As the onset of winter brings shorter days and
colder nights, Walnut Creek's Fresh Start provides services and a sense
of home for those without one.
A little more than a year ago, Polly Wyke
found herself in a difficult situation: after almost 24 years of
marriage, she and her husband were divorcing.
Unable to support herself, Wyke was forced to move in with her
parents. After three trying months, it was clear that the living
arrangement was doomed.
"Living with Mom and Dad just wasn't right," she said.
With nowhere else to go, Wyke headed off to Civic Park. It was there that she first heard about Fresh Start: a respite center that provides support for the homeless.
Nowadays, Wyke spends her Tuesdays and Thursdays at Fresh Start. Not
only does she take advantage of its wide array of services, but she is
employed by the respite center as its kitchen manager.
Wyke is one of many locals who utilize Fresh Start, which Susan Prather founded in 1997.
After a Rossmoor resident bequeathed $250,000 to help the homeless of
Walnut Creek, the town reached out to Prather, a local activist, to
find out if Walnut Creek even had a homeless problem.
In her first day canvassing Walnut Creek, Prather found 47 homeless
people, and Fresh Start was born. After spending its first two years
operating out of Civic Park, Fresh Start moved into its current home
behind St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
Upon Prather's death three years ago, her husband, Bill Lunghi, took
over the helm of Fresh Start. Today, he makes sure that the respite
center continues to serve local residents who are homeless or on the
verge of becoming homeless.
"Preventing homelessness is also part of our vision," he said. "You
don't have to be homeless to take advantage of what we have to offer.
You can also be unemployed or poor."
From free lunches to hot showers to medical assistance, participants
greatly appreciate everything Fresh Start has to offer. Take, for
instance, the free on-site washer and dryer.
According to Billy Lewis, who has frequented Fresh Start for five
years and is operations supervisor, homeless residents used to have to
jump through hoops just to get their clothes cleaned.
"There are no laundromats in Walnut Creek," he said. "You have to
break into apartments to use theirs or take the bus to Pleasant Hill,
Moraga or Lafayette."
Looking past the tangibles provided by Fresh Start, it also has
given people a support group. People who regularly come back to Fresh
Start cite the sense of community among participants.
"A lot of people don't have families or they're rejected from their families, a lot of them are orphans," said Lewis.
Wyke said, "Some of these people drive me nuts and some of them are a
little quirky, but if you just know who to deal with and how to deal
with them, then it works out all right."
Fresh Start Basics
Fresh Start is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Tuesday and Thursdays at
1924 Trinity Ave., on the grounds of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. For
more information, call 925-935-8446. Services provided by Fresh Start
include:
- Shower and laundry facilities
- Breakfast and substantial and nutritional meals and food to take away for later.
- A food pantry with canned foods
- Clothing, including underwear and socks and footwear; personal care products.
- Case management, including help with job searches and in obtaining government assistant and getting to medical appointments.
- Recognizing that a fair number of homeless people in Walnut Creek
live outdoors year-round, Fresh Start provides tents, sleeping bags,
tarps, fresh water, food and other items necessary to keep people who
live outside healthy.
- Rights advocacy, especially for homeless people living in encampments.
