Welcome Home. Here, Us, Now.
A space for all of us seeking what's real and sacred in a world that rushes past the soul.
Welcome Home. Here, Us, Now.
The Welcome Center Director at Union Gospel Mission -- Tarrant County
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Welcome And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_02Welcome home, Hear Us Now, a podcast of the Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County, a space for all of us seeking what's real and sacred in a world that rushes past the soul. I'm Eric Engelman, a volunteer at UGMTC, and your co-host, President and CEO of UGMTC, Charles Wolford. Well, good morning. This is Eric Engelman in the Welcome Home Hear Us Now studio.
SPEAKER_01Good to see you, my friend and brother, as always on the Welcome Home Podcast. So it's good to be with you as always. Eric, let me tell you, we have an amazing guest this morning, none other than Dacia Whitaker. Dacia, welcome to the Welcome Home Podcast.
SPEAKER_00Thank you, Dr. Charles. It's a pleasure to be here with you and Eric today.
SPEAKER_01We're so excited to have you.
Soccer Roots And Family Life
SPEAKER_01In our pre-recorded conversations, we were talking about your life as a soccer player. By way of introduction, tell us a little bit about your journey and the life that you've lived prior to coming to UGM and then walk us right into how you arrived at uh Union Gospel Mission and what you're currently doing.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So I did play select soccer growing up, select, not slug. Um and I got to play defensive positions of fullback and halfback, and that led me to some competitive scholarships for college, and I went out of state for a year for my freshman year, and then came back home to University of Texas at Arlington and finished my social work degrees there and got married and have two boys at home. They're both teenagers now, which is kind of scary.
SPEAKER_01Of course, of course. Of course. Now let's go back just a little bit. So you played soccer universally. Where did you play? What university did you play at?
SPEAKER_00I went to play at Lion College in Batesville, Arkansas. It was a small private school.
SPEAKER_01Wonderful. So now that you have these two teenagers, what are their ages?
SPEAKER_00They're 13 and 15.
SPEAKER_0113 and 15. Now the question is whether or not they are soccer players. Did they pick up any of your soccer skills?
SPEAKER_00When they were younger they did, but now they've moved on. Um one still plays basketball, which I got to coach him a little bit as he was younger in the youth leagues.
SPEAKER_01But Wow. So you have quite the athletic background. You can coach basketball, play um play soccer, so that's quite impressive. Yes. Well, good for you.
The Call Into Social Work
SPEAKER_01So you did your work as a uh you went to school at University of Texas at Arling for social work. Tell us about the calling to go into social work. What uh how did you get involved in your your interest in social work?
SPEAKER_00I think from a young age I would um always want to help people. Okay. And had that heart and desire. I think I even remember like watching a Christmas special about like kids getting adopted for the holidays. And I looked at my mom and I was like, Can't we adopt a kid? Like, I don't mind being the baby of the family, but like w we could, you know, take some some kids in. So I think that desire was on my heart from a really young age to to help others, even though there is things in our life that, you know, were were difficult or challenges to move through.
SPEAKER_01Sure, sure. Well, as as I recall, your your journey uh has been impressive. I I was very interested in your work. You've done some work at um all church home. I uh remember talking to you a little bit about that work. Let's tell us a little bit about what you did there and and how did you end up here at Union Gospel Mission?
Nonprofit And Oncology Social Work
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've worked at several nonprofits in the Tarrant County and um Parker County areas um throughout my career. And it all started at ACH Child and Family Services, our formerly our all church home for children. I started out as like a group home specialist where I would help in the group homes with kids that were either in foster care or uh in community placements, and they had a breakdown in care and it was called turning point. Sure. Was the first place I worked at or program I worked at at ACH. And and then I would when I got my license as a master's level social worker, I moved into the AIRS department, which is assessment intervention in referral services. So that was kind of like where everyone would call into the agency to get access to their services. Um and so we would set people up for counseling services, we would get them into the the um housing programs that we had, we would do shelter assessments for the youth shelter, we would go out and do uh the one safe place um stops when kids would go to a one safe place like at a QT and they were um run a running away from home or running away from abuse, and we'd get them back to the youth shelter there. Um and then I did um about seven or eight years as an oncology social worker at Cancer Care Services in a partnership with Texas Oncology Clinics. Oh, wow. And so I did that for several years and I really enjoyed that work in helping cancer patients navigate uh the resources that they need at a very vulnerable time in their life.
