Starfish Village is off to a roaring start in 2025
Today I met with a couple and their 3-year-old daughter who are living in their car behind WalMart; they have been living in their car since late November after the trailer they were renting had caught on fire. They showed me photos of the mess after the fire. The place is truly destroyed. They lost all of their material items in the fire. They go to the Lighthouse for food and warmth during the day but can’t stay at the overnight warming center at the shelter because it’s become a “low bar” shelter (meaning it doesn’t run background checks) so therefore cannot accept children. They were in a motel for a few days on a temporary stay pending paperwork review but then denied benefits and forced back to living in their car when they couldn’t bring in all the receipts and other documents General Assistance demanded (this paperwork requirement is onerous and the Catch-22 is if you’re not planning to need GA assistance you’d never save all the receipts they require). Starfish Village provided them with money for gas; in this severe weather they need to run the car all night and many hours during the day. I also went into WalMart with the young mother and she picked up items they needed and asked if she could buy a pillow. Of course I said yes. I thought the toddler had a flimsy jacket and the zipper was broken so we found a much heavier one and some pajamas and socks. Dad works part-time at Home Depot and then several nights a week delivers pizzas. The young mom said “it’s fun though because we can ride around as a family.” For them, delivering pizzas is a night out I guess.
On the way home I received a call asking for money to help repair a car. At the moment we’re flying on fumes pending new funding and some promised donations but we still don’t have an estimate either. I couldn’t understand the young woman asking for help as she explained the car problems; she obviously knows little about cars but tomorrow I’ll call the shop and see what it is we’re looking at. She’s a home health aid but can’t work without a vehicle. What is always clear is that no car = no work = no housing. The equation is simple. Keeping a person housed is not always about rent; it can be about helping with other bills that keep people working so thepay their rent and stay housed.
Last January (FY24) was the busiest month of the year. We haven’t topped the 27 calls we received last January but still have a bit over a week to go. As of January 21st, we’ve received 19 requests for help purchasing heating fuel and restoring electricity, and also gas cards. There were calls for rental assistance, as there always are. There are 2 eviction cases that will go before the judge this Thursday that have me worried because neither tenant has been able to find as much money as she needs to bring with her to court to stay the eviction. Tomorrow I will work to get the landlords to take less; I am sure I will be successful with one, but am doubtful about the other.
The thing about the work Rev. Fin and I do for Starfish Village is that it’s so much more than just throwing money at a problem. Both Fin and I have had cases where we couldn’t help with the first need but through listening and a few targeted questions we might learn they actually have a more serious need we could solve, either with money or advocacy, sometimes both. When a request comes from a case worker who knows their client well we can trust that they have ascertained the need is genuine and urgent, and they have invariably also tried other agencies and programs first. Other issues have been screened out – but not always. I’ve had conversations with case managers from various agencies and probed for more info only to discover that there’s another need we can fill. Invariably I hear, “Really? You can do that?”
Well, we can try, right? A case in point is I asked why the case manager didn’t appeal a denial for benefits for her client (General Assistance case). She said she’d never had a denial reversed. Maybe I’ll regret saying “well let me try” because I was successful and the word spread. I’ve since tackled 2 more for that same agency and won benefits for both clients – just in the last 5 weeks! When I reflect on the $74,666 that Starfish distributed last year I really marvel most about the non-monetary side of our work.
This past Saturday Starfish Village was honored to receive an award from the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) for “Excellence in Community Service.” At the ceremony it was stressed that our award wasn’t only from the Maine State Regent of the DAR but also signed off on from the National Chair. “Be sure you point that out to everyone,” I was emphatically instructed – so now you have been informed.
Jackie, Sally and Ellen Richmond were able to join me at the ceremony and they were asked to share their stories about Starfish, which was lovely, and then we all at some point also stressed the other two great community missions of the church, the Essentials Closet and Loads of Love.
Let me tell you: The ladies were fascinated and amazed. I was surprised about how much they actually didn’t know about us (and wondered how they came to the decision to honor us but didn’t ask), and they knew nothing about the Essentials Closet nor the laundry quarters mission. I don’t hesitate to share how generously the church funds our missions and believe me that is always a jaw dropping moment for people. I got a kick out of Jackie and Sally; they piled on and delighted (and definitely amazed) the ladies with their stories about Starfish, the Essentials Closet, and Loads of Love. Ellen Richmond had her own say about how important all our missions are to our community and listening to all three of them made me a little misty-eyed. It was more touching to me to listen to the three of them than it was to receive the actual award. Honestly, as they say in Yiddish, I was verklempt.
The Sisters of St. Joseph love to hear stories about the work we do and Sr. Janet has been on my case to write a newsletter but she also fully understands the labor that goes into a newsletter. So she offered this: The nuns would be delighted to publish in their quarterly newsletter any anecdotal stories about our work. They have a huge distribution list of about 500 names. If all I need to do is knock out 500-750 words a few times a year and someone else does all the formatting and other hard work, I’m all in! It certainly is a beautiful, grace-filled ecumenical gesture, isn't it?
I don’t know how I got so lucky to land in this town and this church and have the privilege of starting such an awesome ministry with the help of such incredible people but I think about it often and give thanks.
Lots and lots and lots of thanks… ~mo
