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New cold-night shelter in Stafford offers refuge for some homeless and new life for others Date published: 11/7/2009
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
The smell of fresh paint mixes with wood dust. The loud "click, clack, click" of an pneumatic staple gun competes with the softer "tap, tap, tap" of a hammer. Two men work side by side, in silence mostly. But occasionally, they stop for some banter. But they're working to a silent rhythm: the "tick, tock" of a clock. The new cold-weather shelter on State Route 3 in southern Stafford should be completed before nighttime temperatures dip below freezing. Organizers hoped to have renovations completed by late October, but the shelter is still a work in progress. And so are two of its most loyal workers: Calvin Thomas and Thomas Gum. For many of the area's homeless, the little red building on Route 3 east will provide a refuge from freezing nights. But the former school has already provided something even more precious for Thomas and Gum: a chance to turn their lives around. Early this summer, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors approved the former Little Falls School as a cold-weather shelter to be run by Micah Ecumenical Ministries. The faith-based group had just three months to turn a dusty storage building into a winter homeless shelter. Area businesses, churches, civic groups and private donors stepped forward to make it happen. Banks sent volunteers to paint, philanthropist Doris Buffett gave $68,000, businesses discounted supplies and churches provided labor. But from the beginning, Micah director Meghann Cotter thought the building could be just the opportunity some of Micah's clients needed. She offered the homeless But Thomas and Gum consistently worked full days. "They were here the first day we started working," Cotter said. "And they'll be there the last day." For Thomas, the project came just in time. The Northern Virginia native spent more than 20 years in jail for a breaking and entering conviction when he was 22. He was 46 when he got out and faced a completely new world: where toilets flushed themselves, gas stations offered flavor shots for soda and even preschoolers knew how to work computers.
Date published: 11/7/2009
Meanwhile on Page D 1, third story down the page, with very small print we find out that unemployment is up to 10.2%. Of course that story isn't as important as the continuing social services crusade here in Fredericksburg. Nor is the unemployment story as important as the shoplifters and thieves on Santa's naughty list story. Who in the world makes these decisions? It truly is an outrage.
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