Fort Bliss Monitor

Opportunity Center
provides for homeless

Catrina Francis

Gracie Cordova checks Linda Mason temperature and other vital signs during Mason’s visit to the health clinic at the Opportunity Center.

Catrina Francis
Monitor Staff

Since 1992, many of El Paso’s homeless have called the Opportunity Center their home. The center provides shelter and various services to those 18 years and older.

The center is home to both men and women. It is not equipped to assist families, but if a family is in need of assistance they will not be turned away. They will shelter them for the night and the next day assist them with finding a better equipped shelter. The basic service at the shelter is a meal, shower and a place to stay.
Carl Ross, front desk supervisor, said the center provides services such as room and board, and showers are available twice a day. He also said the center has a capacity of 175 but averages about 120 to 130 people per night. During the colder winter nights, the average is as high as 160 per night.

The first process with the center is intake. During intake, general information is gathered and the resident is asked if they will need assistance with other services. They are also asked if they are a veteran. The center provides services for veterans, such as assisting with getting a DD214. They also assist veterans with determining if they are eligible for disability benefits. Three years ago, the center opened the veteran’s transitional living center.

After intake, the resident is given a mat, blanket and a list of the rules at the center.
Ross said the center tries to ensure things are as close to home as possible. The residents are able to watch TV and they also have a VCR and DVD player on hand.

“Most people who come through the opportunity center have been to homeless shelters in the past. Sometimes it is a revolving circle and they go from one homeless shelter to the next. The get stuck in a rut, and they are doing the best they can do,” said Ross.

The center not only provides shelter for the homeless, they also have a health clinic and provide assistance with mental health, social services, legal issues, transportation and employment.

The center is also instrumental with assisting those who want to return to school and receive their GED or go to college.

Jamye Boone-Ward, attorney for the Opportunity Center, said she provides a lot of assistance to the homeless who have been given tickets but don’t appear in court once they become homeless.

“Poor people are kind of like a sweater. When you start pulling the thread, their whole life just starts unraveling … and they need somebody who can help them put it all back together,” said Boone-Ward.

The center is also equipped to provide services for the severely mentally ill. Safe Haven provides housing and support services, life skills training and they try to transition the individual into independent living.

Tonya Golden, project coordinator for Safe Haven, said the residents are not required to take psychotropic medication to stay at Safe Haven. She said the staff tries to develop trust and rapport with the residents. By doing this, they try to gain support so they can introduce medication as an option.

Golden said it is sometimes difficult to get the severely mentally ill off the street because they are sometimes extremely paranoid and prefer to stay there.

“Any of us can be placed in a situation where we can lose our jobs or be faced with circumstances from life stressors where we decompensate … This is about giving support to people and giving them a chance,” said Golden.

The center is open 24 hours a day.

“Sometimes people have a misconception about the homeless [and] think they are derelicts or alcoholics … there are some kind and warm-hearted people here and all they need is a little help,” said Ross.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	January 26, 2006

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Opportunity Center provides for homeless Catrina Francis Gracie Cordova checks Linda Mason temperature and other vital signs during Mason’s visit to the health clinic at the Opportunity Center. Catrina Francis Monitor Staff Since 1992, many of El Paso’s homeless have called the Opportunity Center their home. The center provides shelter and various services to those 18 years and older. The center is home to both men and women. It is not equipped to assist families, but if a family is in need of assistance they will not be turned away. They will shelter them for the night and the next day assist them with finding a better equipped shelter. The basic service at the shelter is a meal, shower and a place to stay. Carl Ross, front desk supervisor, said the center provides services such as room and board, and showers are available twice a day. He also said the center has a capacity of 175 but averages about 120 to 130 people per night. During the colder winter nights, the average is as high as 160 per night. The first process with the center is intake. During intake, general information is gathered and the resident is asked if they will need assistance with other services. They are also asked if they are a veteran. The center provides services for veterans, such as assisting with getting a DD214. They also assist veterans with determining if they are eligible for disability benefits. Three years ago, the center opened the veteran’s transitional living center. After intake, the resident is given a mat, blanket and a list of the rules at the center. Ross said the center tries to ensure things are as close to home as possible. The residents are able to watch TV and they also have a VCR and DVD player on hand. “Most people who come through the opportunity center have been to homeless shelters in the past. Sometimes it is a revolving circle and they go from one homeless shelter to the next. The get stuck in a rut, and they are doing the best they can do,” said Ross. The center not only provides shelter for the homeless, they also have a health clinic and provide assistance with mental health, social services, legal issues, transportation and employment. The center is also instrumental with assisting those who want to return to school and receive their GED or go to college. Jamye Boone-Ward, attorney for the Opportunity Center, said she provides a lot of assistance to the homeless who have been given tickets but don’t appear in court once they become homeless. “Poor people are kind of like a sweater. When you start pulling the thread, their whole life just starts unraveling … and they need somebody who can help them put it all back together,” said Boone-Ward. The center is also equipped to provide services for the severely mentally ill. Safe Haven provides housing and support services, life skills training and they try to transition the individual into independent living. Tonya Golden, project coordinator for Safe Haven, said the residents are not required to take psychotropic medication to stay at Safe Haven. She said the staff tries to develop trust and rapport with the residents. By doing this, they try to gain support so they can introduce medication as an option. Golden said it is sometimes difficult to get the severely mentally ill off the street because they are sometimes extremely paranoid and prefer to stay there. “Any of us can be placed in a situation where we can lose our jobs or be faced with circumstances from life stressors where we decompensate … This is about giving support to people and giving them a chance,” said Golden. The center is open 24 hours a day. “Sometimes people have a misconception about the homeless [and] think they are derelicts or alcoholics … there are some kind and warm-hearted people here and all they need is a little help,” said Ross.