Written by Lydia Bailey, Volunteer Coordinator at LMM Men’s Shelter
I’ve often been quietly amazed at what goes on at LMM’s Men’s Shelter at 2100 Lakeside (often referred to solely as “2100”). I see volunteers, staff and agency partners helping shelter residents in the most solid but unassuming ways. There is a quality to this shelter which is hard to put into words but reverberates throughout our organization. It’s an element not captured by statistics or reports – but visitors often comment on it when they come through our doors. What is this quality?
If I had to put a word to it, it would be service. Volunteers & shelter partners, staff & participants, are living out service. Not headlining it, just trying to live it out. Not perfectly – but pretty consistently.
I think at the core, it has something to do with the view of upholding every person’s value. Out of that core, actions follow. There’s a spirit of giving here that makes this place work, and that spirit is contagious. Shelter guests are every bit a part of this. As one participant comments:
“2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter is a special building. People here are in need—away from family, friends, and community. Some are drug addicts. You would think there’d be no giving, no spiritual support, that everyone would have their hand out. But I see guys giving way beyond their means with time and effort. Some guys I see giving make me want to hide my tears. I think to myself, ‘Oh man, I never seen giving like that.’”
Volunteer presence counts for much here, bringing unique abilities and backgrounds, with our common denominator being service. Another shelter guest comments about volunteers, “Volunteers don’t have to be here, but they are here, and I needed to see that.” As the saying goes, “You can pretend to care but you can’t pretend to show up.”
The Listening Program is one concrete example of this care in action. Through this program, volunteers trained in pastoral listening skills are paired 1:1 with shelter guests. As one Listening Program volunteer says, “Listening is needed because men are taught early that expressing themselves is a sign of weakness. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sometimes, as men, we need to get what we’re feeling off our chest. Holding things in becomes too much to bear at a certain point, which can result in negative behaviors.” This program relies on both men and women volunteers, and it isn’t all heavy stuff. Sometimes, just talking about sports or sharing a good laugh is the most needed thing at that moment.
Lastly, I want to share one recent comment from a student at John Carroll University whose group played board games with shelter residents: “In these 10 weeks, I have found community here and have bonded over so many things. I have learned much about people, just through something as simple as board games. I had the opportunity to connect.”
Such an atmosphere goes far in supporting the vision and mission of LMM. There is, at the base of LMM, a longing for the wholeness of all people, across the board. Right relationships, wholeness, shalom.
When I came on staff at LMM’s Men’s Shelter in 2007, I had a core belief that everyone matters. This has only been authenticated over time. Everyone matters. For this reason, the shelter is a compelling place to be.
I invite you to be a part of what goes on here at this shelter. If you would like to volunteer or have a seed of an idea you’d like to develop, please reach out to me. There is a spirit of service here, and that service is contagious.