SPEAKER_01Wow, wow. Well, what a fascinating journey. Just by way of introduction, uh, one, we give a shout out to All Church Home. The clause. All Church Home led by Dr. Wayne Carlson. He's an amazing gift to our community. I've been a friend of his and a fan of the work that he's been doing for over 20 plus years. And that ministry has just grown and blossomed as well. So we are grateful for that work. But they also had a welcome center where the Ayrish program was out of, uh, was familiar with that work that they've been doing over there.
What The Welcome Center Is
SPEAKER_01Uh Eric, Daisha is our new director of our welcome center here at Union Gospel Mission. And I I have not dropped by yet. Well, you know, you are due for a visit and a tour. You would be you would be absolutely amazed um of the work that's going over. So that this is your formal invitation.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I receive it.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. You have to do we have to give it to you official. Daisha officially welc uh introduce or invite uh Eric to come to the Welcome Center.
SPEAKER_00Eric, you can come to the Welcome Center anytime we are open, 8 30 to 4 for intake, and then uh up until 5 30 for documentation purposes in resource navigation by phone.
SPEAKER_02There you go.
SPEAKER_00So Monday through Friday.
SPEAKER_02And and if I don't have either of those on on my mind, I can still come by?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you can come by and I can give you a tour and we can show you around and show you the future home of um maybe some community clinics and recuperative care and all the dreams and visions that the loaded question is does this invitation also include everybody who is listening to me right now? Yes.
SPEAKER_01All right. Well that's that's sweet of you. Thanks. No better invitation. So the invitation has been extended to Eric as well as to all of our listening audience. Anyone who's interested in coming to the Welcome Center, give your opening times again. What's the framework of your time that the center is open, Daisha?
SPEAKER_00We're open Monday through Friday, 8.30 to 4 for intake. And if you're not in need of immediate shelter housing needs, then we're open to 5.30 for resource navigation by phone.
SPEAKER_01Wonderful. Well, let's just unpack it because as you very well know, uh, we have heard and we've been seeing the amazing hand of God working with you and through you all over at the Welcome Center. And let me just by s say this they've been building the plane while it's in the air, and it's been a venture, as we can say, but uh we're grateful to you. Thank you for taking on the task. Uh, prior to her role as the director of the Welcome Center, she was one of our clinicians, one of our therapists here, and would see a lot of our neighbors who would be coming and see them for mental health uh counseling and therapy. So thank you for your ministry and the work that you've been doing here. You've been a great asset to our team. So let's just unpack what uh is the Welcome Center at Union Gospel Mission, and let's just kind of unpack some of the things that you are doing, and we clearly want to hear about how you're seeing God show up and help so many of our neighbors find um permanent and and even supportive housing. Tell us a little bit about the Welcome Center,
Diversion That Prevents Homelessness
SPEAKER_01Disha.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So our Welcome Center houses um our intake specialists and our two outreach staff, and then myself, and then also our clinical team is in in the the Welcome Center too. So our residents that are currently here um and being housed with us can go over there and get clinical counseling services with our clinical team. And so the residents come over there as well. Um and then we also have uh people who are seeking shelter or needing housing navigation services, they'll come up to us there and we'll have them meet with an intake specialist and see what their needs are. Um we'll also help them with diversion services, which if they have family or friends that they can go stay with, even in another state, we'll connect them with a local community resource and help get them bus tickets um to get to that safe space um with their family and their friends. I actually had the opportunity to help a family get diverted yesterday and they were super grateful, and I pr got to pray over them and they uh they prayed over me before they left and it was just a really sweet moment to be able to assist in that way for the that family.
