Humanity in homelessness

MENOMINEE — Homeless people are real people.

That’s the message Teresa Boscarino, executive director of Abundant Life Mission, wants the public to know about the homeless population.

Having taken over in September 2022, she’s had over a year to see a few cycles of guests come and go — the average stay is about 60 to 70 days — and said that most people want to get out, and for good reason.

“It’s not a lifetime sentence,” Boscarino said. “It’s a point in time that people can be supported and remain hopeful and get out of.”

She said that many of the people who use the homeless shelter may have overstayed their welcome in a family’s home or are coming from an unsafe environment that involves violence or drugs.

The people in these shelters are your everyday people — often not who you’d expect.

“Everybody probably already knows someone who has been homeless,” Boscarino said, saying she had been surprised by who she saw walking through the doors. “But homelessness is not something that somebody’s going to wear on their sleeve.”

The building is registered as an emergency shelter, which means they’re obligated to feed the residents and give them a bed. It’s unique because it’s the only emergency shelter in the Upper Peninsula that takes entire families, she said.

The shelter is open 24/7, which means people can stay in the facility during the day. They have 88 beds, and the shelter has 65 people in it right now, including 20 children.

Boscarino said her focus is to find resources to connect the visitors to a better life. The shelter is a temporary solution until they can find something better.

“My vision is that we all work together as a community to help support these people that are clearly in need,” Boscarino said.

Boscarino was born in Germany on an army base and grew up in Pittsburgh. She has an associate’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay — Marinette Campus.

She was the thrift shop manager for the Abundant Life Mission from 2014 to 2018 and was the executive director for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Abused and Neglected Children) for a year. She also was a family service worker for Menominee Early Childhood Services — Head Start from 2021 to 2022.

She was initially interested in the field after her first volunteering experience 10 years ago.

“I feel like God put homeless children on my heart,” Boscarino said.

She said she planned a big event at the mission, only to find that the kids wanted attention, nothing more, nothing less. She remembers the emotions she felt while driving out of the parking lot.

“He was standing there with his big eyes as I was pulling away,” Boscarino said of one of the children at the shelter, previously located elsewhere.

She said those feelings inspire her when bringing new residents to the facility at 1406 10th Ave. in Menominee.

She said those who need housing at the shelter must do a pre-screening over the phone. Then, when someone is welcomed into the building, she provides resources for housing, phones, IDs, medical issues, foster homes and some essential paperwork.

“We ask questions like ‘Do you have a birth certificate? Do you have a social security card?’ If not, you need to do some case planning,” Boscarino said.

The resident is paired with a case worker to get them on the right path. They also have an in-house thrift store, Second Chances Thrift Shoppe, that residents can use to stock up on necessities.

Everyone’s story is different. Most of the time, it’s about finding the right mix of resources for each person.

They partner closely with the Salvation Army, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marinette and Biehl Bridges to Recovery. Her next goal is to work with local businesses like she’s been coordinating and working with nonprofits.

“My vision is working together and allowing the community to really help out within the facility,” Boscarino said.

She shared a story about how 1 Awesome Cab agreed to give residents a ride to and from their job interview and offered two weeks of free rides to provide residents with reliable transportation before their first paycheck.

The job has its ups and downs. The waiting list at The Michigan State Housing Development Authority is currently at a standstill. (The shelter requires each resident to sign up for the list, which gets them on a voucher program for affordable housing.)

She said she hopes the program resumes placements soon, as the shelter is almost full.

“Housing is always an issue,” Boscarino said.

The shelter could always use volunteers, she said, with needs for front desk staffing, making meals, fundraising, maintenance work, office work and case management. People can visit the mission to fill out a volunteer application.

The shelter is located on U.S. 41, with a sign listing their current needs. Recently, they had a fundraising effort up on the marquee that raised $100,000 to fix their boiler system, which she said she’s thankful for.

She mentioned switching out the most recent needs listed on the board.

“People are really paying attention; it’s really great,” Boscarino said. “Like we’ll put something out, and we’ll just get this onslaught.”

These small, overlooked items — dish soap, a blanket, a toothbrush — are something to establish normalcy with residents who may be going through a lot.

“Normally, there’s a good amount of trauma in the background,” Boscarino said. “Some people come in thinking chaos is normal; it’s not.”

Boscarino said the job is rewarding. Through her service, she hopes to clear up misconceptions about people experiencing homelessness.

“They have a heart, they’ve gone through some trouble and they don’t have the support they need,” Boscarino said. “I think people need to hear that.”

People can visit the Second Chances Thrift Shoppe, located on the premises, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., which is also when they accept donations.

Follow the shelter on Facebook at “Abundant Life Mission” and “Second Chances Thrift Shoppe.”

People can send monetary donations to the shelter at Abundant Life Mission, P.O. Box 1036, Menominee, MI, 49858, or donate online at alcmission.org.