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March 16, 2010
Keeping with the spring 2010 theme of “Called to Mission,” Darryl Williams, director of Moravian Open Door in Manhattan, was invited to Moravian Seminary to speak at the Second Tuesday Moravian Lunch on March 16th.
When asked to picture one of the 13,000 homeless persons in New York in any given week, the image of a person in their 20s-40s might come to mind. Instead, Moravian Open Door (MOD) works specifically with homeless men and women who are 50 years or older; many of whom have experienced elder abuse at city drop-in shelters. Moravian Open Door provides forty men and women with transitional shelter, amenities, health and counseling referrals, and a warm and welcoming community. Most importantly, a service plan is designed to give each person the motivation, hope and skills to eventually move into an apartment, with a relative, or in some cases, into a nursing home (often within 6-24 months).
Darryl Williams, director of the program, was hired in 2004 as the once-permanent housing program changed into a transitional one. Just two credits short of earning an MDiv at New York Theological Seminary, Darryl found that he was instead being called to serve humanity in this unique capacity. A true believer of MOD’s mission: “helping the homeless help themselves,” he sees many of those he serves in the light of a grandmother or grandfather and strives to create the best possible home for them as they rebuild their lives. “Our challenge in that office is that they’re given the chances they need.”
The MOD program currently runs on a staff of four (a director, case worker, program associate and program coordinator), with 4-8 interns each week helping to maintain the building and assist with secretarial tasks. The rest of the work is done through volunteers (including a few individuals from Moravian Seminary) offering their services. Darryl offered an open invitation to come and visit Moravian Open Door, emphasizing the immense amount of joy and appreciation he and other volunteers experience at the shelter. “When a person gets a key to their own room… it’s a wonderful feeling to see the look on their face.”
For more information about Moravian Open Door, visit www.moravianhouse.org |
