Houston's Homeless and The Way Station

                    
School:Gonzaga University
Course: COML 517 Practicum 2011
Project Title: Houston's Homeless and The Way Station
                                                   George Oti's Introductory Video

                                                    






               Houston's Homeless and The Way Station

It is only 7.30 a.m., and as usual, a long queue develops at Palmer church’s The Way Station; the homeless line up for breakfast. A few blocks away, three men and a woman, sit on one of Herman Park’s numerous benches. They seem oblivious of the Medical Center’s streaming traffic and the developing breakfast queue at The Way Station.  The youngest among the men stands up, digs his

Some Homeless Prior to Heading Towards The Way Station

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hand into a multicolored dirty bag and retrieves a toothbrush and toothpaste.  He moves quickly to the nearby shrub and gives his mouth a quick wash. Thereafter, he returns to his bag, retrieves a bottle of cologne, and gives his emaciated body a quick spray, concentrating most on his feet. Now, it is 8 a.m., one by one, the rest of the homeless stand up. The lady was next. She patiently peeps into a mirror and gently dabs her eyes and heads towards The Way Station. Next was the oldest man in the bunch with bushy gray hair hidden under a baseball cap. His unkempt gray sideburns and mustache play catch up with each other on his hardened face.  The fourth man has a wheelchair. Carefully, he sits on it and patiently chauffeured himself to the Way Station’s direction.

The Palmer Church's The Way Station.

The Way Station, according to Terry Henry the director, was established in 1989. Currently the program serves fresh, traditional breakfast to over 300 clients, Monday to Friday, starting at 8 a.m.  According to Terry, The Way Station also provides referral services, access to a mailing address, restrooms and toiletries.

On the Mission of The Way Station, Terry states that it is to take care of the homeless and the hungry by feeding and treating them with love and dignity. The program projects that such treatment may rekindle the homeless’ lost sense of worth, and motivate them to access community resources to transform their lives for the better. One client who testifies about the program states, “The Way Station has helped me through the years,” “with food, clothes and transportation to find work.” The testifier recently got a job as a bus driver.

Client's Enjoying Fresh Breakfast At The Way Station.

Terry points out that there are clients who despite the leverage provided by the program, defy its transformational vision, and remain perpetually homeless. For the sake of such clients  and others who become homeless for various other reasons, Terry hopes that the program continues to receive funding  to sustain its vision of providing  reprieve for the homeless in the downtown part of Houston where the Palmer church and The Way station are  strategically located.

It is assuring that the funding of the project by the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church has endured despite the economic downturn, said Terry. In addition to a sustained funding, The Way Station’s “volunteer force of 500 and its 150 dedicated corps” guarantees the project a promising future, Terry concludes.Houston's Homeless and The Way Station