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Published on 11/30/1998 All articles from this issue

The gift of hope

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By Joan Passarelli

Special to the Town Crier

Mother praises efforts of Alpha Omega Program

Becoming homeless

Near the end of 1997, Marcoux was worried about paying her bills and those for her three daughters, 10-year-old twins and an 11-year-old. Separated from her husband and not receiving regular child support payments, she was working two jobs to keep their apartment in Mountain View so the girls could stay in their schools.

She held on for nine or 10 months, surviving two rent increases. She was working so much that she hardly ever saw her children, and the stress on all of them was starting to show.

When Marcoux faced the third rent increase in less than a year, and couldn't pay it, she knew she would lose her apartment. She looked into homeless shelters for families that would take her and her children, but those are overwhelmingly full. So she asked her aunt to take care of her children. And Marcoux joined the Alpha Omega program.

This was more difficult than it sounds. Marcoux had to agree to abide by a stringent contract. She promised to stay clean and sober, meet weekly with the program's case manager, go to two group meetings a week, and keep the program's hours. The over-arching requirement for acceptance is a willingness to solve the problems that contributed to her homelessness.

According to Serena Zillmer, Program Director, Alpha Omega only accepts one out of every three to five applicants.

The Alpha Omega Program is named for the Greek works, alpha - the beginning, and omega - the end: It means the beginning of the end of homelessness. Everything in the program focuses on ending both a person's homelessness and the problems that led to it.

The program has room for 15 clients, or guests, at a time, but had only 11 at press time. "We can't always find people who'll make the commitment to put aside bad habits," to join the program, said Reg Pickett, chairman of the program.

Because of the careful screening up front, Alpha Omega boasts a high success rate. Of its members, 55 percent graduate to having their own homes and jobs after an average of four to six months.

Marcoux was "overwhelmed" at the support she received from the Alpha Omega Program. "They give me references for legal advice, credit counseling and housing. They keep me focused. They've given me hope."

Marcoux was raised as a Catholic, but had never read the Bible, or thought about her faith, very much, although she always believed in God. But in the last year, since she lost her home, she's become much more spiritual. "We can turn our back on God," she said, "but he never turns his back on us."

Marcoux has a friend she reads the Bible with and prays with, over the phone if necessary. She now sometimes attends a Foursquare Gospel church. "It's not what I'm used to, and there are some things I don't agree with," she said. "But I really like the pastor. He's preaching the word of God. If you go to hear the word of God, you can hear that in any church."

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Family time, goals

She sees her three daughters every other weekend. The girls live with their great-aunt in Fairfield. When Marcoux visits, she takes them to the movies or out to do some shopping. Marcoux cherishes these times, no matter what they do.

One evening they used a flashlight to make hand shadows on the wall. Marcoux was delighted with the play and their laughter, but she couldn't forget her situation. "Be careful with the battery," she reminded her daughters. "I need that flashlight at the shelter to see when it's dark."

Marcoux is dynamic, smart, and very clear on her goals. "This program is where I start working on problems that made me homeless to begin with," she said. She's aware of her responsibility in what went wrong in her life. With a wry grin, she said, "Bad things can happen that aren't under my control. But I'm going to do as much as I can about what I can control."

Marcoux's immediate goal is to find a home and bring her family back together. She would like to find a place in Mountain View, so that her girls could return to their schools and friends, but the $1,000 rent she can afford probably won't buy her the two-bedroom apartment she needs. She'll probably have to move to San Jose and start her children in new schools, yet again.

"My girls used to get excellent grades," she said. "But since they moved to Fairfield, they haven't been as good. And whenever I find us a place to live, that will be another transition."

Marcoux looked wistful for a moment. Then she gave herself a mental shake. She clearly knows that she can't waste energy on regrets, but must focus on the present and the future.

Host churches

Volunteers do all the cooking and other chores at the churches. At some churches, the volunteers pay for the food as well; at others, the church reimburses the volunteers.

At the churches that have hosted the program, Marcoux has felt very welcome. She said she has received kind, respectful treatment from all the volunteers at the churches, without being asked to conform to any of their religious practices. "They don't proselytize at all," she said.

Volunteers at the churches, Marcoux said, "See a different side of homelessness. People are surprised to see that we are hardworking, articulate, well-groomed people. The operative word is people," she laughed.

