Executive Director’s Report: A Day in the Life of The Stewpot

By Brenda Snitzer

The STREETZine is a monthly newspaper published by The Stewpot, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. The Stewpot provides services and resources for people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of being homeless. The organization also offers opportunities for a new life.

As part of this ministry, the STREETZine seeks to raise awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness and poverty. The monthly publication also offers financial opportunity for Stewpot clients who sell the paper to Dallas residents. Vendors are able to move towards economic self-sufficiency by using the money they receive from selling copies to purchase bus passes, food, and necessary living expenses. Clients also receive stipends for contributing articles to STREETZine.

The content in STREETZine does not necessarily reflect the views or endorsement of its publisher, editors, contributors, sponsors or advertisers. To learn more about this publication, contact Betty Heckman, Director of Enrichment, 1835 Young Street, Dallas, Texas 75201 or BettyH@thestewpot. org. To read more about STREETZine, a member of the International Network of Street Papers, go to www. thestewpot.org/streetzine.

STREETZine is published by The Stewpot of First Presbyterian Church.

Managing Editor: Wendy Rojo

Editorial Advisory Board: The Rev. Amos Disasa

Brenda Snitzer

Suzanne Erickson

Russell Coleman

Poppy Sundeen

Sarah Disasa

William McKenzie

Betty Heckman

Photo Editor: Jesse Hornbuckle

Each day at The Stewpot brings new people and new wrinkles to our work in serving people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. But throughout the day, the week, and the year, you will find Stewpot staff and volunteers engaged in serving others in these ways:

Finding a place to live

Dallas’ annual count of people experiencing homelessness on the street or in a shelter numbered 4,244 citizens this year. The number for 2023 was down slightly from 2022, but the challenges of getting people housed remain daunting.

That’s why each day you will find Michelle Secours, director of housing and homeless services, leading our rapid rehousing initiative. She and our eight housing case managers work with Stewpot clients in securing federally subsidized housing vouchers and locating apartments for them to rent. Many of our clients live at shelters like The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center or on the streets, so a place of their own represents a major and welcome step forward.

We are pleased to be part of Dallas’ R.E.A.L. Time Housing Initiative. As in many cities, getting qualified clients housed, and then providing wraparound services like financial or employment counseling, can keep unhoused Dallas residents from falling further into the perils of homelessness.

Working with case managers

Each day, counselors and case managers work under the leadership of Suzanne Erickson, senior director of Stewpot programs, and Tanya Northcutt, manager of homeless services, to provide services like ID cards, a mailbox, and representative payee services. (The latter service keeps any federal stipends clients may receive safe from financial predators.)

Simple tasks like getting mail is something many of us take for granted. But many of our clients do not have a street address or a post office box. So, having a place to come retrieve mail, including any federal assistance, is a necessity. And working with case managers helps them resolve issues like lost identity cards.

Getting treated

Parkland Health and Hospital Systems operates a medical clinic Monday through Friday on the first floor of The Stewpot. Our clients receive treatment for chronic conditions like diabetes or just routine calls for illnesses like the flu. Medical providers administer care throughout the week so clients can avoid the long lines that may await them at emergency rooms.

They also can access dental services through our on-site dental clinic. Dentists associated with First Presbyterian Church launched this clinic many years ago and Parkland now runs it with their staff and dentists.

Clients likewise can secure mental health services by appointment. Metrocare Homeless and Housing Services provides case managers and doctors who work with clients in private sessions or through medication management to deal with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges.

Serving and growing food

Each morning, noon, and night, 365 days a year, The Stewpot provides meal services at The Bridge. Through the leadership of Michael Haynes, director of meal services, and his team, volunteers work alongside staff from The Bridge in serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Either now at The Bridge, or previously at our Stewpot building, or long ago in First Presbyterian’s basement, our ministry has been honored to provide meals to people experiencing homelessness since 1975.

Now, we also operate a robust food recovery program. Each day, Rob Guild, the manager of our food recovery work, coordinates the donation and collection of unused food from restaurants, groceries, and nonprofits. This food is then used to serve clients at The Bridge or through our food distribution work.

Under the leadership of Becky Zamora, manager of family distribution programs,

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Continued from page 2 the food distribution work has expanded since the early days of the pandemic. Twice a month, we provide groceries to families in a drive-through delivery or to their home using Door Dash to deliver necessities to senior citizens. To make that happen, our food distribution team plans for supplies throughout the week.

We also operate a community garden on our site, where horticulturalist Sandra Zelley and longtime Stewpot volunteers Susan Stephens, Sara Harvey, and Sam Marriott work with visiting teams and others in growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Bolstering an education

Each week, our children and youth program, under Manager Alma Reyes, offers activities for students from low-income households to help improve their academic performance and make positive choices. As one example, each Saturday during the school year, students in grades 1-5 participate in our Saturday Kids’ Club. Similarly, each Wednesday night Junior Crew students in grades 6-8 and Venturing Crew students in grades 9-12 meet for activities, including any necessary tutoring. And during the summer, students in grades 1-12 participate for seven weeks in our day camp.

We also offer a mentoring program for high school students so they can be paired with an adult in an area the student would like to pursue in college or through a career. And we are pleased that five 2023 high school graduates received collegiate scholarships this year through our scholarship initiative, keeping our total number of scholarship students around 46.

Discovering a voice

Every day between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., artists gather on the second floor of The Stewpot in our three-room art studio. In the late 1990s, Dallas artist Pamela Nelson collaborated with The Stewpot to launch a place where clients can express themselves through painting, sculpture, ceramics, and other forms of art.

Today, artists work on their own or with instructors. Christy Coltrin, who works with her husband Brad Oldham in their Dallas sculpture studio, emphasized earlier this year at Soup’s On, our annual luncheon, that the work is not just therapeutic. It’s about artists discovering their voice.

Our artists sell their paintings at organized shows and elsewhere, thanks to Betty Heckman, director of enrichment. Artists earn 90% of the sale price of each piece, while the remaining 10% goes for supplies, field trips, and other program costs.

Likewise, on Friday mornings between 10 and 11:30, Stewpot clients who want to develop their writing voice participate in our writers’ workshop. They write essays that range from finding hope to securing housing to coping with extreme weather. Their work may appear in STREETZine, our monthly street paper where Wendy Rojo serves as managing editor, or in publications like the Dallas Morning News, the International Network of Street Paper, or the Dallas Media Collaborative. In this edition, you will find essays, caricatures, and photos from some of our participants that detail a day in their lives.

As you can tell, there are many facets to a day in the life of The Stewpot.

Our clients also participate in the Dallas Street Choir, which practices each Wednesday morning in First Presbyterian’s sanctuary. Led by founder and conductor Jonathan Palant, the choir has performed in venues from across the country and world, from England to New York City to Dallas.

As you can tell, there are many facets to a day in the life of The Stewpot. We are honored to serve our clients through each of them as they seek to move ahead in their lives.

Brenda Snitzer is executive director of The Stewpot.

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