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September 9, 2020
On October 29, 2008 Poverello House of Tucson opened its doors to invited homeless men to come in off the streets for a day to sit down, decompress, get cleaned up and have a couple of good meals in a homelike environment. Each guest is welcomed one day a week and for many, it is their favorite day of the week. On average the two live-in staff persons welcome 60 guests each week.
Poverello House was established by Br. David Buer, ofm and
strives to exemplify the Franciscan spirit through the hospitality if provides. The spirit of Poverello House is best shown in the words of one of the guests:” When I am at Poverello House, it feels like family. I go to many other places to eat and sometimes shower, but I always feels like I am being looked down on. At Poverello house I feel that I am not only accepted, but I am treated with respect. Homeless people do not often have that kind of encounter.”
Due to the corona virus, Poverello House has been closed since early April. While determining what outreach for our homeless guests might been done safely at Poverello House, we were able to support the work of Z Mansion. Bill Quigley and Gary Deuter, our current house staff, prepared 150 “snack sacks” that were delivered to Z Mansion each week by members of our board. They were distributed to the homeless folks who came there over the weekend.
Beginning on August 26th, the yard at Poverello House has opened to meet some of the needs of the homeless guests who previously came to the house. All activity takes place outdoors and is in keeping with CDC guidelines regarding the wearing of masks, social distancing, etc. The men are provided with a hot breakfast, have an opportunity to take a shower (an outdoor shower tent has been set up with careful attention to drainage issues provided by a professional plumber). Two clothes washing machines have also been set up in the yard for the use of the men. Triage takes place in the alley outside the yard before the men enter. Snack Sacks of non-perishable foods and bottled water are available for the men to take with them when they leave. The yard is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 7:00 am to noon and serves up to twelve men each day.
While the men who come express the wish that things could get back to normal and be done the “old way”—they miss being able to relax in comfort and watch TV or catch some extra sleep in a cool house—they are glad to be back even if it is just in the yard!
To learn more about Poverello House and to support this special ministry visit tucsonpoverello.com