In November the shelter was located at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Los Altos. Gisela Daetz, a member of the parish, volunteered to coordinate the host effort when the church decided to participate. She opened the shelter nearly every evening, arranged flowers on the tables, and greeted the guests by name.

"Since we built the new sanctuary, we now have this fellowship space, the old sanctuary, which we can use to house guests in the program," she said. "It's a dream come true for me."

Daetz explained why helping the program guests was so important to her.

"I've never been homeless," she said, "but I lived through postwar Germany in desperate times. We used to receive packages from the U.S. in school, boxes containing clothes and food. I grew up on the generosity of people I never met, and I always hoped one day to do the same for other people. Now I have everything I need, and it is important to give back."

When the shelter comes to a church, said Pickett, the guests aren't the only ones who benefit. Volunteering to serve the guests "seems to bring out the best in people. It gets them involved where they haven't been before. It's a wonderful experience."

Pickett has felt the experience himself. He describes himself as having been a "Sunday Christian" for most of his life, first in the Church of England, then in the Episcopal Church in the United States.

"But when I was asked to help out with the Alpha Omega Program, I became closer to the Church, and to God. It made me feel that I have something to offer. It opened up my life."

Pickett recalls fondly the times when former AO guests have come up to him after getting their lives together. "It's very satisfying when someone says, 'the Alpha Omega Program saved my life,'" he said, smiling gently. "I didn't do it; they did it. I love this program. I love the guests."

Evening time

Mary Ellen Marcoux's workday begins early. Her alarm goes off at 5 a.m. She gets her breakfast and packs a lunch in the kitchen. She showers at 5:30 and gets ready for work. By 6:30 she's at her job in San Jose as a medical claims analyst.

But Marcoux, a 44-year-old mother of three girls, is not in her own home. She's a homeless person in the Alpha Omega Program, which is a part of the Mountain View-based Community Services Agency.

Marcoux sleeps in a sleeping bag on the floor in a Los Altos church. She uses a flashlight to see in the dark, early mornings. She drives to the El Camino YMCA on Grant Road in Mountain view for her morning shower. And she's getting her life together.

Marcoux gets off work at 3 p.m., but she can't go back to the church serving as the shelter until dinnertime. She might go to the YMCA to make phone calls or do laundry. Or she might have errands or appointments, like filling out housing applications, or working with the Consumer Credit Counselors to manage her finances.

Lately she's been working overtime, because there's plenty of work to do at this time of year. She's glad for the extra money, and for the place to be.

Marcoux's evenings and weekends are busy, too. Dinner is usually around 7 p.m., a hot meal that church or community volunteers prepare and share. After dinner, Marcoux attends group meetings Monday and Wednesday evenings, and goes to a class Tuesday evenings. Thursday and Friday evenings are free. On Saturdays, at this church at least, the shelter guests may stay in, but they must be out Sunday as usual, though they are allowed back after 2 p.m.

Alpha Omega was started in 1989. The program staff work with host churches to house, feed, and give fellowship to the program members. Alpha Omega is a program, not just a shelter: It "provides food, shelter and emotional support for 15 homeless men and women who are sober and drug free, working or aggressively looking for work, and willing to work on issues surrounding their homelessness," according to the Community Services Agency 1998 annual report and fall newsletter.

The program is funded by a combination of church, government, and individual contributions, plus United Way and charitable foundations.

Before Marcoux goes to sleep at night, she gets her clothes ready for the next day, so she can find them in the morning darkness. She has her own cubicle, apart from the rest of the guests, who are all men. She has learned how to go to sleep with the lights and TV on, and finds the men very respectful of her privacy. "Of course, they do snore," she grinned, "but I've learned to sleep through that, too.

"I need my sleep, because I work hard each day," Marcoux said. "First I work at my job, then I work at solving my problems."

An update: This coming Saturday, Mary Ellen Marcoux's life will change for the better. She and her daughters will move into an apartment through the InnVision Transitional Housing Program, at a rent set at one-third of her income. She continues to look for permanent housing in Mountain View.

She will be sharing it with another single-mother family for 12 months, with the possibility of extending for another 12 months after that.

The children won't be in their old school district, but Marcoux will be closer to work.

Passarelli is a Mountain View-based writer and also the mother of three.