Welcome Home Meets Welcome Center

Transcript

Welcome And Ride Across Campus

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome home. Hear us now, a podcast of the Union Gospel Mission of Terrant County, a space for all of us seeking what's real and sacred in a world that rushes past the soul.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

I'm Eric Englman, a volunteer at UGMTC, and your co-host, resident and CEO of UGMTC, Charles Wolford.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

You're about to hear parts of an April visit I made to the Welcome Center at Union Gospel Mission in Tarrant County. We start with me climbing into a UGM vehicle to travel across the campus. So I'm in one of the a van here. And I'm going to welcome center. And my driver is Mark. Yes, sir. Alright. So we're we're leaving the um donation center is the Yes sir, our COC. Yep. It's the community outreach center. And and you're one of the outreach people over at the Welcome Center. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

And we'll do our outreach, help out with our intake and our diversions as well. If we have an individual or a family comes in that we aren't able to particularly help them, we don't want to want them to leave empty-handed. So that's where we step in, call different shelters, different resources we have, and make sure they have somewhere safe to at least lay their head for the next few nights until they're able to get back on their feet.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

So we've gone down about five buildings and we're gonna uh pull into the UGM Welcome Center, and there are a few parking spots open here.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Yeah, this is a rarity for us because we are usually packed to the brim helping our unhoused neighbors, and if we see a full parking lot, we're usually in a pretty good moves. That means we're helping somebody getting them what they need.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

All right, and there's a bus stop right up there. Yes, sir. All right, I'm gonna just keep recording. This is fun. We'll get you on inside. We are at 1350-1350 Lancaster in

Arriving At The Welcome Center

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Fort Worth. Going up a ramp here along the front of the building.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Yes. Okay. We'll speak to them. Hey, how can I help you? They'll let us know if they're looking for maybe maybe just a second limit, so they'll let us know they're looking for ways in the seal. We'll do a quick conversation, see if they have an ID, a ballot driver's license, whatever they need to come in. We'll let them through the gate, and that's where thank you. Alright, most of the time is Miss Jackie. She is one of our interns who will be graduating next week. She's been doing a great job. Really? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

I'm the podcast guy, so I showed up recording

Sign-In, ID Checks, And Safety

SPEAKER_01 3:20

stuff. Alright. Alright.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

So we have them here in our lobby. They'll sit once they come in, they'll sign their name here on our sign-in sheet. I see it. Yep. We'll fill that out. We'll get their ID, whatever form of ID that they have, make a copy of it, build their profile as you see. Oh, yeah. I see some, yeah, I see some of that paperwork right there. What they have will run their background check, sex offender check, everything on there to make sure everyone is good because we cannot allow sex offenders into UGM. We make sure everything is safe to go. Once their profile is built, a intake specialist will come around, do their screening, paperwork, and everything that they'll need. We have our C tier TV here with all our UGM information going across the top. Of course, they have our restrooms for them to use. Sometimes some of our community members just need to have a bathroom break. We'll let them in, come use the bathroom.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Alright, well, that's a second lunch to heat. That can be and I and I look at the uh we've got about eight lockers over here.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Just keep whatever items that they need, safe. Once they're done with their application and they're called back, we'll make them to one of our um intake rooms. We have a large intake room just in case we have a family. We have a lot of um single mothers, single fathers, or families want to come in. We'll let them use this room, have room for the kids to move, play around. We usually keep a few games and some kind of form of entertainment for the little ones while mom, dad, whoever it is, is trying to fill out paperwork instead of having young ones trying to grab their attention. Wow. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Then I can show you the rest of

Family Intake Rooms And Privacy

SPEAKER_01 5:10

the I I want to try something. Yes, sir. Let's see how quiet this room gets. That's not bad for being close to the front.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

Yes, sir. This is a nice little private area. Yeah, so it's a lot of it is a lot of sensitive information that is discussed with the parents. So when there are Social Security numbers going across, or even personal trauma that they like to disclose with us and talk about, we like a nice quiet room that they're going through because food and supply bags is one of our rooms where we keep our um sack lunches for our guests who just may want something to eat. We'll pack something up. Our pantry will bring us over food for them to pass out. We even have a few um car seats for our children for our outreach. When we need to go out and maybe pick up a family, they may not have a car seat. We still want our children to be safe as well. Yes, sir. Then we can make our way and I'll show you our dignity room.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

That way, a dignity room, yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 6:17

Yes, sir. So some of our community members that we have make their way off the street without they may have not had a shower in a while, they may have even sold themselves, and we wouldn't want them to be sitting out front in an uncomfortable situation. We want everybody to have that dignity, everybody be showing respect, and just feel comfortable about themselves. So if they have that issue, they're able to come in here, and of course, you see the doors,

