1. Residents Saving Money, Reducing Debts
2. Staff Apply the CREED in Times of Crisis
3. Teamwork Among Agencies Meeting Needs of Homeless
4. The Recovery Games: My Personal Olympics

Staff Apply the CREED in Times of Crisis
By Martha Lepore

Caption: Workshop leader Ed Thompson (left) demonstrates how a person can safely get out of a crisis situation.

  You’ve spent several scary nights on the streets with little to eat and you’re short on sleep. Maybe you’ve recently lost your job, your children or your significant other, and you’re unable to pay rent. You finally find shelter, but not just any shelter – it’s one managed by Father Joe’s Villages®.

  A staff member approaches you to complete an intake and assess your situation. However, before asking any questions about your reason(s) for being homeless, the person asks if you are hungry and would like something to eat before starting the process. The staff person brings you a sack lunch to make sure one of your basic needs are met before proceeding.

  Although this may seem like a small act of kindness, it can help calm someone who may be anxious and in distress due to his or her current circumstances. It is just one example of the proactive approach staff members at St. Vincent de Paul Village use when practicing the Village’s CREED (see inset), and it can help prevent a client from going into crisis.

  All staff members attend an eight-hour training in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention that is facilitated by Josue Homes Program Manager Ed Thompson and Derrick Rose of the Assessment Center. "It’s a core training for staff since our clients often come to us after experiencing major life changes – job loss, spousal abuse, loss of housing," says Thompson.

  During the training, Village employees learn how to recognize the early warning signs that a client may be in a crisis and how to diffuse the situation in calm and compassionate ways. They are also taught non-violent techniques in response to a resident who could become verbally or physically aggressive. The focus is on the safety, security, welfare and care of residents and staff, according to Thompson.

  As one chemical dependency counselor said at a recent training, "We’re held to higher standards and are responsible for seeing the bigger picture when a client acts out."

  " We learn not to take personally what clients say when they’re venting, said Joan Kloh, a residential specialist at the Paul Mirabile Center. "It can be difficult but this training helps us to see them as people who need to be empowered."

   Staff members are taught non-violent ways to block an assault and immediately seek help. "The various blocking techniques we teach have proven effective in minimizing any injury to the staff and the residents. More important, the techniques don’t damage the professional bond and trust we work so hard to establish with clients," Thompson says.

  One move he calls the "touchdown technique" involves quickly raising both arms straight up and twisting away from a chokehold. "Staff are then instructed to yell ‘Fire!’ and run towards the nearest exit for help," says Thompson.

  Director of Human Resources at the Villages, Diane Plaster points out, "In view of our CREED, using a non-violent response to clients in crisis is important. Ed came to us two years ago with this innovative program for managing potentially violent situations. It shows our staff how to use the element of surprise and safe techniques rather than having a knee-jerk response to a crisis situation."

  " If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail,"
Plaster notes. "We try to provide a range of tools for our staff so that they can better manage the challenges they face daily."

   Among other tools available to Village employees are training in CPR, team
building, and professional development. Another is the Employee Assistance
Program, which is a resource network of professionals to help managers and staff when they are dealing with personal issues that could impact their work performance.

   " Sometimes a unique learning opportunity arises such as having USD professor and Buddhist nun, Karma Lekshe Tsomo, volunteer to instruct staff in San Diego on different forms of meditation," says Plaster. "It was a way of experiencing another perspective of our CREED, in order to weave the ‘heart of compassion’ into our professional and personal lives."