Soroptimists of Whitefish

The Soroptimists of Whitefish have partnered with the Samaritan House to provide for a fully furnished transitional housing apartment on our property that will provide shelter for Whitefish area women and girls who are in need.

Soroptimists International is a worldwide organization for women working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women. Their mission is to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.

The first family is a single mother family that came to the Whitefish area to work as a live in tutor. After arriving here she found that the position was not as it was originally described and it was necessary that she not stay in that situation. She is now working as a permanent full time substitute teacher for Kalispell Schools. Her apartment help from Soroptimists of Whitefish makes it so that she can save $100 each month.

The Samaritan House would like to sincerely thank the Soroptomists of Whitefish for partnering with us and making a huge difference for this family.

Estelle, Likely the Final Update

Great news in what today may be the final update on Estelle. She has moved in to her apartment. It is a subsidized apartment close to downtown. We were able to get a bed, linens and her things delivered for her. A gentleman who learned about Estelle by reading Homeless in the Flathead offered a bed and a big comfy chair.
Have we been succesful? The client, Estelle, is no longer homeless.
What did we do for her? We were able to provide shelter, food and a safe place for her to get healthy after her treatments. The community really did come together to help Estelle.
What could we have improved on? The truth is Estelle was easy. She was self-motivated and even had her own transportation. (Most of the people we serve do not have their own transportation.)
Thank you to all who called, emailed and offered support. Estelle made it through what could have been a much more difficult life crisis. This was a success because of your help.

Estelle Third Note

Estelle has been surprising the staff with the grace and dignity that she goes through her treatments.  She has been stopping by the bread store to get bread for the shelter.    

The cancer has spread to her stomach and her treatments are now daily.  She has continued to come in to rest after her treatment.  She says that she needs a couple hours to nap.  

Some good news, a local apartment complex called to accept her application for an apartment. Estelle says that it is an apartment that she can afford and it is close by to the doctor and the grocery store.  She will likely be moving in soon.  

Samaritan House staff was able to earmark a bed for her to take with her.  

Any day now she will have a place to call home. 

Estelle Update

Estelle has gotten her birth certificate on her own. Having identification is necessary for getting an apartment or any type of housing. This is something that Samaritan House will typically offer to pay for but she did it on her own.
Upon further discussion about her late husband I did learn that their relationship was not as fond as I originally said it was.
On at least one occassion she did need to rest for the day due to her cancer treatments. This is a weekly treatment that takes a couple days to recover from.
Estelle has enjoyed Movie Night at the Samaritan House, especially "Bucket List". It sparked some good conversations among the shelter residents.
Staff at the shelter have commented about her sense of humor and ability to "work the crowd."
Estelle has set goals concerning her income and states she would like to find a job. Other goals include finding a house sitting position or an apartment that she can afford. She has made application to a few apartments in the Kalispell area.

Blogging About Homelessness

There are several good blogs about homelessness. I enjoy http://www.thehomelessguy.blogspot.com It is a blog written by a gentleman Kevin Barbieux in Nashville, I learn a lot by reading his firsthand thoughts on homelessness.
Mr. Barbieux listed other blogs that are written about homelessness. It's pretty interesting reading. Some of them are:

http://journeytohomelessness.blogspot.com
http://homelessmanspeaks.wordpress.com
http://homelessfamily.blogspot.com
http://www.lahomelessblog.org