10/31/2009 7:20:02 AM

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By Jeff Hansel
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

The temporary shelter for homeless Rochester residents called Dorothy Day Hospitality House turns 25 years old on Sunday.

	Needs: Warm hats, coats and gloves (new or gently used.) Nice to have: Boxes of cereal, laundry detergent. Volunteers buy supplies as needed with: Gift cards to such places as Kmart, Target and Wal-Mart.

"It's a big deal. It's the biggest deal. This is run 100 percent by volunteers and by donations," said Joan Grosso, one of about a dozen founders, three of whom nervously signed a six-month lease in 1984.

"We signed that lease, and I have never had to pay a penny out of my own pocket," Grosso said.

Donations are always needed for the 23-guest house, which is often full.

One volunteer estimates that 15,000 individuals over they 25 years have been helped at the shelter (703 First St. S.W.), many on multiple occasions.

"It's saved my life a bunch of times, I can tell you that," said Bob Hicks, who said he normally sleeps in a park, in shrubbery or in similar locations. This week, he's at Dorothy Day, where more than 200 part-time volunteers provide food, shelter and sometimes winter clothes.

Partner with others

Dorothy Day partners with social service agencies; Interfaith Hospitality Network, which serves homeless families; the Women's Shelter of Rochester; and the Homeless Service Team.

Almost 1,000 people used the house in the past year, with a noticeable change in guests who now include more women, women with children and young men.

Many wish a shelter for longer-term stays existed, since the limit at Dorothy Day is 14 days in a row. For some, the brief respite is enough.

"I know I can get a good meal, a good night's sleep, a shower, wash my clothes and feel human again," Hicks said.

Reasons for homelessness

Live-in volunteer Andrew Farnan said homelessness happens for many reasons. Some medical stereotypes, such as alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness, ring true. Other reasons, such as brain injury, domestic violence, job loss and eviction also play a role.

People already impoverished who lose jobs in the current economy become even more disadvantaged, Farnan said.

"I'm looking for work right now, and it's hard to find work," he said. Rochester is unique, he said, because it's a draw for medical treatment.

"Sometimes, we end up having people get stuck here," he said.

The trip to Rochester, their medical treatment or the two combined cost enough to prevent a return home.

"They get treatment, and then they can't get back," Farnan said.

"We really love that this is a house of peace. It's a place that you come to be safe," Grosso said.

Look for an update report coming soon on homelessness in Rochester from reporter Jeff Hansel and photographer Jerry Olson.

For more about the shelter, go to Postbulletin.com/weblinks.

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