Letter to the Editor: Jan. 26, 2023
IHM Leadership Council: Support Oaks Shelter
We, the Leadership Council of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan, are heartbroken by the announcement to close the Oaks of Righteousness Shelter.
Nationwide, the number of homeless, hungry people seeking shelter are also dealing with serious mental health issues. Overnight shelters are not equipped to provide services for them.
Nine years ago, Pastor Heather Boone came to serve the people of Monroe. She has mounted a superhuman effort to create Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Beloved Community.” We highly respect the work of Pastor Boone and Oaks Christian Ministries and consider their services at the Oaks Shelter a blessing for those in need.
Even if the Oaks Shelter closes, the residents that Pastor Boone and her staff now serve will remain in our community. Where will they go? What will happen to them? We cannot look away when our brothers and sisters have so many unmet needs.
We live with the hope that the Monroe County mental health services and local authorities will take action to prioritize the mental health issues affecting the Oaks Shelter as well as other social service providers in our city. We encourage our congregation, families and friends to support the work of the Oaks Shelter.
The IHM Leadership Council: Margaret Chapman, IHM, treasurer and mission councilor; Marianne Gaynor, IHM, vice president and mission councilor; Mary Jane Herb, IHM, president; Patricia McCluskey, IHM, mission councilor, and Ellen Rinke, IHM, mission councilor
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Letter to the Editor: Jan. 26, 2023
