Collette Turcotte believes there’s someone watching over the Community Action Agency.

Saturday, October 06, 2001

Collette Turcotte believes there’s someone watching over the Community Action Agency.

&uot;Every time we need something, we will say it out loud and it happens,&uot; she said.

There was the time one of the single mothers with whom the agency was working said she desperately needed new shoes, since her work kept her on her feet all the time.

The phone rang, and a group was interested in helping a single working mom with whatever she would need.

&uot;They bought her a pair of $85 work shoes,&uot; Turcotte said.

Another family had only one blanket, and the father told how they all shared it. That day, the agency received a donation of seven quilts.

&uot;He couldn’t even talk. He walked out crying,&uot; Turcotte said.

This time, Community Action Agency staff had just been talking about how each time someone moved out of one of the three apartments in the shelter, staff members would have to clean, fix up and find furniture.

Meanwhile, Living Word Christian Church was looking for a niche, said the Rev. Kent Otterman.

&uot;We wanted a practical way to share the love of Jesus with people in need,&uot; he said.

Two of the church’s members, Carrie and Jim Troe, are neighbors to Turcotte, and asked her what the church could possibly do to help.

&uot;The light bulb went on,&uot; Turcotte said.

So 16 church members divided into crews and got busy cleaning, repairing, painting and decorating the apartments. They spent about a week on each of the three units, said volunteer Dan Jacobs.

Other volunteers included Cathy Otterman, Katie Troe, Jean Anderson, Jenny and Randy Bonfy, Jim and Carrie Troe, Toni Wagner, Jason and Melanie Jacobs, Patty Jacobs, Nikki Caliri, Angie Bauers, John Jacobs and Jean Smith.

The agency, with help from donations from church members, paid for the materials involved. Some money was available for new carpet. Children from the church donated some of their toys and books.

Church members decorated with wallpaper borders and added knickknacks and other &uot;homey&uot; touches.

&uot;Our shelter looks like ‘home beautiful,’&uot; Turcotte said. &uot;Now we only have one problem. People don’t want to leave.&uot;

Turcotte said people in the shelter can even learn from the way church members have decorated when they go into their own apartments. &uot;You can have a beautiful home by buying affordable things -&160;at second-hand stores or garage sales,&uot; she said. &uot;A beautiful home is important to kids, especially when they bring their friends home.&uot;

Community Action has furnished the apartments through donations. Sometimes when people are going into a nursing home, they’ll give the agency their furniture. &uot;We check to make sure it’s safe -&160;and clean,&uot; Turcotte said. &uot;We’re on a tight budget.&uot;

Turcotte said Community Action has had to lay down a few ground rules regarding the apartments. &uot;Our philosophy is responsibility,&uot; she said, adding that while people live in the shelter, they have a contract. They must look for permanent, affordable housing, look for and keep employment and send their children to school. They can only live there for up to three months.

&uot;Community Action is about growth and what you’re supposed to accomplish while you’re here,&uot; she said.

Otterman said church members like the philosophy because it does teach responsibility. &uot;A church is caring, and so is Community Action. It’s practical and helps people in need. Our philosophies mesh together well,&uot; he said.

The church has put a plaque (in both English and Spanish) in each of the apartments explaining the partnership between it and Community Action. There is a phone number for the church for people interested in attending.

&uot;We ask at intake, ‘Do you have a link to spirituality?’&uot; Turcotte said. &uot;They need all the links they can get.&uot;

People don’t live in the shelter rent-free, Turcotte added; it’s based on income. They must also pay a cleaning deposit. If it’s clean when they leave, they get it back.

To keep the apartments looking as nice as they were when Living Word Christian Church members finished with them, Community Action Agency does a daily walk-through. Residents must abide by the rules, which include doing dishes on a daily basis (there are no dishwashers), eat only in the kitchen, and no drinking, smoking or firearms.

Community Action has had one shelter apartment for six years. The other two were added on July 1 with a new grant through Community Action’s non-profit status, Turcotte said.

The agency is looking into three transitional projects scattered throughout the community, she said.

&uot;Down the road, we hope to help with that, too,&uot; Otterman said.