From 5 PM to 9 PM, every Saturday night from November to April, for the past two years, I have done the same thing. However, it looks like I will now have to find something else to do.
Maureen's Haven is a homeless outreach program on the East End of Long Island. There are 12 churches, and every night, a different church takes in a group of about 30 homeless people. Our church's night was Saturday. We would open the rec room in the basement for them, where we would have air mattresses set up with warm blankets and pillows where they could sleep, snacks laid out, and a movie for them to watch. We even had Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, counseling, and English classes. We would provide them with a warm, delicious meal, and a bathroom for them to clean up in. It was a great program; they would be off the streets, in the warmth, and somewhat bettering their lives, while meeting people going through situations similar to their own.
Unfortunately, the program has been closed down this year. Why?
The First Presbyterian Church, located in Southampton, New York, is home to not only Maureen’s Haven, but also the Southampton School District's preschool program. I guess having to do with all the attention MRSA has been receiving from the media..."Church officials closed down the outreach program after a group of parents whose children are enrolled in a preschool program at the church complained that the homeless who share the space on weekends could be carrying communicable diseases or dangerous objects that would jeopardize the safety of their children."(Southampton Press).
Threats of lawsuits and negative media attention led to the church's decision to dismantle the program.
Parents have the concerns of the cleanliness of the church after the homeless people have left on Sunday morning. As a volunteer of Maureen's Haven, I have seen first hand that the facilities are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after use. We wash the sheets every time they are used, clean the bathrooms, make sure the kitchen is spotless, etc. If one didn't know that a homeless program went on the night before, they wouldn't be able to tell by looking!
As for the concern of unsafe objects, I personally was in charge of checking through the homeless people's "hygiene boxes" to make sure that they were not storing knives, lighters, or even matches in their boxes, which are unsafe. I was even supposed to report if they had dice or some other sort of gambling or "street" paraphernalia in there. Before entering the church, the homeless people had to take a Breathalyzer test to make sure that they were not under the influence, and they had their person checked by a Southampton Town Police Officer to make sure that they had no narcotics or any other dangerous items on them.
Myself, my friends who volunteer along with me, and others who are involved in the program are very upset over this occurrence. My mom is writing a letter to the editor of the Southampton Press to show her support. There is confidence that the program will be reinstated; who is the preschool to kick another program out of the church? Which leads me to another question; why is a state program using a church facility? What happened to separation of church and state?
According to the Southampton Press, "The school does not have an exclusive lease on the church space and cannot regulate what other programs are held in the space."
In my opinion, today's parents need to stop worrying so much about their children. I think that there is an over concern nowadays about what's healthy and what isn’t, what's good for kids and what isn't. Did you hear about that whole thing with Sesame Street? That they are trying to get rid of Cookie Monster due to the rise in Childhood Obesity? Wow. My generation isn't fat. What's wrong with yours? We were just fine. America's children nowadays are too babied and sensitive.
Hopefully the parents will see the goodness of the program, and get over their irrational fears.
.:Awesome Maria:.
