Setting Prisoners Free

There are certain days I'm just plodding along, focusing on the mundane and menial tasks before me, when something rises out of the ashes and slaps me square in the face. This was one of those days!   It all started bright and early, at 4.30am! I was fast asleep, when I got a surprising phone call from our overnight supervisor at the shelter. One of our 4th floor residents got up and was walking to the restroom when she collapsed. She fell so hard, that when she smashed her head on the concrete floor, our supervisor heard it from one level below. After running upstairs, she found this lady in her mid-forties convulsing and unconscious on the ground, with blood streaming out her nose.   As other residents assisted her, 911 was quickly dialed. Within moments, the ambulance came and took her away to the nearest hospital....   Yet, that was not the reason I was called. Unfortunately, it was not that simple!   This injured lady has ...

My official job title reads "caseworker"; yet it's a term I'm not too fond of. My rationale is that it implies an impersonal, almost robotic, connection with my "clients". Yet I'm not too fond of the term "client" either, as it triggers an "us and them" mentality. I wish there were more appropriate words that illustrate what we do; instead of viewing homeless people as our "cases", I'd love to see terms that promote these relationships not as just another number or statistic, but as unique human beings. Working with homeless people involves the art of endlessly multitasking, while wearing many different hats. This is seen in both the positive and negative names people give me. On any given day, I could be labeled as any of the following; their case-manager, outreach worker, peacemaker, advocate, judge, activist, pastor, adviser, provider, administrator, boss, counselor, disciplinarian or friend. This col...