City Mission Helps Men Gain Control of Lives

Aired December 21, 1999

David C. Barnett–Several blocks from the Goodwill Industries is a collection of modern brick buildings at 55th and Carnegie that is the campus of The City Mission, and a 90-year old organization that offers counselling and rehabilitation programs for destitute and homeless men. City Mission is a Christian-based ministry that focuses on a four-phase program to return a sense of stability to men who have lost control of their lives. I spoke yesterday with Wayne Bay and Jerrod Kahn of the program. Jerrod Kahn told me that the center has a four-month residential program as its center.

Jerrod Kahn–We can hold up to 40 men, as well as another 12 in our transitional housing facility, which is a three- to six-month addition to the program, which allows men to stay in apartment-like suites, hold a job, and save up so that when they leave here, they have enough money saved up so they can get an apartment or a car, whatever they need to do.

Wayne Bay–When a man first comes into our building, he comes into our day room. I decide then, by request, if they want to get into our residential program, or if they just want to have a seven-day or month shelter. While they're here, we feed them, we let them shower, we give them toilet articles, we try to get them back on their feet because a lot of men, through their addiction, are not doing the everyday thing that they were used to doing before. It's not that we're trying to teach them, it's that we're just trying to get them to do things that they used to do.

DCB–A portrait of a typical client that you work with?

WB–OK, a typical client would be a man that has spent all of his money through some type of addiction. He's burned all his bridges with his family, significant other, he has no other place to go. Sometimes he's spent days and weeks in the street. When he gets to a point where he's tired of that, he looks for a shelter, and that's where he comes to City Mission. He showers every night, and that is something that usually doesn't do. He changes clothes every day, and we try to get him back on his feet.

DCB–Well, we just heard a story where the women, their re-entry program and their life skills program, are learning real basics, like how to make a bed, how to brush their teeth. A similar story here?

JK–Some of the basics like making their bed has been a problem and keeping their dorm areas, their personal areas clean, keeping their clothes freshly laundered. Sometimes being out there in the streets so long that maybe not something that they forgot, but they got out of the habit of doing.

DCB–Are there issues of pride involved? In our society, the man is the provider, and that sort of thing, are there things like that?

WB–We're in a society where men are supposed to be number one, thy're not supposed to cry, they're not supposed to feel. A lot of times, the men are out there, that keeps them stuck, and the situation that they're in, because a lot of them don't know how to ask for help. They really have to reach their bottom to ask for help. What we try to do at the City Mission, we try to let them realize that their life is unmanageable and with our program, we can give you the working tools to get you back on your feet.

DCB–They're going by day-to-day and they're assuming they can do it?

WB–A lot of men are in denial. They think that they can control the drugs that they take, and they think that they can control the situations. Until they come into the light, that they cannot control it, they're still going to be doing the same thing over and over and over again. What we do is when a man comes into our shelter, on the homeless side we have 48 beds. Now he has to make his bed every day. A lot of men that come in here do not know how to do that, so we have to show them how to do that. We have to show them how to change clothes every day, because if we ever find a man that smelled or clothes are dirty, we;ll take him into our clothing room, and we'll get him another set of clothes. We'l give them toothpaste, toothbrushes. We give them the toiletries that they need to try to be somewhat "normal" again.

JK–And I supervise, I help them with their schedules, help provide the necessities that they need, like toiletries, and help organize their day.

DCB–What would you say the biggest problem is, is it that discipline, getting that organization together?

JK–Probably one of the biggest problems is getting them to report to where they need to be on time. They've gotten away from learning responsibility of being on time and they go through employment readiness class, which will help them with working their resumes, how to act on a job interview, how to dress on a job interview.

DCB–To this stage of readiness, do you have links to other agencies in town to get them into the workforce?

JK–Yes. Once they enter the job search portion of the program, there are some companies that contact the Mission directly or some contacts we have to help them find jobs, but we're not in business to find them jobs, but once they've found that employment, we have a transitional housing facility, they can stay, where they can learn some more of those other life skills such as doing your dishes or cleaning your room and preparing meals, things of that nature.

DCB–Jerrod Kahn and Wayne Bay of the City Mission oversee that organization's Crossroads Ministry to Men Program, aimed at teaching life and job skills.