When Caresha Baker came to the Presbyterian Night Shelter in May 2011, the college graduate didn't know what to expect.
"I thought, "I never thought I would be here. What will people think?" " she says.
Baker, the single mother of a then 2-year-old son, had recently lost her job and had exhausted all her resources. At first, she was apprehensive about seeking the services of a homeless shelter. But staff members at the Lowdon-Schutts Building put her fears to rest as they welcomed Baker and her son with open arms.
"I was greeted warmly and an intake assessment was completed on us," she says, as she recalls the pack of toiletries and personal items and set of mattresses they were given. "I didn't sleep very well but listened to the sounds of such a new place and watched my son sleep peacefully that night."
Development director Macy Hill says the Fort Worth Presbyterian Night Shelter is the largest provider of services for the area homeless population, supplying meals, beds and basic needs to roughly 650 clients each evening, 365 days a year. The Shelter serves slightly more than 3,000 homeless clients each year by providing them with bus passes, toiletries and hot meals. The Shelter also provides residents with case management, life-skills classes and job services to help them transition into permanent housing and employment.
"Since it was founded nearly 25 years ago by local Presbyterian ministers, it has provided more than 3 million nights of stay and served more than 5 million meals," says Hill. "The Shelter offers resources enabling clients to re-enter mainstream society and employs at least 20 homeless clients who handle day-to-day operations."
Located near downtown Fort Worth, the Presbyterian Night Shelter provides lodging geared specifically to the needs of its client demographics through individual buildings for women and children, men, the sick and elderly, the mentally ill and, as of 2008, homeless veterans via The Patriot House.
"The Presbyterian Night Shelter is a place of trust, respect and caring for the homeless, helping them regain their quality of life," says Hill. "We serve the needs of the homeless while respecting their dignity."
Clients like Caresha Baker are a testimony to that. Her caseworker not only helped enroll her son in Head-Start preschool, she helped Baker with her job search as well. "They even remembered my son's birthday when he turned 3," she said.
By September of 2011, Baker and her son were able to move out of the Shelter and into their own apartment. Soon thereafter, she became a staff member and now serves as a case manager for housing solutions, helping others just as she was helped.
Baker thanks God for her new beginning. She also thanks the Presbyterian Night Shelter. "I went to the Shelter only looking for a place to stay, but I was able to walk away with so much more internally than I was even aware that I needed," she says.