SPEAKER_01Wow. I I just want to step into that space again. I let's talk through that story because that's just one of many of the great stories because Eric, what oftentimes happens at Union Gospel Mission, people see us only as a homeless facility. And what we've learned through a lot of research and a lot of data is many of our neighbors, they come and they may not necessarily know that diversion is an option, or they may not have the resources to go back to a place maybe that they've departed from. And so what Day just talking about diversion is our goal is not necessarily for you to come into UGM, it's but can we divert you so that you can avoid entering into homelessness? And so that's literally what she's saying. And I love hearing these stories because it is what we find as God steps in and intervenes, and you will be using you all to help somebody not come into homelessness but find a space. Do you mind telling us a little bit about the story? Tell us the dynamics of the family, how did they find out about UGM and then tell us a little bit more about that story if you don't mind?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, as much as I can for confidentiality. But um it was uh a single parent and three kiddo or two kiddos, and they had actually come in through um one of our outreach workers and they had stayed with us for uh a few days and then the they discovered that they could go and stay with other relatives. Um so we were able to help them navigate that and um work with um True Worth Place through PS to get them uh a bus ticket, and then we took care of the Uber to get them to where they needed to be.
SPEAKER_01Wow, what a blessing. That that does my heart good. I love hearing that. Thank you so much for that story. Uh, but that's the blessings of God that now they may be reunited with family and hopefully are on a pathway to being housed.
Chaplain Care And Intake Flow
SPEAKER_02So I came into this being a volunteer chaplain, and it sounds like you've worked with volunteer chaplains in a lot of pla or or chaplains of different flavors in a lot of places. Do you have any uh favorite stories of nice things that chaplains have done or um that you want uh a tip maybe that you could share for our volunteer chaplains about about the care here at UGM?
SPEAKER_01Hmm. The presumption is that chaplains are nice. That's what you're doing.
SPEAKER_00You know what? I haven't really met too nasty of of a chaplain before or had a bad experience with a chaplain. The the care that I've seen here from our chaplains from A Celia and for from Father Rogers Meredith has been nothing short of gracious and kind and um and if we had volunteer chaplains that wanted to come in and be at the welcome center, that would be amazing.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, I don't know how that would work.
SPEAKER_01All right, that sounds cool. That's another invitation. See, that's two in just within the last 20 minutes. So I bring my mandel in. I think you should. I think we should. Well let's just unpack a little bit. So the typical process at the Welcome Center. Walk us through how our our neighbors uh coming into the space, what does it typically look like on a Monday morning when you uh start off at the Welcome Center? What are you all seeing and how are those experiences um uh being delivered?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so we're seeing um a lot of people come in on Monday morning. Maybe there are some from our overnight shelter that are coming in to see if there's a program bed available. Um so they'll be greeted by Miss Jackie and maybe a volunteer. And Miss Jackie calls everyone baby. Um she's super sweet and just warm up.
SPEAKER_01You will be a baby.
SPEAKER_02You're gonna be a baby. That might be hard to explain, but I can't.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Um Miss Jackie's very warm and caring there at the front desk, and uh they'll we'll take their ID and do um a background check real quick and make sure they're they're safe and there's somebody that can come into our program and then we'll have them meet with one of our intake specialists, and our intake specialists will get kind of like a background and some history of what's been going on, where they where they've been staying, what are their goals. Um are they able to work? Is this the best fit for them, or do they receive some sort of income like Social Security or retirement that maybe we can get them to a shared housing um space where they can stay and maybe they never have to set foot into our shelter. Um so it's a lot of just kind of meeting people where they're at, seeing what their need is, and then navigating them to the right resource, whether it's us or um somewhere else.
SPEAKER_01Wow, that is absolutely amazing. Thank
Outreach Team And Future Recuperative Care
SPEAKER_01you. You also have mentioned outreach workers, a part of your team. Tell us a little bit more about that.
