March 2022 NATH Notes

I was a stranger and you invited me in..."

Matthew 25:35 NIV

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Tribute Corner

In Honor of:

Deanna Longrie

In Memory of:

Michael J Rielly

James Ronyak

Don't know what to get your family or friends for their birthday?

Make a donation in their name and we will send them a

Tribute Card

informing them of your gift!"

Partner Corner

Rhinelander U12-U14 Hodag Fastpitch team ran a 50/50 raffle during an 18 team tournament in the Hodag Dome. The team donated $173 to NATH - Frederick Place.

We would like to give a huge THANKS to this wonderful team and their coaches!

In the words of a resident

Volunteer Corner

Executive Director Corner

Tammy Modic

Who are those experiencing homelessness?

Often people ask me if there is a “typical type” of person who ends up calling Frederick Place home. That answer would be a resounding, “No!” With the recent passing of a former resident and my reading of the obituary, it reminded me of this fact. Staff have become aware of 29 of our former residents who have passed away since they resided at Frederick Place.

To date we have had just shy of 900 unduplicated individuals call Frederick Place home, and no two have the same “story” as to what brought them to Frederick Place. We have had men, women, children, singles, married couples, and families. Some have identified as veterans. The residents have been from age 2 days old to 78 years old.

We have had individuals with no employment or those with multiple jobs. Some have had zero monthly income; others have been just below the 130% of poverty which is the maximum income an individual or family can have. Their income has come from earned income, unemployment insurance, supplemental security income (SSI), social security disability insurance (SSDI); VA service - connected disability compensation, VA non-service - connected disability pension, private disability insurance, temporary assistance for needy families (TANF), general assistance, retirement income from social security, pension or retirement income from a former job, child support, alimony and other spousal support, and/or other sources.

We have had adults who did not graduate from high school, to those who have had master’s degrees or beyond. They were teachers, lawyers, business owners, students, managers, and retired individuals just to name a few. They are married, divorced, single, widowed and/or separated.

Individuals identified as white; black, African American, or African; Asian or Asian American; American Indian, Alaska Nariv or Indigenous; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; hispanic/latino or multiple races. They reported having the following physical and mental health conditions: mental health disorder, alcohol use disorder, drug use disorder, both alcohol and drug use disorder, chronic health conditions, HIV/AIDS, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or shared that they had a domestic violence history.

Prior to calling Frederick Place home they lived in any one of the following living situations:

● Another emergency shelter, including hotel/motel paid for with a voucher

● Transitional housing for homeless persons

● A place not meant for human habitation

● Psychiatric hospital or other psychiatric facility

● Substance abuse treatment facility or detox center

● Hospital or other residential non-psychiatric medical facility

● Jail, prison, or juvenile detention facility

● Long-term care facility or nursing home

● Residential project or halfway house with no homeless criteria

● Place owned by client, no ongoing housing subsidy

● Rental in a public housing unit

● Rental with no ongoing housing subsidy

● Rental with other ongoing housing subsidy

● Hotel or motel paid for without emergency shelter voucher

● Staying or living in a friend’s room, apartment, or house

● Staying or living in a family member’s room, apartment, or house

So, as you can see, there truly is not a “typical type” of person who has called Frederick Place home since we opened our doors on January 31, 2011

Faces of NATH

Susan Statezny

Group Living

Community living is tough for residents, and we “get” that. However, community living is difficult for staff as well. I strive to share positive things with you, but it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Our patience is tried every single day. So, this month I’m getting “real” and sharing a little bit about a few of the challenging traits that I call the dark side of Frederick Place.

Can’t we all just get along?

Rodney King

The answer to that question is, “Hell no!” People from all walks of life are suddenly living together, and not everybody likes everybody else. I get it, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying. We often feel like a parent when dealing with residents who just don’t get along. As a matter of fact, we often refer to them as the kids. Both parties come to us to complain and demand we take action to fix things for them. This happens more often when a resident has already catalogued a first impression in their head. Some become willing to give their fellow housemate a chance and others just refuse to consider it. Their minds are made up. This often occurs between residents who are roommates.

Don’t work harder than they are

Another group is those who expect us to do the work for them when it comes to finding housing and enrolling in a variety of services. We are more than willing to assist them but not do their work. This is the resident that hits 90 days, has nowhere to go, and subsequently proclaim their lack of housing.

I'm going to assume this is self-explanatory.

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Finally…and least favorite…. those who develop “Junior Staffitis”. This affliction commonly begins between 50 and 90 days. “Junior” begins telling other residents what to do, feels the need to tell staff the doorbell rang, reminds staff of rules we are obviously aware of, and complains constantly about who is doing or not doing something they should be. I love being summoned to a bathroom to look at the base of the toilet where the white caps live, only to be told the assigned resident did not clean the bathroom when I witnessed them cleaning. This is where we remind “Junior” that not everyone has the same high cleaning standards they do. “Junior” seems to accept that but starts redoing others’ chores to their liking.

Residents suffering from “Junior Staffitis” also become “shrinks.” They are suddenly qualified to look at another resident and declare them a paranoid schizophrenic or one of the numerous mental health diseases we have today. The ones who do this are most often those who do have or are questioning if they have addiction issues. One doesn’t have to be a genius to surmise that they do this so they can avoid looking at their own issues. Unfortunately, these are the people who also relapse within days or weeks of leaving here because they didn’t work on their issues. How could they when they are more focused on others?

This can be a very irritating condition. I have had to remind countless afflicted individuals that they do not work here. I have even gone so far as taking the keys off my lanyard, hand the keys to the resident, and tell them they are in charge so I’m going home. Most of them respond with a laugh - failing to see the hidden message in my statement. These individuals have no problem pointing out other residents’ similar behavior while telling staff they absolutely do not do that. Yes, they do.

We have always wanted Frederick Place to feel like our residents’ home. Mission accomplished. It is a home that is often occupied by a very large family that doesn’t always get along. When I’m dealing with the dark side, I remind myself that this too shall pass and think of a large TV family that didn’t always get along either. I am, of course, referring to The Waltons. If that fails to decrease the of frustration I feel, I count down the hours until my days off arrive.

In closing I want to thank my Fred Family for always listening to me vent, ok whine, at shift change. We need each other more than I think we realize.

Wish List

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Meal Providers

March

Meals Needed

Ever ask how you can help? Become a meal provider for the residents of Frederick Place. There are multiple ways that this can happen.

You can make the meal at home, or pick up something from a local eatery and deliver it to Frederick Place.
You can drop off ingredients for a meal and either staff or residents can cook the meal for the evening meal.
You can bring the ingredients and cook the meal at Frederick Place and then stay and eat dinner with them.

We will call you the week prior to let you know how many residents we currently have at the house and if there are any known allergies. You will normally be cooking for approximately 16 residents and 1 staff member. You can make whatever you would like to make, we ask that you also bring a gallon of milk for dinner as well.

We have changed the way we are having people sign up and will begin to utilize Sign Up Genius for this volunteer endeavor as well. You will find the calendar below, marked with symbols that represent days that need meals. Sign Up Genius with the most updated calendar. If you would like to help out, click on the button below and find a date that will work for you and sign up to bring a meal. It is a way to bless many with one simple act of kindness.