Home for the Holidays: Scott and Janine

Scott and Janine were desperate and didn’t know where to turn for help. They had been homeless, living on the streets or in night-to-night shelters for over a month when someone told them to go to Crossroads Rhode Island for help. Scott was suffering from a long-term health problem and could barely walk, and Janine was struggling to help him survive. After twenty years together, they had never been in such a terrible situation.

When they arrived at Crossroads, with Janine lugging all their bags, they met outreach worker Luis Pinto at the front desk. “From that moment, our lives began to change for the better,” Scott says. At first, Scott and Janine had to sleep in our Community Room because no beds were open in our other shelters, but after a few days, Scott moved to the First Step Program and Janine went to the Women’s Shelter and then to the First Step. Almost immediately, they began working with Melissa Fijol from the Rapid Re-Housing Program, who helped them complete all the paperwork and meet the requirements for permanent housing. “At Crossroads, we found everything we needed to turn our lives around and not be in constant fear of losing everything again,” Scott says.

Scott and Janine say they want to help other people in similar situations. “We know the value of mutual support and working together to achieve goals, and with Luis’ help, we have established a support group that we call “Building Bridges.” Participants in the group have volunteered to help out in community projects, such as cleaning up Broad Street, and they adhere to principles of non-violence. “You have to help yourself if you want to benefit from services,” Scott and Janine say, “and we are committed to staying involved in the support group after we leave Crossroads. We are happy to go to Kennedy Plaza with Luis and help him reach out to other homeless persons living on the streets.”

This holiday season, Scott and Janine say they have much to be grateful for. “I am getting my GED at Crossroads, and I will soon be entering the Education and Employment Services Nurse Assistant training,” Janine says.  Scott wants to get back to work, too, but his disability may prevent that. He is an expert auto body painter and an experienced and skilled handyman. But this year, they are thankful that they will spend the holidays in their new apartment in Central Falls. “We are getting health care, services and support through Crossroads’ case managers, and we are looking forward to a good year. We know that we will never be homeless again. We just needed assistance at the right time.”