entering the workforce for anyone who has been out of it for sometime. Positions available could include: cleaning resident rooms and shared spaces, cleaning litter boxes, feeding and watering animals, food preparation, office support roles, carpentry or electrical work, etc.
I picture a multi-storied building:
1. First floor: entrance, reception, check-in/out (like a backpackers hostel), perhaps a laundry area, shower and toilet area, health check area for new residents to get cleaned up. Could a nurse practitioner/primary health care provider run a small walk-in clinic from here? Perhaps fresh clothing or pajamas are available at reception, some emergency medications, a personal hygiene kit, etc. - the kind of things people may need right away. Perhaps this first floor space could also offer seating, and wifi as a BYOB (bring your own beverage) coffee-shop style space open to the public. Could there be cat furniture and cats roaming free like a cat cafe? Litter boxes available and strategically placed? Information about the cats could be posted for easy access to those interested. Could a vet or vet assistant also maintain an on-site office in the building to manage and coordinate animal care so that those who run the charities could focus on fundraising?
2. Second floor: perhaps a floor exclusively for sleeping with bunks, hammocks, couches, recliners, floor mats, etc. All types of sleeping options. A place for people to come to sleep, open to the public. You don't have to become a resident to sleep here. Open 24 hours. Cleaning and maintenance by paid residents. This floor is monitored for safety of those sleeping, cleaned regularly, provides clean sheets (like a backpackers hostel), and is a quiet floor, low stimulation, perhaps sound-proofed, with fresh air circulating.
3. Third floor: dining hall, food preparation floor. Perhaps managed and run by organizations who provide meals like Romero House.
4. Basement: storage, but perhaps also some monitored work spaces (e.g., garage-style for automotive, woodworking, electrical, sewing, art, etc.), where residents could either develop new skills or have access to tools to use skills they already have.
5. Fourth floor: resident rooms set up like university dorm rooms, with doors that lock, with shared bathroom spaces (individual toilet stalls, multiples sinks, mirrors and individual shower stalls). Access to cleaning supplies, including vacuums, and laundry facilities are available for use. There would be an on-site resident advisor to monitor and provide assistance to residents, etc. Perhaps counsellors (e.g., addictions and mental health) offices could be on this floor.
6. Fifth floor: What if a branch of the public library operated out of this building, providing computer access, literacy programs, etc.?
