I've been trying to think of a good post, and a few are in the works, but nothing has stood out as really amazing. I wanted to write something though. So you get this.
I find it amazing that my job can be boring. I see different people and encounter different situations every single day (night). And yet, at this point things seem to have fallen into a pattern. It's nice really. It's good not to have crazy situations everyday. And yet when I think about it, the crazy stuff is still happening, it's just not, well, as crazy seeming. I think this is good, but also kind of sad, because it means the novelty has sort of worn off. I don't want to become complacent...
Sad moment of the morning though. I was searching a client prior to entry to the building because someone informed us she was carrying a weapon (they later admitted to making it up) and I felt her baby bump. She's five months pregnant, and living on the streets. If she and her boyfriend don't find a place, the baby will be apprehended at birth. We do not have shelter children. I referred her to our transition team, and hopefully someone can help them out with housing and welfare and stuff, but wow, the pressure of all that, and being pregnant and sleeping on a shelter mat. That really, really sucks. We don't even have beds. Did a couple other referrals, but they seem to like staying here, although I really don't know why. And while I don't like to assume the worst, who knows what substances she's been using while pregnant, it's just an all over crappy situation.
5 comments:
That just boggles me, cannot, just cannot picture being five months pregnant with no roof over my head, so sad for all of them. I am so grateful for the life I have had, I know anyone could end up where your customers are and it doesn't really matter how they got there, it's what happens next we have to concentrate on. I'm sure she was glad you were there x
I know! It just amazed me. And somehow even though I knew she was pregnant, it was feeling that baby that really brought it home for me. I was like "wow, there's a person in here".
Yeah, that is really sad. I hope things work out for her. And you know, your idea of boring and routine work never seems remotely run of the mill to me!
Some people only read about this stuff. Social workers actually feel it and get upset about it.
I hope she follows through with referrals. There tend to be more programs and such available to pregnant women and people will do all they can to get her off drugs and into a program or some sort of safer living situation. We have shelters here that take children but it's harder to find those that will take a newborn. Can't imagine being in that position. It's such a sad statement to the condition of this country that any child would have to live their first years in a shelter.
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