Sack Lunches, Supplies, And Outreach

SPEAKER_02 6:48

they're able to lock, silent, have that conversation with them. We have soap, shampoo, deodorant. Even if they don't want to shower, we have even the body wipes that they're able to cleanse themselves with on the street our feminine products, diapers for our children, wipes for our children, and then soap and even our towels and larger towels that we can take them to the back if they would like to even shower. Excellent as well, too. And there's a the so there's a little place to sit down here, have a nice little conversation with them, see what they need, what can we do? Get comfortable on the couch, comfortable on our futon if you want to big futon, yes sir. Yes, sir. We have to offer them clothes to come in and change into, and then once we have that conversation, I usually walk them around. Well, and I noticed too, there's the uh apply now, the the QR code, even back here.

The Dignity Room And Basic Needs

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Even back here. So I won't have them fill out an application in an uncomfortable situation because we have to go by our Maslow's hierarchy of needs if they are Yeah, you want it to be taken care of. Your mind isn't gonna be on paperwork signing documents when I need a shower, when I'm dirty, I'm feeling uncomfortable about myself. Let me clean up and so my mind can rest, calm down, and be able to get that taken care of when you go.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

I think you're doing a really good job of describing for an audio audience what uh what's going on. Uh have you done this before?

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Uh we've done a few tours before.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

And so you're just doing the normal kind of tour.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Yes, sir. And then I've been a middle school social worker, so I've learned to give as much detail as possible with children on that aspect as well, too. And so it kind of flows over into what we're doing now. We have our director. All right. I need to tell her I'm the woman of the house. Excuse me, Daisha, I'm here. I'm early.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Uh Mark gave me a driveover from the community outreach center. He just kind of helped me in and then kept me going. I had a podcast session with Daisha last week and she said, Okay, Eric, you can help. You can come. Bless you, man. Yes, sir. Thank you so much for the intro. Thank you, of course. Hey, should I stop recording or I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_03 9:10

I'm not sure where you guys left off with dignity room and pass all right to you.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

Okay. There we go.

Recuperative Care Rooms And Healing

SPEAKER_03 9:16

So if you want to come this way, we can uh see where our future recuperative care will be. Oh wow. These are some of our recuperative care, future recuperative care rooms and spaces.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

And we can come down this way, and there's a few more rooms here.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

I say wow a lot sometimes, but this is cool. I mean, this is some thoughtful areas where people aren't gonna hurt themselves, but they might be able to rest a little bit and talk.

SPEAKER_03 9:47

Yeah. And we have an outside space here, they're gonna plant a garden out here. Oh neat. And we have a basketball. I think our clinical team is gonna use the garden space as a therapeutic activity as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

And the court's only half court, but it's it looks good. It it's it's the best one on the block, I'll bet.

SPEAKER_03 10:06

Yeah.

unknown 10:07

All right.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

And if we come this way, um, this is our um lounge space for our recuperative care area, and more rooms uh for our future recuperative care space. So we have some doubled up rooms, and then we'll have some private rooms.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

And recuperative care is is that wraparound service you were talking about somebody gets done in another facility or something, but they're not ready to stand on their on both feet yet.

SPEAKER_03 10:41

It's kind of like they came out of the hospital from a surgery and they're not ready to go into our residential program. They still need some time to heal and recoup and have a place to kind of rejuvenate themselves before they get back into being able to come into a full program that will require classes and working and all that really good.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna read this scripture I see here, for I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 2911 on one of the walls in the recuperative area here. And uh that's a promise God gives to people.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

This is our servant's heart center dorm, so some of our UGM uh values are named for the rooms. Oh! So servant's heart, integrity, uh, Christ-centeredness.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Good reminders. Yeah, Jesus loves you. I see at least three remotes in this room. I can delete that out of my audio notes if I had just a little curious.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

I think it's for the bed.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Oh, okay, duh. Well there well, we've got three, yeah, that's true. We've got three beds, we've got three remotes. It's just one of them's not on the bed. Okay. That makes sense. Um, I see that one is not plugged in, the middle one. So um we will uh we will play with the bed remote later, if ever. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

And then this will be a station where our recuperative care um CNAs may sit, and the social worker, and probably the program manager. And then we have a bathroom here. They're gonna do some construction on it so we can actually take in men and women. So they're gonna split the bathroom somehow.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

That will be interesting. Um here.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Yeah. Mark says he likes it

Future Community Clinic And Therapy Space

SPEAKER_01 12:55

when the parking lot is full. That means you guys are doing your job.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

Oh, yes. And this will be our future nurses station when we have the uh community clinic up and running here. We're hoping to partner with um a community clinic and be able to service our um outside guests. Maybe get some interns and medical interns and nursing students. We do have some nursing students that come and work through the Healing Shepherd Clinic and partner with us over there.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Yeah, that's that's true. I've uh they're they're not far with them, like across the the street, right? Yes. Okay, that street street, yeah. I've seen them. I'm gonna just stick my nose in this one.

