Birth of a Transitional House

By Janny Castillo

Some people thought BOSS couldn't do it. They were steadily amazed at how BOSS continued its progress amid severe state budget cuts, wondering how the "heck" BOSS overcame red tape, road blocks, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Yet nothing is impossible for the BOSS housing development team, who achieved the impossible with massive support from our community. Sankofa House is up and running - a state of the art, green environment' transitional house for homeless families.

How did we do it? Quite simply, we never gave up. And on Valentine's Day 2005, we celebrated a gift of love and hope for homeless families. Tom Bates, City of Berkeley Mayor, attended the ribbon cutting on Monday, February 14th. In addition, any of the project's funders and contributors were honored and attendees were treated to a tour of the facility.

Sankofa House has been built at the site of BOSS's oldest shelter, Harrison House. The facility can house up to 10 families in a shared living environment - 2 or 3 families per apartment. The Tile Shop in Berkeley made a huge donation of tile products and Shaper Lighting also in Berkeley donated the lighting fixtures. Fine Line Construction was commended for the quality of the work, and finishing on-time and on-budget. So many people helped to make Sankofa a reality; Steve Barton, Berkeley Housing Department, Wendy Cosin, Steve DeJesse from Ingram Dejesse and Associates, Jim Gribi, Babette Jee, Architect. A complete list of contributors will be posted in the March newsletter on www.self-sufficiency.org.

The name Sankofa is a heart-shaped Ghana symbol for "Wisdom". It means "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward and understand how we came to be who we are today." Reclaiming the past and moving forward into wellness and permanent housing are primary goals of BOSS residents. That's what BOSS is good at, providing the space and tools each individual needs to reclaim their self-worth, build skills, and become self-sufficient.

Two moms who currently residing among the first Sankofa families spoke at  the ribbon-cutting ceremony. These are their stories:

Cynthia, Harrison House

I became homeless because my brothers were trying to sell my mother's house after she came down with Alzheimer's. I didn't agree to it and I got tired of fighting them, so I just left. I lived in motels with my three grandchildren struggling to pay the rent for 5 months. I got accepted to Shepherds Gate but I did not meet the criteria to get into the permanent program.

On November 1st, I was asked to leave, I tried to stay with friends but they were too deeply into drugs and I could not stay with them. A lady from Shepherd's Gate had given me a list of shelters, after many calls, I ended up at Harrison House.

It's okay here at Harrison House. They are helping me to get housing and to stay sober by giving me a place to stay and much more. After all the negative stuff that has happened in my life, all the turmoil, I couldn't see the rainbow at the end of the storm, now I can.

Being chosen for Sankofa House is a good feeling and a new beginning. I will be able to have decent housing that I can afford, a safe place for my grandchildren and time to get my life back together. I don't have to worry any more where we are going to be from day to day.

Thank you, BOSS. When I did not have a place to live, you gave me a place to rest, fed me and my kids, no questions asked. Thank you."

Kelly

"I was out there a long time. I was using off and on for 25 years. It began when I was trying to fit in with the other kids but my addiction got very bad. The bottom for me was I when I was 7 months into a pregnancy and I was using. I started telling God that I was tired. I delivered the baby who was positive for methamphetamine. They took the baby from me right from the hospital. That automatically made me shut down.

Later I got into the Salvation Army shelter with my 3 kids but was kicked out after two weeks. I could not keep in touch with my CPS officer who thought that I had run off with my kids. One night at an Alameda Shelter the police came and took my kids. That night was the worst night of my life.

Now, I had to be really strong for my kids. My kids are still in foster care. They come back to me on February 18th . One of the reasons I will be able to have them is because I was accepted at Sankofa House. If not, I would have to be without them another 6 months.

I don't blame anybody for the things I went through. God gave me a second chance to get my kids back, and I am going full speed ahead, I am on a different kind of mission now. It's an honor for me to be given a chance to be at Sankofa House.

My future plans include getting my 3 year old twins into preschool. I want to get my GED because I want to go back to college for drug and alcohol counseling or to work with children. I was out there a long and have been through so much, people tried to put doors up to stop me but I kept knocking them down. So to other families, I say "Never Give Up."

I want to thank God and the women at Sankofa House and to Pam for helping me get in."

Also on the program although she could not join the event to speak was a touching story of a mom who made it to permanent housing with the help of BOSS. This is her story:

Helimeka

"I went into the shelter because I did not want to live on the streets or at other people's houses. I was pregnant and had a two year old son and I needed a permanent place for my kids. Being at Harrison House showed me that there were people who were willing to help families like me. They encouraged me to get my life in order. The parenting classes and other support groups really helped. Cornell and Carla really helped with housing assistance.

I got into McKinley House by following the Harrison House program. Even though I was not in permanent housing, the transitional apartment at McKinley felt like home. It felt like I was on my own. It also gave me a chance to fulfill my goals and helped me to get ahead in life for me and my children.

I recently got my section 8 certificate and moved into a new apartment. It's new for me, but being at the transitional house gave me the practice of managing my own home. It prepared me for permanent housing by helping me to save and teaching me to budget. I am looking for full time work and I plan to continue my education in the nursing field.

To all the new Sankofa House families: If you really want help and if you really want to get out of your homeless situation, you have to want to help yourselves first before BOSS staff could help you. Going through Harrison House and McKinley has proven to me that there is a lot of help out there if you want it.

My wish for Sankofa house is that all the residents will continue to appreciate BOSS and to get the help that I've received."

The work has just begun for BOSS - Sankofa House is only the latest element of Ursula Sherman Village a large development named after BOSS founder Ursula Sherman, a passionate activist for human and civil rights. Sankofa House is Phase II, Phase 1, completed in 2003, consisted of renovating the existing facility, Harrison House. Phase III, the final phase, will be the construction of additional new housing, Ubuntu House, and new activity centers for education, skill-building, and family activities.

I can vouch for the effectiveness of the BOSS program. I know where their heart is. Their priority is to grow with the needs of the homeless, educating themselves and their constituency on what it will take to return wellness to all aspects of life; emotional, physical and spiritual. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of courage and perseverance. This is the hard work and wisdom that gave birth to a beautiful loving environment called, "Sankofa House". This is the strength that over ten years ago surrounded my children and me on our climb from homelessness to permanent housing and wellness.

**Janny Castillo is a former resident in BOSS programs. She now works for BOSS as a multi-talented Community Organizer, Computer Instructor, and Administrative Assistant

***The photographs were published with permission by Mary Duley. Mary is the "on site photographer" at the BOSS Harrison House Emergency where she has worked as resident counselor for four years. She refers to herself as a photo-hobbyist. She spends a lot of her off time 'chasing photographs' and capturing through her lens; the beauty of life and nature. Her passion for photography has given her new strengths and an appreciation for life. Mary is a survival and has overcome a 17 year long drug addiction. To view Mary's pictures detailing the construction of Sankofa House, please click here.

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