"HOW THE GURL MOVED TO THE ATL AND LEARNED TO BE THRIFTY PART 3...SHELTER LIFE"

The shelter my sis and I stayed in was called "My Sisters House." I consider it to be an awesome place, all things considering. A couple days after arriving, we watched a special on Oprah featuring "My Sisters House." It was pre-recorded but we couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. FYI...the night my sis and I arrived we just squeaked in because there were only 2 beds left. I definitely consider that God's favour because it was almost 8pm. All shelters are not alike..beware of bugs, thieves, and disturbances. Thank God, except for one minor disagreement there was never any "cat fighting." MSH even has apartments within the shelter for women with children. Living at MSH was much like living in a dorm and aside from the separate wing of the facility that housed the apartments there were 3 dorm rooms. Meals were served cafeteria style in a large room complete with kitchen and snack machines. Food is donated and cooked by volunteers. On weekends and holidays its an exciting time and a special occasion because you may have a restaurant or a church not only cook and serve the food but also bring it in. My sis and I arrived in December and most shelters give out many gifts as well. In addition to cleaning chores which I admit I couldn't stand because I was supposed to vacuum the TV room and straighten it up. Unfortunately it was usually used as a daycare/dumping ground by the women with unruly children. The worst was when I never had the vacuum and had to either wait or sweep the large room. I usually just used the broom. It wasn't a bad chore but we were not allowed to clean until after nightly 7.30-8.30 pm church service in the attached chapel. You had to do both...no exceptions. Another perk is that you can wash your clothes. You have to buy your own soap and pay for it but at least it was on the premises. There was even a "Clothing Closet" where 3 times a week you could go shopping for free. Now I don't suggest you stay in a shelter just to suck up the perks because we didn't know about any of these assets before we came to the shelter. This is just a really good suggestion if you move and don't have housing or if your new home is not ready yet, which can and does happen. If you have limited or no funds...this is a good option.

Stay tuned for "The Pros and Cons of Choosing the Shelter Option"