The stories confirm the best-kept secret in Waterville. The Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter accepts the tired, the poor and the lonely, and gives them food, sometimes clothing and the motivation to apply themselves to use their newly learned job skills to find a job and an apartment.

During a recent celebration tea, several of shelter alumnae courageously related the sequence of events that took them from homelessness to having their own home or apartment.

One mother of three had a hard time holding back tears as she told about her bleak situation when she checked into the shelter. A single parent with an infant and two pre-school children, she didn’t have a job. With the guidance of the shelter’s counselor and the workshops about how to approach the job search, she now has a steady job and a nice apartment to bring up her three children.

Another graduate spoke about the compassionate caring the shelter provided to her. She had been living in her car for several years. The shelter provided her with the skills to budget her money and find an apartment.

The event was created to honor the donors who contributed significant funds to make the new Colby Street Shelter possible. Homelessness in Waterville is not new as shelters in different forms have been in Waterville for sometime. This year we celebrate the 25th year of having a shelter in Waterville.

Donna M. Sawyer

Waterville

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