John Heldman has seen firsthand how the economy has affected people in and around the Mattoon area.

Heldman, executive director of the Mattoon Area Public Action to Deliver Shelter, said he has seen an increase in people needing to use PADS services like providing shelter, meals, showers and laundry. PADS, which opened in 2003, is open 365 days a year.

“The economy has a lot to do with it,” he said. “Last year, our statistics showed fewer of our people were able to find jobs.”

Heldman said guests at PADS have either lost their job or cannot find one.

He said the recession has hit the local factories, causing people to lose their jobs, and construction has slowed down, taking away a source of jobs for many men who use PADS’ facilities.

“It’s hard to find a job anywhere, even in Mattoon,” Heldman said.

According to 2007 estimates by the United States Census Bureau, about 20 percent of the 51,011 people in Coles County are living at or below the poverty level.

Heldman said there is not as much opportunity in the area for people to obtain jobs, which may be the reason why he has seen an increase in more bus tickets out of Mattoon.

The shelter, located at 2017 Broadway Ave. in Mattoon, is just down the street – a short walk – from the Greyhound Bus Lines Station, located at 1904 Broadway Ave.

Variety of guests

PADS serves about 200 new people each year.

Heldman said guests are predominately male and the average age ranges from 30 to 40.

However, PADS also serves women and children. It is the only non-gender-specific shelter in the area.

Heldman said a typical guest is in crisis, whether it is because they have no electricity or water or they lost a job or have been evicted. He said 10 percent are mentally ill and 20 percent have substance abuse problems.

The average monthly income, according to Heldman, of a guest is $800 or less. He said only 25 percent of guests have some income.

Every guest at PADS is checked against a sex offender list and court records. The only people PADS turns away are registered sex offenders and people who are a threat to themselves or others.

Heldman told the story of one guest, a 76-year-old woman, who has been homeless since 1973. He said she walks across Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin – never setting up home – and lives off some Social Security money. She visits PADS at least three times a year.

Heldman has offered her an apartment as well as an identification card, but she refuses. He said he has tried this many times.

The woman is what Heldman calls “chronically homeless,” meaning she prefers traveling from place to place.

Two other forms of homelessness Heldman uses to classify guests are transitory and emergency. Transitory, he said, means the person is temporarily homeless for reasons of eviction and inability to pay rent, and emergency means a person needs a place to stay for the night if their car may have broken down or their water was shut off.

The 76-year-old woman stays at PADS for about a week or two before heading off to a new destination.

“Last time she was here, we talked about how she needs to stabilize,” Heldman said.

Opportunity for overnight stay

On average, about 7 guests a night stay at PADS throughout the evening.

Guests who plan on staying overnight arrive between the hours of 7 and 9 p.m., which is also the time dinner is served.

When they arrive, there is a large open, square room waiting for them to sleep.

Lines of fabric separate the sleeping area into three sections – the largest is men, then there is a place for women and children and last an overflow section.

A newly added section is designed more for families, complete with a crib.

It’s in the process of getting decorated, Heldman said.

He said a family of seven stayed at the shelter last summer. Other guests have included discharged veterans and runaway youth.

Guests are required to go to bed at 10 p.m. and they wake up at 6 a.m. for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Once guests are checked in they cannot leave.

Each guest gets clean sheets each night and must wash them in the morning and sponge down the bed they slept in.

“Blankets are one of the things that get donated a lot,” Heldman said. “As a new agency, we still have to rely on the community a lot.”

Showers are provided to overnight guests and personal hygiene products are available for everyone.

Heldman said personal hygiene supplies are one of PADS’ largest donations.

Some of the people who stay at the shelter come just to take a shower.

Not everyone uses the shower, though, to clean up.

“A lot of them (guests) are more comfortable bathing at the sink than taking a shower,” Heldman said.

Of the overnighters, 45 percent list Coles County as their address, an increase of 5 percent over last year.

On average, a guest will stay seven nights and many times those guests return.

“Our services are here, and if they want to partake in them they can,” Heldman said.

About 15 percent of guests have returned. Of those, he said most don’t return for about 15 months.

Case management is provided for guests who stay more than one night.

Overnight guests are asked to leave by 8 a.m. unless they want to do janitorial work.

It is amazing how many people do not know how to sweep and do laundry, Heldman said.

