Since 1983, San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries has aided the homeless in our area by helping them find places to live, pay their utility bills and access a variety of other services. Impact San Antonio’s 2018 High Impact Grant to SAMM funded a 15-passenger van to transport homeless youngsters to school and other activities, as well as upgrades to their Teen Center, where young people have a safe place to gather.
“During this especially difficult summer, the Teen Center has provided a place for our teens to relax safely while still having fun. The upgrades have meant the world to them,” said Nikisha Baker, SAMM chief operating officer. “Similarly, the van has allowed an outlet for children of all ages living at the Transitional Living and Learning Center. With it, we have been able to take small groups of kids on field trips, and that little bit of normalcy has brought them huge amounts of joy.”
Like other nonprofit agencies, SAMM has had to adapt its programs to accommodate the social distancing required by the COVID-19 pandemic. Baker says the agency has been working hard to continue its services while keeping staff and clients safe.
That’s especially important right now, she said, because their caseload has increased by 500 from March through July this year over the same period in 2019.
“In many instances, people have been laid off or had their work hours reduced, or their unemployment benefits have run out. There are clients we’ve never seen before,” Baker said. “People are in search of food, connection to housing resources, and clean clothes, socks and underwear.”
SAMM works with the City of San Antonio and the Archdiocese of San Antonio to offer a mobile shower facility for the homeless at different spots around town. Clean clothing also is given out, Baker said.
Of course, a major focus of SAMM is getting homeless clients into rental housing. Federal funding pays for housing vouchers given out through the city, she said.
While face-to-face sessions between staff and clients have been somewhat limited by the pandemic, they are still important, Baker said.
“About two-thirds of our staff members are still working in our office,” she said. “Unfortunately, the people we help usually don’t have access to a computer. They need to come to the office.
“Our Transitional Living and Learning Center is open, but we only allow six volunteers to be there at a time. They have to be masked, and we offer gloves if they don’t bring their own. We ask every volunteer to fill out a health questionnaire 24 hours before they come in, and we do a temperature check when they arrive on site. We have been lucky to have zero cases at the center.”
SAMM also will be making a few changes for the new school year, Baker said.
“We plan to turn our adult life skills classroom into a facility for distance learning from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m.,” she said. “Then, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., it will be used for after-school care.”
The Teen Center is open with limitations, she said. “Renovations are complete. We are having small groups in the center, with social distancing, three or four times a week.”
SAMM is preparing for another big change. President and CEO Navarra Williams is retiring, and his replacement is expected to be announced by the end of August, Baker said.
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