SPEAKER_00Yes, we got a great um outreach team. Um, and so we have um Ebony and Mark and and they are great. Um, they'll go out into the community and network with some of these other local agencies, um, like Beautiful Feet and Um at True Earth Place and just trying to connect people. Um, we do have some that are certified in being able to apply for social security disability. And so they help a lot of our homeless neighbors um get access to possibly social security disability income or SSI.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. How amazing is that. If we can just expand the conversation, you made connections with the other wrap around. So there's behavioral health in the welcome center, and then we talked about a little bit about a recuperative care or or what is respite care. Um well that's one of our future plans, and one thing that we've been seeing in our community, Eric, is our neighbors that are unhoused, if for whatever reason they go into the emergency room or to hospital, upon discharge, they're still homeless. And so one of our ventures embedded in the welcome center is uh a recuperative care program, and so that's part of what Dacia and the team are uh we will eventually be facilitating and and filling out there as well. Uh, but how are the referrals also going in behavior health? Because we have therapist and Dr. Paulina who's actually been on our podcast. How is that going and how how would you say that's working out for you all?
SPEAKER_00Um, I think for the most part, they're still going through our um case managers and getting referred over that way. I don't believe we are yet to um have um like outpatient services for our clinical health department to take in people that may be residing on the on the street to get counseling so we're not doing direct referrals from outside guests. Okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, good, very good,
How To Refer Someone For Help
SPEAKER_01very good. To my knowledge. So if if you had to share with the community and those of our neighbors who may be listening about uh how they can refer to the welcome center if they run up uh run into someone out on the streets or at the gas station, we know a lot of our neighbors are on the corners um uh seeking assistance. Uh, what would you share with our public, someone who's listening, the best way to get them connected to uh UGM and to the Welcome Center?
SPEAKER_00Um well, they can always call our main line and get access to us that way. Okay. Or they could have them come down to 1350 East Lancaster, where our welcome center is located, during those open hours of 830 to 4 and get connected that way.
SPEAKER_01Wonderful. Uh but we certainly also would encourage our neighbors uh to visit us at UGM-tc.org. And there on the website is another way that they can actually apply and they can fill out their application there as well, correct?
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah.
Housing Wins And How To Connect
SPEAKER_01Uh just as we get ready to close our time together, uh Day should tell us a little bit more about um how you're seeing so many of our neighbors um, you know, get housed and and how that's effectively working uh from someone who may have uh been program resistant. They've not wanted to come in, they've been outside for some time. I know Miss Caroline, who we've had on the podcast as well, talked about a young lady who was on the streets and she just was not interested in coming in, but now she's you know she's working the program, she's housed, I think she has a job. You have any stories or similar narratives that you've heard about individuals coming through the welcome center and getting housed?
SPEAKER_00I've got to witness a lot of families that I once worked with when I was a child and family therapist and now at UGM have now graduated from the program and have been housed. Wow. And so that's been really amazing to see. They may not have necessarily came through the welcome center, but they came through um all the programs and and were really successful and now are housed on their own. And how amazing is that it's very beautiful to see.
SPEAKER_01So for any of our listeners, we um are extending our invitation to you all to come and visit the Welcome Center at 1350 East Lancaster. Uh if you want to learn more, you certainly can go to our website. That's UGM-TC.org. Uh, you can follow us on any of our Facebook, Instagram, to hear a little bit more about the work that's going on. If you have not subscribed, we would encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube page. That's where you can find more information uh and be able to get connected here. We would love to see you and to have you to come visit at U Union Gospel Mission, but also to tour our welcome center uh and see what God is doing uh at this amazing place that we get a chance to share and see the love of Christ be a part of. Daisha, thank you so much for being a part of the Welcome Home podcast. We love here to hear us now because that is our goal, to make sure that there's a voice and people are seen and heard so that we do not walk past
Closing Prayer
SPEAKER_01the soul. Eric, you want to close us with a word of prayer?
SPEAKER_02Father in heaven, in Jesus' name, thank you for your graciousness. Thank you for your desire to love on people and your greeting, your comfort. Thank you for the resources that you have laid up in heaven, the angels, the infrastructure of heaven, and that you desire to bring harmony through your life, through your sacrifice, through the blood of Jesus, so that there is a oneness between the services in heaven and the services in earth. And thank you, God, for working that in and through us, and especially Daisha Whitaker, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. God bless you.
unknownThank you.