But he admits he did not know how to fold fitted sheets before he came to work at PADS.

Stepping out of homelessness

Not being able to find jobs is one of the problems for homeless people and folding sheets and other janitorial work like cleaning can help. Janitorial work can be used as vocational training when the homeless apply for jobs, Heldman said.

The shelter also allows its address and phone number to be used for jobs and provides a vocational section with books and videotapes.

Heldman said the videotapes are useful for guests who do not read well.

Blank employment applications are available for guest to practice filling out or to fill out and return to businesses.

“Employment is your first step out of homelessness,” Heldman said.

A computer lab is also available for guests to look for housing and jobs.

Meals for the public

PADS offers two meals a day, lunch and dinner, for everyone – not just overnight guests.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and dinner is served from 7 to 9 p.m.

The dining area is first seen when entering PADS. Three white, rectangular folding tables seat 15 guests comfortably. Another table is set off to the side that could seated four more. At the most, 22 people have sat down at once to eat a meal.

“It can be pretty crowded in here,” Heldman said.

A fully stocked kitchen is off to the left of the dinning area. Cans of soup, spices and other items are stacked on the shelves. The community and the Eastern Illinois Food Bank donate food. Heldman said PADS relies on the community for a lot of donations.

“We always need paper towels and canned fruit,” he said.

PADS makes sure there is at least meat, starch and vegetable in each meal. Pasta, beef stew, turkey and beef are typical meals.

About 1,000 meals are served each month.

Dessert is usually provided with the meals as well, and Heldman said the community and volunteers who prepare the meals donate the dessert.

Mattoon resident Dora Galletano, a volunteer at PADS, helps prepare the meals. She started volunteering at the shelter last May.

“It’s very humbling,” Galletano said. “You realize how blessed you are to be at where you are in life.”

After preparing and serving the meals to guests, sometimes the volunteers will sit down and eat the same meal with them.

For overnight guests, breakfast and bagged lunch are available, but bagged lunches can be provided for the public as well.

Breakfast can consist of cereal, coffee and doughnuts.

Heldman said PADS is working on adding a breakfast nook to the building.

On average, a meal costs about $3.03 per plate.

“There is no reason for anyone to go hungry in Coles County because we have a lot of food,” Heldman said.

About 80 percent who go to PADS for a meal are from Coles County.

“If they are struggling with food they are likely struggling with something else,” Heldman said.

Help from area police departments

Often times, the Mattoon Police Department may find someone without food or shelter and they will help them either with transportation or by sending them to PADS.

Jeff Branson, deputy chief for the Mattoon Police Department, said if the police department finds someone who may need help, they figure out what is best for them and the community.

“If they are not from the area, we try to get them to where they need to be,” he said. “There’s time when we need to use (the shelter) and times when we need to assist them to a destination.”

The Charleston Police Department also may bring people to PADS.

Charleston Police Chief Mark Jenkins said the police department gets calls about people sleeping in the streets or parks.

An officer on duty will find the person, ask them some questions and typically that person will admit they have no food or shelter, Jenkins said.

“It’s a shame they (PADS) do not have the staff to stay open 24 hours a day,” Jenkins said.

Heldman will also work with the area police departments.

“If our guest has a warrant we will call the police,” Heldman said, adding that seven people were apprehended that way last year.

Heldman said usually the warrant is about a failure to appear.

“We try to cooperate with law enforcement any way we can,” he said.

Besides local police departments bringing people to the shelter, Heldman said most people come to PADS because they heard about it through word of mouth.

“(However,) we still struggle with ‘I didn’t know there was a shelter,'” he said.

Giving back to the community

Heldman grew up in Mattoon and said he feels like he is giving back to the community through his work with PADS.

“It feels really good to do the right thing,” he said.

Heldman was always someone who wanted to protect and give back to the community.

He has been in the human services business for the past 15 years. Heldman studied human services at Eastern and graduated with his bachelor’s in 1995 and his master’s in 2000.

Despite his interest in helping others, Heldman never predicted working at a homeless shelter.

“For me, it developed as an interest over time,” he said.

Since working at PADS, Heldman said he could not imagine working anywhere else.

He’s there to help those who want help or just to lend an ear.

“A lot of people come in and need someone to talk to, a kind and warm face,” he said.

Kristina Peters can be reached at 581-7946 or at [email protected].