options.

The difference between rich and poor can be defined as the difference between having many options and having little options. Furthermore, poverty can be described as a state in which a person has very little options in their life.

Annunciation house was started in 1978 to serve the poorest of the poor, to serve the people who have no other options. Essentially it was created to be able to say “yes” to the person at the door looking for somewhere to stay and a place to rest but that had been continually hearing “no”. Inherently, and unfortunately, there is often a need for us to say “no” as well. For me, this is a hard part of the job.

Yesterday when I was on my morning shift from 6am-2pm, I had to turn away 4 people seeking a place to stay. One I could smell alcohol on his breath, one was clearly lying, and two had other options. By looking at whom we have to turn away, and who we can welcome in I can better understand what our goal is as an organization and what it is that we try to do.

When somebody comes to our door, our goal is to help them find another option, and do it with love and compassion. This goal can be very short term or very long term. If they have other options when they knock on the door for the first time, we will make a phone call if necessary, or give them a map to wherever they need to go. Sometimes, even though people have other options, they prefer Annunciation House, and this is where it gets really hard. A man came to the door yesterday and after a long conversation it was clear to me that he was lying and potentially drunk, I went to grab a map that would take him to the Opportunity Center, another nearby shelter. When I handed the map to him, he quickly tore it into pieces out of anger, and threw it onto the ground in front of me. Seeing that, I said two things two myself; the first was, “I wish we could have taken him” and the second was, “Well, that is why we couldn’t.” If through a conversation at the door we learn that a person really doesn’t have any other options, then we invite them into the house, get to know them better, share the house, share the food, and do what we can to help them find or acquire more options. This point is where the real, tiring, heavy, challenging, and rewarding work begins with each guest. It may take a day, a week, or three years, but it ends when a guest can leave the house because they have made or found for themselves a better option.