Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition Celebrates Success

Clara Sturak
Associate editor

   It’s a rare occasion that finds over 400 people dressed and groomed for the day’s work, some with their hair still damp, filling a hotel ballroom at 7:30 on a Friday morning.
   In the case of last Friday, September 27, it happens only once a year – and it’s a hot ticket for local politicians, business people, social service providers and community members alike.
   The seventh annual Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition “Celebrating Success” Breakfast began with a meal prepared in part by participants in local training programs. Delicious quiches were made by St. Joseph’s Center Food Service Job Training Program, and homemade breads and muffins were provided by Step Up on Second bakers.
   But the real treats of the morning were the beaming faces and humble speeches of the honorees – formerly homeless individuals who were lauded for their accomplishments in five categories – Education, Employment, Overcoming Multiple Barriers, Determination to Succeed, and Giving Back.
   After being serenaded by the New Directions Choir, the crowd heard an opening prayer by Father James Barnes of St. Joan of Arc in West Los Angeles, and was welcomed by Coalition Chair and CLARE Foundation Executive Director, Nicholas Vrataric.
   Vrataric told the assembled crowd, that the coalition was founded “almost 20 year ago,” by a group of agencies whose mission was “to meet the needs of the whole person, not just hand out food or clothing.”
   Santa Monica Mayor Michael Feinstein, followed with a plea that “all the stakeholders” be heard — before decisions are made — in any discussions of homeless policy, not just in the city, but around the world.
   The morning’s emcee, actress Wendie Malick, then introduced the “Class of 2002,” who “succeeded in spite of the odds,” and the 24 recipients, each carrying a candle, walked to the front of the room. Once there, they received a standing ovation of more than a minute. Many in the crowd were moved to the point of tears by the sight of the group, most with shy smiles, all holding their heads high.
   One of the more interesting and moving aspects to the event was the choice to have “alumni,” honorees from past breakfasts, introduce the current class. With more time and experience under their belts, they were able to talk about homelessness in a way the honorees could not yet do.
   Claus Nielsen, class of 2000, introduced the five people acknowledged in the “employment” category. He prefaced his introductions with this, “I just want to say that everyone who has been homeless wants to contribute to society.” Nielsen, who has been employed as a waiter at the Lobster restaurant in Santa Monica for the last several years, called out five names — Lewis Bailey, Victoria Gray, Karen Nicholson, Bruce Powell, and Leslie Macintosh. Each had been nominated by a local social service agency to receive the employment award, and each crossed the dais to receive a certificate from Rhonda Meister, the Coalition’s Vice Chair.
   Speaking for the group, Macintosh, a former methamphetamine addict who was homeless for two years, thanked the CLARE Foundation, “who gave me hope,” Turning Point Transitional Housing, St. Joseph’s Center, Chrysalis and the Salvation Army. After receiving training the St. Joseph’s food service program, Macintosh worked for a year at the Santa Monica Co-opportunity Deli before becoming food services coordinator at CLARE, a job she’s has for almost two years.
   The acknowledgement that not one but many stops along the way, and not one but many caring individuals at different social service agencies are necessary for most to find their way out of homelessness was a recurring theme throughout the event.
   Jacob Ramsay, an alum from the class of 2000 now living with muscular dystrophy, charmed the crowd with his easy manner. After being led to the podium to introduce the group nominated for “overcoming multiple barriers,” Ramsay said, “Being homeless and alone is an overwhelming experience,” adding that for people with mental or physical illnesses or addictions it can be doubly hard. He then asked Carli Davidson, Craig Galey, Peter Starks, Josephine Weeks and Mary Phillips to accept their certificates.
   Phillips, radiant in a sparkling yellow dress, asked “everyone who knows me” to stand up, and after more than a dozen did, she nodded and said, “It took multiple programs for me, because I was hard core.” A refinery worker whose husband was killed in an explosion at the plant where they both worked, Phillips became addicted to crack, and ended up on skid row. “I got tired of crack, which had taken me to the bottom,” Phillips said, “So I came to Santa Monica where there wasn’t crack on every corner.” Since diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression, Phillips is no longer “self medicating.” She lives in her own apartment, and serves on the board of a local shelter.
   Business/Civic Awards were then handed out to organizations that’ve given time, in-kind and monetary donations to local agencies. Harvard-Westlake Upper School (and its student volunteers), Neutrogena Corporation, Playa Vista Job Opportunities, Shtibyl Minyan, Trader Joe’s, Verizon and Vons.
   The Dolphin Change Program, initiated and managed by the Bayside District Corporation, was given an “honorable mention,” after which the yearly grants from monies raised though change dropped into the dolphin sculptures located on the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Pier and Main Street were awarded to Step Up on Second, Chrysalis, and the Westside Food Bank (see story, page 8).
   The Coalition’s Special Civic Recognition Award was given to restaurateur Fred Deni, owner of Back on Broadway and Back on the Beach, for “his commitment to helping those in need,” from serving a free Thanksgiving Meal each year to collecting and personally delivering thousands of teddy bears to orphans in Bosnia. “We seldom have to ask Fred [for help],” Meister said, “he usually volunteers.”
   Ernest Harris, class of 1996, now a manager at Santa Monica Shelter (Samoshel), then introduced the honorees in the “determination to succeed” category. “We all are faced with adversity in our lives, but some of us require a special effort to go from homelessness and despair to achievement and self-respect,” Harris said. Yoan Carbajal, Justeina Daigle, Ingmar Herlan, Glenn Williams and Archie Dominguez crossed the dais.
   Dominguez, formerly a gang member living on the streets of Boyle Heights, was nominated by the Los Angeles Youth Network. He told the crowd, “This is déjà vu. I’ve had these dreams before, but I never thought I was capable of achieving them.” Dominguez now works as an Outreach Specialist at the Youth Network.
   Class of 1996’s Gloria Starling presented “education” awards to William Hargraves, Les Jones, Everton Rankine, and Ingrid Barnes. Barnes, who is hearing-impaired, described a long journey from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Now in her own apartment, she is a short-order cook at Universal Studios.
   Nominees in the “giving back” category were acknowledged for their choice to work and/or volunteer in social services. Some are working at the same agencies that had helped them off the streets, as are many of the dozens of the “Celebrating Success” alumni. The honorees were Pam Garrard, now working at Samoshel; Pat Kelley, volunteering at several local agencies; Malik Rodriguez, a member of Upward Bound House’s Board of Directors; Patricia Scanlan, Service Coordinator at the CLARE Foundation; and James Thurman, volunteer at Samoshel.
   As the morning progressed, and as the lines between client, alumni and provider were blurred, it became clear that there really are no lines. The stress-inducing adage that we are all “only a paycheck away” from homelessness was given physical form that morning. More significantly, the idea that “the homeless” are somehow elementally different that the housed, and that they are permanent burden on society, was split apart, as person after person rose to the dais and proved it wrong.