Small Steps Forward

i’m ever so leery of advocates. “representatives” frighten me. it is my firm belief that something is lost in the translation when someone else is speaking for you.

i had a situation in the shelter at which i sleep. it’s been building slowly and came to a head recently. i was looking for some assistance with the matter and sought some help from an organization known to be advocates for people in shelters. they took several months to do nothing. they took several months to make calls, suggest lightly, talk sweetly and achieve absolutely nothing. they were most professional about it, and nothing got done.

not nothing got done. the situation worsened, so they did achieve some movement. when the point person at this advocacy organization, after getting the run-around from the director of the shelter, looked at me and said it seemed like she was getting the run-around and that it didn’t seem like we were going to be able resolve this anytime soon, i realized that this organization was going to be absolutely useless.

i’d been waiting for this advocate to wake up and realize that another approach to this situation was needed. it was at that point that i woke up and realized i needed another approach to this situation.

i wrote a letter and sent it to the shelter, and to one of the governmental agencies which oversee them, and to the office of the umbrella nonprofit which runs the shelter.

i didn’t tell the advocate. i think she’s still under the illusion that she made headway. i’m looking back, reviewing the affair, and i’m wondering why it takes an advocacy organization (which supposedly advocates a lot on behalf of people in shelters) two months what it took me two hours to achieve.

she just lost a customer.