Transitional Housing provides more than shelter

 

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Senior Case Manager Kenia Dimas introduces Michael Anthony Dewar at the Transitional Housing for Men. Dewar, originally from Jamaica has lived in the United States for over 20 years. He will be taking the test to become a naturalized citizen.

Mary Cottingham,  South Texas Catholic
 

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The Transitional Housing for Men, part of the Mother Teresa Shelter, offers more than a shelter. It provides the tools and resources that bring about independence and improved self-esteem. From there, it leads to self-sufficiency and a permanent place to call home.

Located at 1605 Mestina, near Corpus Christi City Hall and the Crosstown Expressway, the housing center—which opened in 2012—has a capacity for 24 men. It currently has 16 residents, said Senior Case Manager Kenia Dimas. 

William LeClair, at right,  with the house staff at the Transitional Housing for Men, offers support to Gary Meiser.                      Mary Cottingham,  South Texas Catholic

Dimas says the screening process is designed to make sure the men are ready for the program that is central to the housing center. “We are looking for people to be willing and have that commitment to do something different, to have that outcome, to be open to guidance and to our rules,” she said. 

A typical day at the center is fairly quiet, with most of the men out working or receiving care or services offsite. But the kitchen and break room take on a family vibe during the evening meal. One of the men has a glass of sun tea he had setting on the back steps most of the day.

Residents pay $400 monthly, which includes all their meals and laundry and hygiene supplies. They have their own bedrooms, simply furnished; a colorful comforter covering the twin-sized bed with a cross at the headboard; and a small dresser, with a welcome basket of supplies, such as shower shoes, deodorant and laundry detergent. 

There are six pods of four bedrooms. Each pod has a common area with tables, mostly used for dominoes, and a television. The TVs become fan territory during football season, Dimas said, with the most popular games featured throughout the facility. 

Fall in garden brought new beginning Beth Wilson Correspondent An early morning accident in the garden knocked Gary Meiser off the ladder last spring. “I watered early, and that was a mistake,” he said, recalling his tragedy of Feb. 23, 2016. “The floor got real slick. The ladder slipped. I went down and that was it.” With a broken hip and a shattered femur, the 70-year-old had a long road to recovery. He could not keep working growing exotic plants, peppers and vegetables at a farm between Gregory and Taft. He had no family to take him in. While recovering at the hospital, he heard about Transitional Housing for Men, a part of Mother Teresa Shelter. He checked it out, liked it and applied. He said he was “graciously accepted,” and has been working his way back to health and into a home for the last year.  Meiser came in using a walker, then a cane and now he walks unassisted, which he credits to the long walks he took with his new friends at the housing center.  “When he came to us he was very frail, very pale,” Senior Case Manager Kenia Dimas said. “It was painful for him to walk; we could tell.” As his health improved, he began a job search, a tough feat at any age, and even harder at 70. The Vietnam veteran now works in the laundry at the nearby Mother Teresa Shelter.  “The sisters there, they are like family,” he said. “I couldn’t praise them enough.” Meiser moved to Texas in 1996 to be near his wife’s family. His wife died of cancer last year at 56.  Before coming to Texas, Meiser had a career in advertising photography in Oregon. He still takes beautiful pictures, many of them of his plants. He had been involved in the International Palm Society and began working with some folks in South Texas growing exotic palms, bamboo, peppers and a large organic vegetable garden.  “I’ve got a whole new beginning,” Meiser said. “My accident brought me a whole new life. It may be at the end of my life, but it brought me here.” Meiser is passing on the positive direction he has received from the housing center and shelter, talking with some of the younger people he sees at the shelter. “I try and give them motivation, tell them to never give up.” He has formed a close friendship with another housing center resident, Michael Anthony Dewar, a gentle giant of a man, who spent his life driving trucks. Originally from Jamaica, he has been studying for his naturalization test. The two will soon drive to San Antonio together for test day.

Each resident comes in with their own barriers, Dimas explained. What they receive at the housing center is based on those hurdles. 

The program operates along the “continuum of care” followed by many organizations that assist the homeless. It falls between the stages of linking services and providing housing, Dimas said.

It is set up to move the homeless to a home in two years, taking them through several stages, including admission; an adjustment phase, where barriers are identified; a period where barriers are prioritized and overcome; a period of savings and budgeting; a stability phase; and finally, a transition phase in which housing to meet their needs is located.

Change can be scary, Dimas said, and some of the men are not ready to take the chances that come with it. But each person seen at the center receives links to resources and a bit of hope, she said. Many of them will return to independent living when they are ready.

“We are a judge-free zone,” she said. “We aren’t here to force anyone to do anything. We are here to help them and when they are ready, we are here.”

Helping can easily seem overwhelming, but Dimas takes to heart the words of Mother Teresa, to simply help one person at a time. She said that it is the men themselves who are doing the hardest work, the work of improving themselves.

“I feel very blessed that God has entrusted their lives to me,” Dimas said. “I’m going to make the best of each one as I can. I always want to give the opportunity. What you do with it is your responsibility. It’s my responsibility to offer it. I get very blessed, like a proud mother, when they do see their ability to do better and experience success.”

The center offers volunteer opportunities, and anyone interested can call (361) 904-0377 to see if they have any immediate needs. The housing center also welcomes donations of linens, groceries, hygiene and laundry supplies and kitchen items such as pots and pans. To learn more about the center, visit motherteresashelter.org/transitional-housing-for-men. 

Gary Meiser on his iPad shows photos he took of exotic plants, peppers and vegetables he grew at a farm between Gregory and Taft. Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic