New Haven Independent

One of these organizations is The Emergency Shelter Management Services (ESMS), a short-term homeless shelter and non-profit support agency for men. The shelter, located on Grand Avenue in New Haven, was initially organized via The Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church in the 1990s, the brainchild of the late Renee Cofield Boyd.

Inspired by executive director Wes Thorpe’s account at a recent board meeting that the shelter once housed a Yale University student, I set out to learn more about who these homeless men really are and how they have come upon their tragic, but now hopeful condition.

Conversations with ESMS Job Developer Anne-Marie Brungard gave me intriguing insights into their lives.

Some of these men are trying to build a new life and some want to restore their once productive lives before they fell on hard times. Others, like the Yale student, are seeking help to press on through a rough patch in life. As homeless men, they tend to be shunned, but their individual stories of desperation, hope and struggles captivate and motivate the staff, board, volunteers and supporters to continue trying to help.

“Jack” is a white man in his late 50s who was living in Fairfield County when his troubles began. Born and raised in France, Jack worked as an actor and owned a moving business. A family crisis led to alcoholism and then divorce. After a few years of trying and failing to manage his condition he became homeless. While at the shelter, Jack sought treatment and began the process of rebuilding his life. He has started another moving company and is helping his college-aged son in California get through school. He is no longer a resident at the shelter.

“Peter’s” road to achievement was dogged by his criminal record and incarceration most of his adult life due to drug abuse. After serving his time he believed that he was rehabilitated and ready to start over. He moved from Florida to New Haven with his family but his criminal background prevented him from gaining legitimate employment. After a few years of barely surviving on strictly “under the table” income, Peter, his wife and two children became homeless.

Housing limitations forced them to live apart in separate shelters. His wife and children stayed at a family shelter while Peter stayed at ESMS. But, according to Anne-Marie, Peter left each morning to meet his wife at the family shelter, and help get their kids ready for school. ESMS provided Peter with support on strategies to work out family relationships and cope with the stress of homelessness and separation while trying to realize his hopes and dreams for his family. It was discovered that while working under-the-table Peter had developed skills as a painter. Anne-Marie told me that as job developer she and even other clients at the shelter helped Peter to develop a business plan and build a licensed home improvement business. Today he has moved out of shelter, into a four-bedroom apartment and purchased the family’s first car.

Living in the hood means being part of a community where some people are struggling to survive. So it’s a good feeling, a feeling of self fulfillment to be a part of ESMS, which is providing shelter, hope, and support to those who are seeking renewed and restored lives.

(To contribute to ESMS please contact Executive Director, Wes Thorpe at 777-2522. Click here for more info on ESMS and an upcoming fundraiser.)

For past editions of Gemma Joseph Lumpkin’s Sheffield Avenue diary, click here , here, and here.