TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.520
One of the big inconveniences in the middle of a
2
00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:06.360
heat wave for those of us of privilege is that
3
00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:10.880
we get stuck in the air conditioning. Right, imagine if
4
00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:12.839
you are one of those people that do not have
5
00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:16.000
that ability. We've talked about all angles when it comes
6
00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:20.559
to this emergency going on a successive heat warning, and
7
00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.879
let's talk about those who are unhoused. Chris Puluski is
8
00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:27.399
the CEO of Meltrodder Ministries. I saw your video yesterday
9
00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:31.000
and you look hot doing it talking about those emergency
10
00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:32.320
services that are available.
11
00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:36.359
It's just hot out there. So, yes, it was hot
12
00:00:36.359 --> 00:00:38.320
the other day on the street, but nothing compared to
13
00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:41.439
the folks who are facing homelessness that actually stay on
14
00:00:41.479 --> 00:00:45.000
the street the majority of the time are unhoused. And yeah,
15
00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:47.240
so we're privileged at this time of year to help
16
00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:49.960
folks that are going through a difficult time and especially
17
00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:52.920
keep cool and access services when it's really hot outside.
18
00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:59.200
And Chris, it bears pointing out that the shelter is full. Right.
19
00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.399
You would think during a Code blue, that's when it's
20
00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:05.760
super cold and you're out there trying to rescue people
21
00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:09.280
from under bridges and stuff. This is a Code red
22
00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.000
when it's hot and you're still full.
23
00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:14.680
Yeah, it's like the old saying the inn and is full.
24
00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:17.599
I'm truly we have been full throughout the year. I
25
00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:20.879
was hoping that during the springtime that we would see
26
00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:23.920
a dip. We have been continued to be full on
27
00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:26.519
a nightly basis. I think there's a couple of reasons.
28
00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:29.000
I mean, there are people who are facing homelessness. We
29
00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:32.799
haven't seen that rate decline. Also, people are just having
30
00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:35.719
a difficult time I think, with life on many issues
31
00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:38.719
right now. And also it is hot outside, so I
32
00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:42.280
think that we're seeing people wanting to seek coolness. It
33
00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:44.719
could be for their families, it could be for individuals.
34
00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:48.640
So we provide services. We provide the shelter, which you noted.
35
00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.480
We also have a cooling center, so I want to
36
00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:55.519
encourage folks in and around ground rapids. If it's hot,
37
00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.480
you can come to two two five Commerce and access
38
00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:01.000
our cooling center. And it's a day center where you
39
00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:04.400
can access water, basic medical care. We have nurses on
40
00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:07.480
duty if you need help. We have food there. And
41
00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:10.280
then in addition to that, we have these units that
42
00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:13.479
are going around town, so they are trailers. We have
43
00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:16.840
shower units, We also have our vans going out to
44
00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:22.080
handing out water, cooling towels, sunscreen, basic equipment to keep
45
00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:23.479
people cool during this time.
46
00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:26.639
Yeah, I think sometimes we get stuck in a stereotype
47
00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:30.840
in our heads and we think about a picture in
48
00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:34.599
our head about somebody who's unhoused and think sometimes not
49
00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:37.960
so understanding things about them. But talk to us a
50
00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.960
little bit about the families who are some of them
51
00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:46.919
working in the shelter with a waiting list. So there
52
00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:50.680
are families trying to get services right now, and that's
53
00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:53.599
why your donation is more important than ever.
54
00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:57.639
Absolutely so. At Meltrotter, we've got five hundred and fifty beds.
55
00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.280
We have about a third of those for family. We
56
00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:03.080
work with Family Promise on the case management. But we're
57
00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:06.120
providing food, we're providing in room, we're providing security, we're
58
00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:09.919
providing basic services for these individuals right now. For the
59
00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.400
families that are in the shelter. There was a waiting
60
00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.800
list last week it was twenty four. I've heard that
61
00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:18.759
number has gone up. Last year we hit a high
62
00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:22.319
number during the summer. It was around sixty four families
63
00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:24.759
waiting to get into emergency shelter. So those people are
64
00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:29.639
people living in their cars, maybe CouchSurfing, but primarily in
65
00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:32.560
their vehicles, waiting to get into some kind of emergency shelter.
66
00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:37.080
Meltrotter dot org. You can walk alongside the men and
67
00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:39.879
women that serve this community and you can help.
68
00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:42.240
Yeah. So if I could ask one thing, it would
69
00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:45.400
be get involved. I mean I think people, and I
70
00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:47.719
say this a lot people. I think people get paralyzed
71
00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:49.960
when they don't know what they can do to help
72
00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.479
people facing homelessness. So we are a Christian organization. I
73
00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:55.759
always ask the first thing, can you pray for us?
74
00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:59.280
Please pray for our staff, Pray for people facing homelessness,
75
00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:04.080
Pray for the situation. So please pray. Volunteer. We have
76
00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:07.280
so many volunteer opportunities at meltrotter dot org. You can
77
00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:09.400
volunteer in our kitchen and our cooling center, and I
78
00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.000
mean we have so many opportunities, and our outreach team,
79
00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:15.639
we have volunteer opportunities, so please get involved where you
80
00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.040
can use your hands and feet. And then donations. Our
81
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:20.360
costs have gone up during this period of time. We
82
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:22.959
have more units going out, We're distributing more goods, So
83
00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:28.120
please pray, volunteer, donate, get involved because I think this
84
00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.199
is something so tangible, it's in the middle of our
85
00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.000
community and people can do something about it.
86
00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:34.839
And little things I saw in the video new underwear
87
00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:36.600
you need donated as well.
88
00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:39.720
It's it's a it's kind of a constant, and especially
89
00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:41.839
during the middle of winter and the middle of summer.
90
00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:44.759
So I was asking, you know, what's the biggest need
91
00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.279
and I was thinking bottled water or sunscreen, and uh,
92
00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:51.959
I was actually told underwear. So we we need underwear.
93
00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:54.680
People go through it during the summer, especially when you're
94
00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:56.560
facing homelessness. You don't think about that you don't have
95
00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:01.759
access to maybe a washing machine that clean underwear are
96
00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:03.079
one of the things on the top of the list.
97
00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:06.399
So we need bottled water, we need sunscreen, but especially
98
00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:07.839
underwear and socks.
99
00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:12.480
Meltrotter dot Orgwood Radio News time is seven forty three.
100
00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:16.040
Chris Poleski, uh, the CEO Meltrotter Ministries, Thank you for
101
00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:16.480
coming in.
102
00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:17.319
Thank you