Seeking Shelter By Remy Gordon
Founder of Seeking Shelter Inc, a non-profit organization aimed at ending homelessness, one person at a time. She works endlessly to make sure that the needs of the people experiencing homelessness are being met. This may look like offering them a hot meal, a pair of new socks, some hygiene products, or just sitting with them and listening and learning their stories while offering mental health guidance and showing them compassion and love.
Remy is a licensed clinical social worker, a teacher and a true humanitarian. Remy is the Founder of Seeking Shelter. At a young age, Remy began volunteering at a local Soup Kitchen in an underserved neighborhood of Miami. After completing undergrad, Remy became an elementary school teacher. She had a second grader in her class who was experiencing homelessness and saw firsthand how it affected his performance at school. Remy decided to take a break from teaching and returned to school to pursue her Masters in Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She was able to complete her Foundation Practicum at a homeless shelter for youth in St. Louis and found her calling.
Remy has been doing extensive research into the homeless population, as it has become her passion. One night while grocery shopping, a young woman with her one year old daughter approached Remy asking her for money. This woman explained that she had nowhere to go and didn’t want to sleep on the streets with her young daughter. Remy spent two hours that evening calling all around to find a shelter that would accept her daughter and her together. It was from this experience that Seeking Shelter originated.
It is clear that homelessness is a tremendous issue that unfortunately affects way too many on a daily basis. There are various housing options for those that are affected by homelessness. The amount of people experiencing homelessness is continuing to rise each year. There are many factors that play into a person experiencing homelessness including mental health, substance use, domestic violence, generational poverty and other factors. When 50% of a person’s household income goes towards paying rent, that household is experiencing ‘severe housing cost burden’. Remy is passionate about educating others on the causes behind homelessness and how they can be of assistance to this population.
- We are all here to be of service, why did you decide to assist the homeless?
People experiencing homelessness are often overlooked and ignored.
They carry around stigmas of all sorts; people assume they are dirty, smelly, lazy, drug addicts, dangerous and mentally unstable. People don’t take into consideration the reasons behind this- perhaps they are dirty and smelly due to lack of availability to shower and no hygiene products, they may look lazy because they cannot gain employment due to not having a permanent address, they may be addicted to drugs to escape their current reality, they may be assumed dangerous if they are reentering the community after incarceration and perhaps they are suffering from mental illness and can’t afford therapy and their medications.
These are extremely vulnerable people who are deserving of love and respect. I don’t think that anyone grows up with the intention of becoming homeless as an adult. To be able to help someone out of a difficult situation in their life and help them gain independence and get their life back on track is something that means the world to me.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from a homeless person?
I have never really been one to judge a person but through my experience working with people experiencing homelessness, I have really learned more not to judge a book by its cover. Homelessness can happen to anyone and nobody necessarily asks for it; some circumstances may lend a path towards a life of homelessness. I have met people who are experiencing homelessness who are former marines, nurses, teachers, and more.
I have met college educated people who came from affluent families who are now sleeping on the streets. Nobody knows what every person has been through so who are we to judge them? You may drive past a smelly dirty looking person begging for money on US1 at a stoplight. You may not even think about their circumstances.
What if that person was your child, your family member, your friend, someone you went to grade school with, an old neighbor? Would you look then? Would you stop? What if you knew that person went to your same high school but was escaping domestic violence, was suffering from serious mental illness, was addicted to substances? Would you feel any differently?
I have learned that we can’t judge anyone because we don’t know anyone’s situation. All that we can do is help one another. Help the person and get to know what their needs are. It is so important to validate their existence and show them you care.
Do you feel you can help all homeless people in this country, if so how?
I would like to think that I can help all the homeless people in this country but that is a tough question. I think I can help a lot of them. I think I can help educate and spread awareness to other people who in turn can help others. I think I can be the voice for those who are deemed voiceless. I think I can advocate for better policies in our country that will benefit people experiencing homelessness and the systems that they face on a daily basis.
It is my dream to live in a world where homelessness does not exist. This dream would require major systemic changes: we have a housing crisis in America, we have a racism crisis in America, we have a mental health crisis in America, and we have a lack of resources issue. I hope to help change that.
What are the biggest challenges you have faced dusting this process?
The biggest challenge I have faced is financial. It is hard to maintain a small nonprofit. I still have a vision though. A vision for a world where homelessness does not exist. In the beginning, I began by spreading awareness; helping people understand the causes and factors that play into people experiencing homelessness, helping to end the stigma against them. I create ‘goodie bags’ that include a positive message, list of resources in the community, healthy food items and personal hygiene products. I continue to go into neighborhoods and get to know the people; I hand out the goodie bags and listen to their stories.
I had a vision for creating an app and luckily, I found two amazing software engineers, Cole Tomlinson and Fergus Watkins. They created the perfect app and were able to execute it exactly how I had envisioned it. The app is aimed to provide all resources to people at risk. Resources include but are not limited to shelters, drop in centers, veteran housing, food pantries, free medical resources, substance use programs and more. It is also helpful for any person who wants to help someone in finding the closest resource.
Now comes the most difficult part, the part that I dream of every evening. The opening of my first transition age youth homeless shelter, Charlie’s House. This is where I need your help. I have the business and the plan and the vision. My program will provide 16-24 year olds with a safe place to rest their head, medical and behavioral health services and screenings, counseling and case management, life skills, job readiness skills and preparation, and housing assistance. I need help to raise the funds to open this.
How can people be of assistance to you so you can continue fulfill your purpose of finding homeless people shelter?
People can listen and learn from each other. I encourage anyone to reach out to me with any questions and follow my instagram (@seekingshelter24). I share educational facts and stories of people experiencing homelessness in Miami. I am looking to open a shelter for the transition aged youth and would love partners and donors. You can donate at my GoFundMe (www.gofundme.com/homelessnomoreapp) or I accept checks and provide tax exemption receipts. You can donate clothing, hygiene products, tents, sleeping gear, non perishable food items, or hot meals for me to distribute to the most vulnerable in our city. You can accompany me in delivering items and getting to know those who need you most in our communities.
I am often asked why I would want to create a program and shelter and call it Charlie’s House. While walking downtown with my dog Charlie, he came to an abrupt stop while sniffing something down an alleyway. As I attempted to continue walking, he would not stop, urging me in the direction of the alleyway. As we turned the corner, we came upon a sixteen-year-old girl passed out on the ground.
Charlie and I approached her together to make sure that she was breathing. In time, the girl, I will call her A, came to and wouldn’t stop petting Charlie and thanking us. After this incident, A and I kept in close contact and I learned all about her story. A became homeless at fifteen years old after an injury that led her to become addicted to pain pills. Her parents had had enough and kicked her out of the house. A slept in alleyways, parks, squatted in vacant buildings, stole food items from convenience stores to eat. She did what she had to do to survive.
Fast-forward two years later and lots of time working one on one with A, she graduated from a recovery based program, high school and is in college studying Social Work while working as a part time daycare teacher.
If you ask A what made her change, she attributed everything to Charlie. In her words, “Charlie saved my life”. Helping these vulnerable young people build stable lives and a good strong future is my passion and I plan to dedicate my life to this work.
Looking back, I see A filthy, scared, traumatized and alone trying to survive on the streets. This is not acceptable for any young person. Seeing her now, as a young, educated, hardworking, loving and capable young woman reminds me of the possibilities. After she was shown love, compassion, empathy and guidance makes me realize that change is possible There are thousands of other A’s out there waiting for Charlie’s House.
Remy Gordon, LCSW, MSW, B.Ed
IG: @seekingshelter24
