Sacred Shelter: Thirteen Journeys of Homelessness and Healing - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0823281191 ISBN 13: 9780823281190

Publisher: Empire State Editions, 2018

Synopsis

Named a Gift Book for the Discerning New Yorker by The New York Times

In a metropolis like New York, homelessness can blend into the urban landscape. For editor Susan Greenfield, however, New York is the place where a community of resilient, remarkable individuals are yearning for a voice. Sacred Shelter follows the lives of thirteen formerly homeless people, all of whom have graduated from the life skills empowerment program, an interfaith life skills program for homeless and formerly homeless individuals in New York. Through frank, honest interviews, these individuals share traumas from their youth, their experience with homelessness, and the healing they have discovered through community and faith.

Edna Humphrey talks about losing her grandparents, father, and sister to illness, accident, and abuse. Lisa Sperber discusses her bipolar disorder and her whiteness. Dennis Barton speaks about his unconventional path to becoming a first-generation college student and his journey to reconnect with his family. The memoirists share stories about youth, family, jobs, and love. They describe their experiences with racism, mental illness, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Each of the thirteen storytellers honestly expresses his or her brokenheartedness and how finding community and faith gave them hope to carry on.

Interspersed among these life stories are reflections from program directors, clerics, mentors, and volunteers who have worked with and in the life skills empowerment program. In his reflection, George Horton shares his deep gratitude for and solidarity with the 500-plus individuals he has come to know since he co-founded the program in 1989. While religion can be divisive, Horton firmly believes that all faiths urge us to “welcome the stranger” and, as Pope Francis asks, “accompany” them through the struggles of life. Through solidarity and suffering, many formerly homeless individuals have found renewed faith in God and community. Beyond trauma and strife, Dorothy Day’s suggestion that “All is grace” is personified in these thirteen stories. Jeremy Kalmanofsky, rabbi at Ansche Chesed Synagogue, says the program points toward a social fabric of encounter and recognition between strangers, who overcome vast differences to face one another, which in Hebrew is called Panim el Panim.

While Sacred Shelter does not tackle the socioeconomic conditions and inequities that cause homelessness, it provides a voice for a demographic group that continues to suffer from systemic injustice and marginalization. In powerful, narrative form, it expresses the resilience of individuals who have experienced homelessness and the hope and community they have found. By listening to their stories, we are urged to confront our own woundedness and uncover our desire for human connection, a sacred shelter on the other side of suffering.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

“It is rare that one book provides a gripping, honest, unapologetic look at the lives and perspectives of individuals experiencing homelessness. Sacred Shelter does just that.”―Afua Atta-Mensah, Esq., Executive Director, Community Voices Heard

“Homelessness is not hopelessness–at least for the 13 individuals whose stories are told in Sacred Shelter. Personal empowerment; supportive community; God’s gracious presence are highlighted as key to these stories of transformation and growth.”―Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York

“A powerful look beyond statistics and policy proposals, into the stories of people who have experienced homelessness. These painful, honest, and ultimately hopeful stories inspire the reader to greater empathy and commitment.”―Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Executive Director, T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

“Both the Torah and the New Testament instruct, 'love your neighbor as yourself.' This books shows how real people live that commandment. Susan Greenfield has compiled stories and reflections that inspire, uplift and challenge.”―Brian Purnell, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and History, Bowdoin College

In a metropolis like New York, homelessness can blend into the urban landscape. In Sacred Shelter New York is the place where a community of resilient, remarkable individuals are yearning for a voice. Through frank, honest interviews, this book follows the lives of thirteen people who experienced homelessness and graduated from an interfaith life skills empowerment program. They share traumas from their youth, the devastation of homelessness, and the healing they discovered through community and faith. Interspersed among their stories are reflections from directors, clerics, and volunteers involved in the life skills program. In powerful narrative form, Sacred Shelter represents a demographic group that continues to endure systemic injustice and marginalization. By listening to individual stories, we are urged to confront our own woundedness and uncover our desire for human connection, a sacred shelter on the other side of suffering.

For a Readers’ Guide to Sacred Shelter Visit https://fordham.bepress.com/soc/3/

Susan Celia Greenfield, Professor of English at Fordham University, is author of Mothering Daughters: Novels and the Politics of Family Romance, and of many essays and short stories.

About the Author:

Susan Celia Greenfield is a Professor of English at Fordham University; author of Mothering Daughters: Novels and the Politics of Family Romance, Frances Burney to Jane Austen; and co-editor of Inventing Maternity: Politics, Science, and Literature, 1650–1865.

About this edition

• Publisher: Empire State Editions
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0823281191
• ISBN 13: 9780823281190
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336
• Editor: Greenfield Susan