Shirley Cockrell withdraws $6 from the small reserve of petty cash at the Go-Getters Drop-in Center, which she directs.

“We cannot let someone’s life fall apart and through the cracks because of $6,” she says, with a mixture of resolve and regret.

Minutes before, Shirley had seen Monique Crowley sitting alone in the lunchroom with her head down. Shirley asked her what was wrong, and Monique replied that she had not taken her anti-anxiety medication that morning because she did not have $6 for the co-pay.

Without the medication, Monique will be unable to work that day in her part-time job as a housekeeper. “If I miss doses, I get sick and have to go to the hospital,” Monique says. “It’s happened before, and then it takes me a long time to recover.”

Compared to the ER and hospitalization costs that the community would bear, $6 is such a nominal price to pay. Monique will repay the $6 into the petty cash as soon as she can. She knows firsthand that this small amount of money could make a big difference for someone else at Go-Getters one day.

“Here we understand that we are all in this together, and that we are all equals and need to look out for each other,” Monique says.

How Go-Getters is able to stretch its limited dollars to address the basic needs of those it serves is both extraordinary and routine. It’s open four days a week, and each day about 70 people come through its doors. Many are homeless or formerly homeless. All are dealing with mental health issues.

Go-Getters serves a hot, nutritious lunch to about 50 people. For most, this meal is the greater part of their sustenance for the day.

Serving this many lunches is again a measure of squeezing the most of every precious dollar. Go-Getters receives $1500 a month through a grant from the City for food. Other funds bring the monthly food budget to about $1700 – for more than 800 complete meals. Shirley often dips into her own pockets to make up any shortfall.

Funding cuts have forced Go-Getters to cope with many challenges. The kitchen desperately needs repair and updating. The passenger van is old and often breaks down. The van is used to bring consumers to the center and to take them to counseling and other appointments.

Homeless individuals who come to Go-Getters often lack proper identification required to secure the services they need to begin to rebuild their lives and rejoin the community. Go-Getters shepherds them through the process and pays the fees when they lack the means. Go-Getters’ staff, working with others at Southwest Counseling Solutions, then helps them access housing and support services.

Go-Getters provides showers, clean clothing and hygiene kits. It's a warm and welcoming environment that treats everyone with dignity and compassion.

“Living on the streets and struggling to survive, you can feel less than a person,” Shirley says. “We let each one know that they matter, and that things can get better when you let us help you take those first crucial steps.”

Go-Getters has had to reduce its hours of service and close on Fridays because of funding cuts. The loss of Fridays has been particularly difficult for many Go-Getters consumers.

“The friendships I've formed here are important to my recovery from mental illness,” says Scott Davis, a Go-Getters' regular. “I live alone, and I start to feel edgy during the three days I’m away from Go-Getters.”

Go-Getters operates on a consumer-run model that emphasizes relationships and personal responsibility. Since it started in 1995, the center has helped hundreds of individuals move from homelessness to independent living, including Scott.

John Ligon, too, was once homeless. With Go-Getter’s help, he is now moving into a Southwest Housing Solutions’ apartment building. John has been coming to Go-Getters for nine months and volunteers to run the canteen and help clean.

“I’m at home here,” John says. “I’ve been through a lot because of depression and addiction, but I’m at a place now where I feel I can help others get back on their feet, too.”

To help Go-Getters’ mission and efforts to help others, Southwest Solutions’ holiday appeal seeks to raise funds for the center. Depending on how much we're able to raise, the money will be used for food, personal ID fees, kitchen repairs, a reliable passenger van, and restoring service hours.

We invite you to contribute. Your donation will be well spent and, undoubtedly, will make a difference in the daily lives of those who depend on Go-Getters to start and help sustain their recovery from homelessness, mental illness and isolation.

If you would like to make an online donation, please use our online form and write “holiday appeal” in the comments section. If you’d prefer to mail a donation, please make your check out to “Southwest Solutions,” write “holiday appeal” in the memo line, and sent it to:
Mary Madigan
Fund Development Manager
Southwest Solutions
1920 25th Street
Detroit, MI 48216

To learn more about the holiday appeal, please email Mary or call her at 313.297.1371.