Fieldhouse offers hope for homeless
A few months ago, Kristie Stewart had a hard time finding residency after losing her job and being evicted from her previous home.
The 53-year-old Hattiesburg resident lost her home when she became ill and could no longer manage the bills in her home. With no other family members in the surrounding area, she had difficulty finding relief for her situation.
“I just wanted to give up on life,” Stewart said. “I had nowhere to go. I called around looking for places to just to get a meal and somewhere to sleep, but I was completely out of luck until I found Fieldhouse for the Homeless.”
Hattiesburg’s Fieldhouse for the Homeless, a faith-based ministry, provides stability to those in need by offering shelter among other things individuals need to get back on their feet. The volunteer-based organization’s main goal is to provide the foundation for these individuals to have a new life start.
The organization relies on the donations of volunteers and other organizations to provide nutritious meals, clothing, basic educational services, counseling and other services to the affected individuals. The facility includes a day center with a locker room, showers, computer services and laundry facilities.
Today, Stewart said she has found family in the people she has met while attending the facility on a regular basis. She gets a meal three times a day and receives counseling and career coaching.
“It brings people together," Stewart said. "[You] get to meet people in the same situation as you."
Stewart said she has found solitude in the individuals she has met at the facility. They pray together, sit outside and talk about ways to make their lives better. One common topic of discussion is their mutual gratitude for The Fieldhouse.
Chris Meyers, a close friend of Stewart, said he loves coming to the Fieldhouse every chance he gets – even if it means walking.
“I love coming here to get meals because they are so delicious and never cold,” Meyers said. “My favorite part is sitting outside joking and telling stories with the friends I’ve made here because I have always been alone.
“I was a drug addict and my family disowned me, so this is the only family I have come to know and it’s great hearing these people stories.”
According to The Mississippi Balance of State CoC (BoS), a group whose membership includes the majority of homeless service providers in Mississippi, conducted a homeless census – also known as a Point in Time Count (PIT) – on January 25-29, 2016. The BoS encourages local communities to get involved in this count by contacting agencies that provide services for the homeless in their communities.
According to the PRNewswire in 2014, The Fieldhouse for the homeless was recognized by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), in partnership with seven of its member financial institutions, through the presentation of a $28,000 Partnership Grant Program award. The Fieldhouse planned to use the PGP award for operating expenses and to hire grant writer in order to help them apply for major grants.
Despite the groups’ efforts, homelessness has only decreased by 2 percent since their introduction to the community. Other local resources for the homeless include Salvation Army, Hope House Ministry and Pine Grove Village. Other organizations, such as Eve’s House and Green Meadow, focus mainly on mothers and children who need food and shelter.
The Fieldhouse accepts all individuals who wish to visit or eat at the facility.
“He has been coming to this shelter for about 2 years and that they have helped him get a job working in the meat section in walmart,” Max Conner said. “When he first arrived at the shelter he was not a people’s person, but he finds peace at the shelter. He can come and sit outside and read his books without being disturbed.”
The facility encourages the public to volunteer or donate clothing or any other useful necessity that the shelter may be able to use.
