THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 4, 1997 TAG: 9701040293
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 67 lines
As Michelle Tomlin prepared to leave Friday as director of the Suffolk Shelter for the Homeless, she recalled the lessons of her tenure.
``I have a tendency to look at things from a whole different perspective,'' said Tomlin, with tears in her eyes. ``Before, you take things for granted - like electricity and having a home. Now, I'm so thankful and grateful for everything.''
Tomlin, director for the past two years, has worked with more than 150 families - helping them keep a roof over their heads and secure employment. Prospective residents are referred by social services departments.
Tomlin, who resigned in September to pursue other opportunities, chose to work throughout the holidays. A new director has not been named.
While the job has been rewarding, Tomlin said, it also has been stressful.
The pay isn't large. The hours are long. And it is the type of job that she thinks about non-stop.
``I think about what I saw that day, or what I didn't do,'' Tomlin said. ``Or I'll see something in my house that I know one of the families can use. It's been very hard emotionally.''
Tomlin has run the shelter with an annual budget of $100,000. Food, clothes, operating expenses and salaries all come out of that.
The shelter's budget was cut last year by $20,000 when the Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority cut its annual contribution from $25,000 to $5,000.
The agency agreed last month to donate the $20,000 it didn't give earlier in the year, but the shelter had a hard time making ends meet.
``The cutback was sudden, and it was a big chunk of our budget,'' Tomlin said. ``We had to make sure that what we didn't need, we didn't use.''
Housing Commissioner John B. Faircloth, who also serves on the shelter board, said the shelter this year will have a more aggressive fund-raising plan.
Generally, Tomlin said, Christmas is when donations flood in, but that type of giving is needed all year.
``The greatest satisfaction is going out into the community and seeing folks who have stayed here (and who are now) working and living in houses of their own,'' Tomlin said.
She doesn't hint at how she knows former residents, Tomlin said, but just seeing them makes her happy.
``My time here has been good,'' she said. ``I'm sad. Today, for me, it's over. But I want to come back and visit and see it still running.' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MICHAEL KESTNER/The Virginian-Pilot
Michelle Tomlin, who left Friday as director of the Suffolk Shelter
for the Homeless, has worked with more than 150 families - helping
them keep a roof over their heads and secure employment. Prospective
residents are referred by social services agencies.
GRAPHIC
ABOUT THE SHELTER
More than 300 families have been helped since the Suffolk Shelter
for the Homeless opened in 1992. The shelter serves families from
Suffolk and Isle of Wight and Southampton counties.
It can serve up to 32 tenants.
Residents are required to leave by 10 a.m. each day to look for
work.
Women and children may stay at the residence for two weeks, and
extensions are granted for up to 45 days. On average, tenants stay
three to four weeks.
The shelter is at 400 Finney Ave. For more information, call
934-1353.