Sojourner House

Lead Staff

June - November 2019 • Eau Claire, WI

What I liked

I liked getting to work directly with a homeless population in Eau Claire. I saw first-hand what homelessness is and the struggles individuals face. I got to know the guests well and form relationships with them. My perceptions of homelessness and homeless people have been forever changed because I had this job. It was wonderfully eye opening and I feel strongly that every person should volunteer here at least once.

What I wish was different

The hours. It was inevitable that I would work during the middle of the night, as the shelter is only open from 7pm-8am. I knew this when I was hired, but the 7 hour shifts that cut through the time I had ordinarily been sleeping was rough to my body.

Advice

Be open minded about people. Homeless people can't all be lumped together, a homeless person is a unique individual who is distinct from another homeless person. No one is the same. There are invisible who have special needs and mental health illnesses and addictions. There are individuals who work or are in school. Every individual found themselves homeless for a unique reason. Every individual has unique needs and aspirations and concerns and traumas. What works best for one individual won't necessarily work best for another. Treat everyone as the unique person they are and honor their story. Homeless people have a lot to offer the world, but we have to be open-minded enough to let them tell their story, and really hear it.

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