I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen." John Steinbeck
Many of the people who come to Centre Helps are people who society has chosen not to see. Jeannie was one such person. Jeannie, a woman experiencing homelessness, was pushing a grocery cart filled with all her possessions, including her cat, down Westerly Parkway.A concerned motorist stopped, recognizing the woman was in crisis and required help. The good samaritan drove her to Centre Helps, where our compassionate, supportive, and nonjudgmental counselors began assisting Jeannie. As our team earned her trust, her story emerged. She had lost her job and was struggling with physical disabilities, resulting in the loss of her housing. She had exhausted all the shelter options in Centre County and didn’t have anywhere to go. Our team sprang into action: one counselor provided emotional support, another organized her belongings and cared for the cat, while others sought housing solutions beyond the region. After hours of collaboration, we secured a hotel room for the night and a bus ticket that would take her to a long-term shelter in another town. We also worked with PAWS to rehome the cat, as Jeannie made the painful decision to give him up to a more stable home life. Six hours after arriving, Centre Helps staff arranged for an Uber to take Jeannie and her belongings to the hotel, setting her on the path to a new start the following morning.