Walk In s

This has been a Walk in Day. A day when people walk past the building and drop in looking for services, really do not deliver any individual services but these folks do not know this. They just see the name on the building and assume we do provide services. And, since we are downtown not far from the shelters for the homeless it is not surprising. Many times these Walk Ins are quite colorful and many times they are also heart breaking. I suspect one of the reasons the frequency of these walks in increase is the cold weather and a few minutes in a warm building is worth the indignation of submitting yourself to a State social services agency. As I said we ( my parent organization ) is not a social services agency but since my part of the organization is information and referral these folks are hustled into my office where I do a light version of an intake and try to refer them to the most appropriate agency or program.

Today it was Joe the Bummer. I had just poured and doctored, and had returned my desk to leisurely wander through my emails and transcribe the weekends phone calls when Frank ushered Joe in. A young looking guy, possibly even handsome under other circumstances; dressed in winter street clothes packing a backpack with a rolled up sleeping bag. Joe’s hair was a little messed but eyes looked bright and aware. We shook hands and he informed me that he had been in my office earlier in the summer. I kind of remember Joe but truly, I did not—I see many folks in the course of the year as they walk in my office for one reason or another. I like what I saw though and wished there was more I could have done for Joe. I sat him down in my office, and we visited as I struggled to ascertain the level of his need and where might be services to benefit Joe. I found he was homeless, in need of mental health services, vocation and housing services.

I finally felt I had enough information I could refer him to at least three different agencies. I left him sitting in the front office as I returned to my office where I looked up each agency and copied and pasted the referrals to convenient document for Joe. I was just pasting the last reference to the file when Red called back to inform me that Joe had left the building. Joe had left a note, apologizing for smelling bad, looking bad and not being in the right frame of mind. Sure enough he was gone, slipped through my fingers—I don’t know if I offended him when I left him to go type up the referrals or what. I man I was close to him and I did not smell anything. It looked like he had some trauma of some sort to his face which had me a bit worried.

I had another walk in today a well, a slick operator who was looking form an “in”. He had a voice like a radio announcer and the hair of a model and made all my “shields go up” when he entered my office. He had a program he wanted me to refer folks to but I backed away—Slick made me feel like he was the ain character in a Stephen King Novel. Of my two visitors I think I would rather have lunch with Joe the Bummer

Happy Birthday Jaemine you are fantastic!!