One thing that most people never want to have to become is homeless. The concept of having nothing and not being able to sleep at night with a roof overhead would be impossible for many of us to even consider. However, there are thousands of people every day that never know where they are going to sleep, what they are going to eat, and have nothing but what is on their backs and they can carry.
When bad things happen and life starts to slip away, the difficult part can be in figuring out not just how to stop the process, but at least slow it down. The rebuilding process is another matter altogether. Thankfully there are some people that are willing to give of themselves in order to help those in need get back on their feet again.
The Montrose Jail Ministries in Colorado have teamed up with a trio of local self storage companies to give the homeless in their area a better chance at recapturing their lives. Budget Self Storage, Colorado Self Storage, and Mesa Storage Rentals LLC have all agreed to donate space for homeless people to store the belongings that they still have, while they work towards getting back on their feet.
“If there are some people who need a little of something, well, I could donate a little bit of space,” said Arlin Geigley, of Budget Self Storage, of his reaction to the ministries’ call for help. The good people at Budget Self Storage are donating a 5’ x 5’ unit and 10’ x 10’ one for a year.
Sometimes trying to safeguard what one has left can be consuming and a large roadblock on the road to recovery. By providing people in need with a safe place for their possessions the participating companies are not only giving them piece of mind, but are also helping to slow or even stop the downward spiral making recovery that much easier.
“It’s just amazing what some of these places are putting out there now to help people with storage,” said Gaila Perran, administrative assistant for the jail ministries.
To get help, applicants will need to get a voucher from Affordable Inn, a place that rents homes to those in need at a reduced rate.
The concept is similar to one that the City of Portland and the Portland Area Business Alliance have been engaged in for roughly the last eight months.
“How could you ever do a job interview if you had to cart around all your possessions?” Nick Fish, the City of Portland’s Commissioner of Housing, asked a reporter from KGW.com. “Would you really sleep comfortably at night if you’re also keeping your eye on your clothing and your possessions?”
Unfortunately, the cost of the program illustrates how difficult a problem it is to overcome. The City and Business Alliance will be spending $30,000 a year for just 40 self storage units.
Sources Used:
“The ‘Next Step’: Program offers homeless chance at storage space.” Montrose Daily Press; 22 April 2011.
“Portland Provides a Small Number of Storage Lockers to the Homeless.” Self Storage Industry News; 07 September 2010.