SPEAKER_03 13:38

Yeah, that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

That's uh a lobby. It looks like, yeah, another lobby. You have all right, so you're gonna have well that's true. I see that there is more than one way into the building.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

So um and these will be some future um offices for medical staff to sit in that'll meet with um clients that might come into our excellent hopefully future um community clinic. And some exam rooms here, some more exam rooms. And then as we come back here, um this is our local therapist um space was once a pharmacy. Um we might be able to offer that once we have that community clinic partnership.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

So these are Okay, hang on. I'm gonna read another one. This is in the office. Before you go, be sure to know you always belong, no you matter. You are worth it, you are doing great, you are loved, you can do anything, you have a voice, I believe in you. Well, that's that is neat. And as we turn that to Jesus and He turns that to us, good things happen.

SPEAKER_03 14:49

And so I might have people end the sessions right now.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

So shut up, Eric.

SPEAKER_03 14:56

And then this is a uh clinical team offices and hallways, um and there's um some family space to meet with families and children.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

So so just about any place a family will go to talk to somebody, there's a play room nearby. I mean that's kind of the idea. Excellent.

SPEAKER_03 15:18

Yes, so and then we can walk back towards the I mean we can go down this way too. There's some more consultation rooms, though, either for therapy or for our intake specialists and our outreach staff if they need to meet with someone that can pull them back this way.

SPEAKER_01 15:41

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 15:41

And then our intake staff sit here.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

And there's okay, wait a minute. I I've seen this intake guy before. He's waving at me. Hi, my name's Eric.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

Hi. Did I meet you over at um Presbyterian Night Shelter or at True Worth Place?

SPEAKER_01 15:58

No, not yet. But I may get over there.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

Um, you saw me before when I was over in that room.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Yes, I think so.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

All right. Well, I'm just uh uh I'm part of the podcast, uh Welcome Home Hear Us Now for Union Gospel Mission, and so I'm getting a tour, and you are a feature in that tour because we've seen you twice.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

Very nice to see you.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

Are you an intake specialist?

SPEAKER_00 16:26

Extraordinaire.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Oh, okay, and humble.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Great. Well, that's wonderful. Um pleased to meet you. God bless your work.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Yes, sir. All right, thank you. And then that's our outreach team.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

And so, yeah, this is the dignity room, right? Yeah, and so uh an office next to it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Uh I believe Mark showed me this already. And he's so he showed me the uh dignity room, and um yeah, I don't know. I had to be quiet around some of these here. Um that was that was a good tour.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Alright, anything else you want to talk about?

SPEAKER_03 17:11

Or I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Anything else you want to know about what we do here at the local or you picked, we already tested this room for silence, and because of the carpet net, this is a great place to record.

SPEAKER_03 17:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

Uh I was in here with Mark. Um well, can I set some stuff down? Yes, sure. Alright, thanks. Oh. Um, I see a flow setup. The man that I saw in the waiting room is now in on the other side of the hall or down the hall from uh from me. So he's getting um processed a chance to go through some of the rooms, and I'm seeing the different values that we've got Christ-centered integrity, protection, excellence, and uh they're they're up on the wall. And uh I um I should memorize those. Uh Lord help me live them out anyway.

SPEAKER_03 18:06

Yes, amen to

Centralized Intake, Diversion, And Closing Prayer

SPEAKER_03 18:08

that.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Well, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 18:09

I think we were doing intakes in the main buildings that are for women and children, it used to be in the Cox building, and for men it was in the Neely building. Now we have a centralized place for everyone to come in to get that access to our services, or even diversion to get maybe placed back with family, or you know, maybe they have somewhere else that they can go and they can stay and be safe, or even maybe finding them a different type of housing resource. Maybe they do have income, but it's limited, and we can help them get to a shared housing so where they don't even have to come in to a shelter setting.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:49

So I don't think we could do all those things in in one location or in the previous setup the way we had it. And we wouldn't have access to a space for a dignity room or for someone to get a shower if they needed one. Maybe they've been out in the streets and they've swelled themselves, and we need to get them in and cleaned up in a fresh set of clothes, and then get them to their next place.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Excellent. Um it's a few minutes till four, so our appointment doesn't officially start here. Um but uh I'm gonna take a break now. After the tour with Dacia, I set up some different microphones to spend some more time interviewing the people I had just met. Those interviews will be in another episode of Welcome Home here with us now. I'm going to pray. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the heavenly welcome you offer to all those who will humbly accept Jesus' name and command in their lives. Thank you also for much needed welcomes at the Welcome Center at UGMTC. May you lead and teach in the ways of life in heaven and on earth.